Mercantile Library

St. Louis Mercantile Library, formerly located in downtown St. Louis, is located in the Thomas Jefferson Library on the campus of University of Missouri-St. Louis. The library was founded in 1846, making it the oldest library west of the Mississippi River.

The library is the home of the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library and the Herman T. Potts Inland Waterway Collection. Each of these extensive national collections has an archivist and the collections are available to historians and genealogists during regular library hours.

The library has a rich collection of books, newspapers, and resources covering St. Louis history. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat morgue is located in this facility. The collection may be searched through either its Surname Index or its Subject Index. The online index covers 1930 to 1989, when the newspaper ceased publication.

A summary of all the collections at the St. Louis Mercantile Library can be found on their website. This page includes a link to the Special Collections Directory, which explains each collection in detail.

St. Louis Mercantile Library
University of Missouri-St. Louis
One University Blvd.
St. Louis, Missouri 63121-4400
314-516-7240
Last modified: 25-Jun-2016 09:12