History

Shrewsbury, Missouri was officially platted in 1889. The land which became Shrewsbury originally belonged to Gregorie Sarpy and Charles Gratiot; by 1890, it was divided into farms and sold to families. The area now known as Shrewsbury was a 278 acre farm owned by General John Murdoch. The Murdoch farm was called Shrewsbury Park, named after a village in England.

In 1913, concerned resident Joseph Burge organized the Shrewsbury Improvement Association to improve Shrewsbury and develop its first sewer system. Shrewsbury was incorporated and became a village in 1913; shortly thereafter a sanitation system was established, reducing water-born diseases prevalent at the time.

In 1938, the United States Government offered financial aid to the City of Shrewsbury and land was acquired for the construction of a new City Hall replacing the 1912 original. The new City Hall building was completed in October 1938. Shrewsbury’s new fire engine house and state-of-the-art equipment were dedicated in 1947; it was during this period that the Shrewsbury Garden Club was formed to maintain the beautiful trees and flowers throughout the city. The early 50’s were marked by the expansion of the public bus routes to connect Shrewsbury to St. Louis. The 60’s and 70’s were times of great community growth, noted by the construction of city parks, a municipal pool, and Interstate 44.

The 80’s and 90’s saw increased development of new homes, condominiums, apartments, shopping areas, and a new and improved City Center, which opened May 8, 1993 to coincide with Shrewsbury’s 80th year of incorporation. City Hall is now located at the City Center. The former City Hall building has been renovated to
become the Public Safety Building, which houses the Police and Fire Departments.

As the turn of the century was upon us, Shrewsbury’s new aquatic center was opened and plans were in the works for the Shrewsbury / Lansdowne Metrolink station. The aquatic center opened in May of 2000 and the Metrolink station opened on August 26, 2006. At the end of the first decade, the year 2010, Shrewsbury saw its longest seated mayor, Mayor Bert Gates, step down and its first female mayor, Mayor Felicity Buckley sworn into office.

The year 2012 has found itself filled with preparations for the Centennial Celebration of 2013. The committee has been headed by former alderman Greg Lauter with the assistance of Greg Meyer. Along with the help of several others, plans are being made to sell, commemorative bricks, street banners, and tee shirts. The year will be celebrated with various events including, parties in the park, an evening of Shrewsbury History, outside tour of centennial homes, a special fall festival with a parade and fireworks. It should be a year filled with fun and an opportunity to look back.

With the Centennial Celebration will come a new “tag line” for Shrewsbury. It will read “SHREWSBURY, MISSOURI...IT’S HOME.” We think that says it all.

General Information

The City of Shrewsbury is an attractive suburban residential community with an economic base represented by a mixture of commercial enterprises, numerous small specialty shops, support services and a few industrial enterprises.

It is also a full service community with both fire and police protection. The Shrewsbury Fire and Police Departments provide fire and police protection within the boundaries of the city limits. The Fire Department sponsors fire prevention and safety programs including blood pressure testing, providing and installing free smoke detectors. The Police Department offers public community service programs including the Building Check Program, in which police check the security of a building and leave a notice advising the owner regarding their findings, the S.N.A.P. Program (Safe Neighborhood Active Patrol), in which the police leave a notice advising that they patrolled the neighborhood, Child Identification, the DARE drug program, and Neighborhood Watch.

Additionally, the City offers and services a recreation center, aquatic center, and 50 acres of park land nestled among beautiful residential areas throughout the City.

Interstate 44 intersects the City near its northern edge. This highway provides excellent access to the St. Louis metropolitan area. Regularly scheduled air passenger and freight service are available at Lambert St. Louis International Airport located approximately 10 miles northwest of the City.

Metro, the commuter railroad that serves the St. Louis area, completed a new Shrewsbury line. The Shrewsbury line added eight miles to connect to the existing Metro lines to Forest Park and Clayton.

Residents are within a short commuting distance of the numerous hospitals located in the St. Louis metropolitan area including the highly regarded Barnes Jewish Hospital complex of Washington University and Saint Louis University Hospital, both of which are located in the City of St. Louis and are known for their fine medical schools and quality of research.

Southwest Medical Building is located in Shrewsbury, with approximately 60 doctors. In addition, there is a small dental clinic and medical center in the City. The public school system within the City is operated under the administration and control of the Webster Groves School District, the Affton School District, the Special School District of St. Louis County, and the Junior College District of St. Louis.

The Webster Groves School District and the Affton School District collectively own and operate 5 elementary schools, 2 junior high schools, and 2 senior high schools serving residents of the city.

The City is the home of Cardinal Glennon College, a pastoral college owned by the St. Louis Archdiocese.  Shrewsbury is also home to the Archdiocese's complete formation program for future priests, including Kenrick School of Theology.  Please see this website for more details on the Archdiocese programs:  www.kenrick.edu.  The college is the only institution of its kind in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

In addition, numerous institutions of higher education located in the St. Louis metropolitan area are easily accessible to City residents, including Webster University, located approximately 1 mile from Shrewsbury, Saint Louis University, Washington University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.