Mark Twain Neighborhood

The Mark Twain Neighborhood is located in the Northwest part of the City of St Louis. The boundaries of the neighborhood are West Florissant Ave to the northeast, Emerson to the northwest and Interstate 70 to the south and southeast. The surrounding neighborhoods are Penrose to the southeast, the Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial Neighborhood to the south and Walnut Park East to the northwest. Two historic cemeteries are to the northeast, Bellefontaine Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery.

Schools

The residents of the Mark Twain Neighborhood are served by the St. Louis Public School District. Although none of the district's schools are located in the Mark Twain Neighborhood, several are located in the nearby neighborhoods. The Northwest Academy of Law High School and the Walbridge Elementary School are in the Walnut Park East Neighborhood. And the Ashland Elementary School is located in the Penrose Neighborhood on North Newstead. The City Academy, a private independent elementary school, is found in the Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial Neighborhood on North Kingshighway. And the private St. Matthew Lutheran School is located on Wren Avenue in the Walnut Park East Neighborhood.

Parks and Recreation

Penrose Park, one of the City's 111 parks, sits to the east of Kingshighway and provides the area with many recreation options within its 51 acres of parkland. One of its unique features is a Velodrome. What is a "velodrome?" It is a track that can be indoor or outdoor and is banked for bicycle riding and races. The Penrose Park Velodrome is the only one found at any of the City parks, in fact, the Penrose Velodrome is the only one in Missouri and one out of only 27 that are found in the nation! Other amenities of the park are athletic fields for baseball and softball, courts for tennis, basketball and handball, a playground and picnic pavilions. The Matthews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club is located in the Mark Twain/I-70 Industrial Neighborhood across from Penrose Park on the west side of Kingshighway. Another nearby City park is the Dwight Davis Park in Walnut Park East that features 9.6 acres of parkland, a playground, a basketball court, soccer, softball and baseball fields, a multi-purpose court, tennis courts, a fun spray pool and more.

Libraries

Conveniently located for the residents of the neighborhood are the Walnut Park Branch Library on West Florissant Avenue and the Julia Davis Branch Library on Natural Bridge Avenue, two of the 15 branches of the St. Louis Public Library system.

Cemeteries and History

Two historic cemeteries are located along the northern edge of the neighborhood, Bellefontaine Cemetery and Calvary Cemetery. The list of St. Louisans that are buried in these cemeteries reads like a "Who's Who!" Calvary Cemetery is 400 acres and was established in 1858 as a Roman Catholic cemetery to receive the remains of those who had been buried at the cemetery located at the Old Cathedral in St. Louis and were being moved to make way for the expansion of the city. Some of names that are found in Calvary include General William Tecumseh Sherman, Dred Scott, Mickey Carroll, Tennessee Williams and John Mullanphy. Bellefontaine Cemetery was established in 1849 and is 300 acres. Buried there include Adolphus Busch, Ellis Wainwright, William Clark, James Eads, Erma S. Rombauer, Theodore Link, Albert Bond Lambert and Sara Teasdale.

Mark Twain Neighborhood Related Links:

City of St Louis Website