Crime Scene and Trauma Cleanup in Kimmswick, MO

Kimmswick is a small city in Jefferson County, Missouri, on the Mississippi River about 22 miles south of St. Louis, and it bills itself as "The Historic River City."

Kimmswick was platted in 1859 by Theodore Kimm, a German immigrant and successful St. Louis dry goods merchant, who built the town's name from "Kimm" plus "wick," the Old High German word for a village or dwelling.

A post office was established at Kimmswick in 1858, with Theodore Kimm as its first postmaster, and it remains open today.

The Kimmswick area was settled as early as 1770 with a salt works, and the young town grew into a river and rail port with an iron forge, a brewery, limestone quarries, and large greenhouses that shipped fresh flowers to St. Louis.

By 1876 Kimmswick had grown into the second largest town in Jefferson County.

Kimmswick's survival as a historic town is credited to Lucianna Gladney Ross, an heir to the 7-Up fortune, who began buying and restoring its deteriorating buildings in 1970.

Nearly seven blocks with 44 buildings in Kimmswick's oldest section were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Kimmswick Historic District in 2007.

Kimmswick is home to the Windsor Harbor Road Bridge, the oldest known wrought-iron bridge in Missouri, and the Anheuser Estate, built in 1867 overlooking the Mississippi River.

Despite having only 133 residents at the 2020 census, Kimmswick supports more than 25 shops and restaurants and draws crowds to its Strawberry Festival in June and Apple Butter Festival in October.