County of site: St. Charles County
Location of site: High St. & Webster St., Augusta
Phone: 636-482-4558 or 636-228-4303
"The Augusta Historical Museum in Augusta, Missouri is the former split level brick house constructed by August Sehrt, and his wife, Catherine, in 1861, arriving here as immigrants from Hannover, Germany. August was an experienced carpenter and had handcrafted caskets and furniture in the downstairs stonewalled workroom, along with cultivating grapes and fruit trees on the 8 acres that surrounded the house. Catherine was kept quite busy with the two boys and eight girls, and the city would acquire the estate in 1975 from the descendants of the Sehrt family, converting the property into a museum and town park. It is one of eight houses in the city that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The interior has gone through some extensive renovations and period furniture has been installed, with some still there from the original that had been hand made by August. The first floor houses a meeting room, that highlights a Civil War collage, the family papers, a display titled, Augusta in Photos and archival documents. The 1860 bedroom is open to view and contains a big walnut wardrobe, 1870 rocker doll, rope bed, immigrant trunk, as well as two mannequins dressed in period wedding dresses. On the bottom floor, there is a workroom and kitchen, with pie saver, cooking range, and cabinet, along with old ice skates, jugs, sewing basket and lanterns. The workroom contains many old period tools that were used for the manufacture of caskets, from 1870, as well as blacksmithing tools of the early 1900s, railroading and athletics in the city from the same period." ~ Rental Car Momma
"Augusta's Historical Museum is located in the split-level brick house built in 1861 by August and Catherine Sehrt, immigrants from Hannover, Germany. August, an experienced carpenter, made furniture and caskets in the downstairs stonewalled workroom and grew grapes and fruit trees on the 8 acres around the house. Catherine cared for their large family of 2 boys and 8 girls. Augusta acquired the 6-room house and grounds in 1975 from the descendants of the Sehrt family and turned the property into a town park and a museum. The Sehrt home is one of Augusta's 8 houses on the National Historic Register.
"Friends of Historic Augusta, who administer the Museum have undertaken significant restoration and has opened the Museum to the public. On the first floor is the meeting room, which features a Civil War collage, Augusta family papers, archival documents, and the display: "Augusta in Photos." An 1860 bedroom introduces visitors to a rope bed, large walnut wardrobe, immigrant trunk, an 1870 "Rocker doll," along with the Museum's permanent residents "Ms. Louise and Ms. Hedwig" in their wedding dresses. A kitchen and a workroom occupy the lower floor. The kitchen (photo left) with a cooking range, pie saver, and cabinet reflects the practicality of 1800s furnishings. Old ice skates, lanterns, sewing basket, jugs, etc. add to the atmosphere. The workroom or "casket room" features a well-preserved and extensive collection of woodworking tools of the 1870s, along with artifacts of 1900s blacksmithing, railroading, and athletics in Augusta." ~ The Great River Road