Cole County History: Suden's souvenir shares 1891 images of Jefferson City

<p>Suden’s sketch of the A. C. Shoup house at 324 East Dunklin. From Suden’s Souvenir of Jefferson City, MO photo by Jenny smith</p>

Suden’s sketch of the A. C. Shoup house at 324 East Dunklin. From Suden’s Souvenir of Jefferson City, MO photo by Jenny smith

By the end of the 19th century, photographer Frederick Gustav Suden was known best for having an apprentice who became more talented and famous than himself. That apprentice, Carl Deeg, gained prestige around the state for his art, but Suden would later secure his place in our history as author of the widely published booklet, "Suden's Souvenir of Jefferson City, Mo."

Suden's booklet, first published in 1891, is a snapshot in time - sketches of grand homes in the city, as well as churches, schools, businesses and government buildings. The booklet is a collection of 44 sketches of prominent buildings in the city, not photographs, as you may expect from a photographer. It was reprinted in 1943 on the occasion of the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce's 50th anniversary. By that time, many of these 44 structures rendered in the 1891 booklet were gone or greatly altered. Now, 128 years later, only 14 of these structures remain.

F. G. Suden was born in Schulen Holstein, Germany, in 1849. He was an artist as a young man. But apparently, after some anti-Prussian cartoons, he had to make a hasty departure from his home. Local historian Walter Schroeder said he sailed first to South America then made his way to New York, where he learned the newly emerging art of photography. He became an itinerant photographer, traveling the countryside peddling his services. Landing in Jefferson City in 1878, he set up shop and remained here until his death in 1923. Perhaps Suden sketched the buildings in his Souvenir book because he was first an artist?

At his shop at 232 E. High St., what was known as the Dallmeyer building, he trained Carl Deeg, who went on to become known statewide for his photography skills. Local historians will recognize Deeg's mark on many vintage photographs of Jefferson City landmarks, most notably the photos he took of the city from the dome of old Capitol building in 1900. A sketch of the Dallmeyer building, incidentally, was included in Suden's booklet.

But now, 128 years later, historians also note with as much or more interest Suden's Souvenir booklet because it captures the architecture we have lost. His sketches include eight grand Jefferson City houses of the time, of which only one remains today - the Marmaduke mansion at 700 E. Capitol Ave.

One of these lost treasures was the H.W. Ewing house, located in what Suden called "Woodcrest." Schroeder's book "Southside Sketches" describes Woodcrest, or "Schoenberg" ("beautiful hill") as an upscale "suburb" of the Southside neighborhood and the Ewing house as a "castellated Gothic" design. The Woodcrest area was on the "crest" of the hill at the intersection of Adams Street and Woodlawn Avenue.

Henry Watkins Ewing was the son of Supreme Court Judge Ephraim Ewing, who lived in a house now occupied by Communique at 512 E. Capitol Ave. Ewing owned the Tribune Printing Company, a prestigious and influential position. A sketch of the printing company, 220 Madison St., also was included in Suden's booklet.

Henry Ewing's protégé was Alfred C. Shoup, whose elegant home at 324 Dunklin St. also was featured in Suden's Souvenir booklet. This unusual, polygonal, triple-tiered house set on the hill where the Jefferson City Public School Administration Building is now. When Ewing died in 1898, Shoup became president of the Tribune Printing Company. He also served as mayor.

One of the most stunning homes among Suden's sketches was the Dr. A.C. Davison home at 103 W. McCarty St. An extravagant Queen Ann with a three-story tower, elaborate gable trim, finials with roof racks and gingerbread, it served as the home and office of the physician. This residence disappeared from the city's directories by 1913. The US Bank building now occupies this site. The photo provided with this article was taken by photographer B.F. Oliver from a similar vantage point as Suden's sketch.

Suden's Souvenir booklet of 1891 served as a memento of Jefferson City to his patrons at the time and a promotion of his services. But 128 years later, his renderings of early Jefferson City serve as a valuable historical record. Perhaps he has finally succeeded in being more famous than his apprentice, Carl Deeg.

Jenny Smith is a retired chemist with the Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory and former editor of the Historic City of Jefferson's Yesterday and Today newsletter.