South St. Louis City
Scrubby Dutch (Deutsch)
Singing the praises of a neighborhood living out loud - diversity in Southampton neighborhood of St. Louis. MO
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Brief Article
National Catholic Reporter,  August 13, 1999  by Jeannette Batz

Five years ago, my husband and I moved to the south side of St. Louis. Gingerbread bungalow, circa 1940, in a
quiet-conservative-Catholic neighborhood so whitebread it embarrassed us. The area was best described as
"scrubby Dutch" -- except that the Dutch, legendary for their diligent housekeeping, were dying. As we watched,
they were gradually replaced by Bosnians, Vietnamese, African-Americans, Arabs and young white yuppies
looking to discover new diversity amid cheap, charming, old-brick housing stock.
downtown & near south side
BENTON PARK * BENTON PARK WEST * CARR SQUARE * COLUMBUS SQUARE * DOWNTOWN * DOWNTOWN WEST (LOFT
DISTRICT) * FOX PARK * GATE DISTRICT * KOSCIUSKO * LAFAYETTE SQUARE * LASALLE * MARINE VILLA * MCKINLEY
HEIGHTS * PEABODY/DARST-WEBBE * SOULARD

HISTORY: St. Louis stayed much the same between 1774 and 1804. At the time of the Corps of Discovery, there were only 180
houses, concentrated mainly on Main, Second and Third streets (which, at the time, had French names). * In 1896, a tornado
swept away huge sections of the Near South Side. In Lafayette Square, nearly all that remained standing was a statue of Thomas
Hart Benton.

ARCHITECTURE: Between 1865 and 1885, most Lafayette Square houses were Second Empire townhouses, the largest north of
the park on Benton Place and Park Avenue. After 1890, architecture went Germanic: red brick, wide arches, turrets,
classical-columned porches and iron balconies. * The only remnant of St. Louis' once- thriving Real Estate Row is the Old Post
Office, now dramatically renovated. * Louis Sullivan's Wainwright Building was one of the first skyscrapers in the world, combining
a steel frame with an elegant ornamental terra-cotta exterior.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Flower wholesalers in the 2600 and 2700 blocks of LaSalle Street ... Soulard Farmers Mar- ket,
operating since the early 19th century ... Cherokee- Lemp, with its Antique Row, Honduran food at Los Catrachos, Bosnian
concerts and swing dances at the Casa Loma Ballroom, booze-free rock 'n' roll gigs at Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and
mind-blowing art shows at Fort Gondo Compound for the Arts. New to Cherokee is Tension Head Records, "St. Louis' only
punk/metal/hard rock music boutique."

SOON TO COME: The Arcade/Wright Building; the Bottle District; a mixed- use project in the old Dillard's building; renovation of the
Kiel Center for the Arts; T. Roberts Design Center Lofts; and, miracle of miracles, a new Amtrak interim station to replace the
ancient, embarrassing AmShack.

RITUALS: Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday and Bastille Day in Soulard * Strassenfest * Taste of St. Louis * Saturday antiquing on
Cherokee Street * monthly wrestling at the South Broadway Athletic Club

HANGOUTS: Soulard Coffee Garden * Copia Urban Winery * Shugga's * Cafe Hebron * Gus' Pretzels * Belas Artes * Shangri- La
Diner * Beale on Broadway

CELEBS: Betty Grable, New Yorker cartoonist Al Hirschfeld, Harry Caray, Shelley Winters
south city
BEVO * BOULEVARD HEIGHTS * CARONDELET * CHELTENHAM *
CLAYTON/TAMM (DOGTOWN) * CLIFTON HEIGHTS * COMPTON HEIGHTS *
DUTCHTOWN * ELLENDALE * FRANZ PARK * GRAVOIS PARK * HI-POINTE *
THE HILL * HOLLY HILLS * KINGS OAK * LINDENWOOD * PARK * MCREE TOWN
* MOUNT PLEASANT * NORTH HAMPTON * PATCH * PRINCETON HEIGHTS *
ST. LOUIS HILLS * SHAW * SOUTHAMPTON * SOUTHWEST GARDEN * TIFFANY
* TOWER GROVE EAST * TOWER GROVE SOUTH

Just 15 years ago, South St. Louis was scrubby Dutch and whitebread; just 30
years ago, the Grand business district was sound asleep. Today, Vietnamese,
Thai, Iraqi, Laotian, Afghan, Liberian, Filipino, Arab, German, Roma, Bantu and
Somali cultures weave a path down South Grand. Cherokee's business district
mixes taquerias and bodegas with its funky antiques and historic Casa Loma
ballroom. Dusty corner bars and boarded- up shops have turned into Bosnian
coffeehouses and international markets. And the value of those little gingerbread
houses has shot through the roof.

HISTORY: The Bevo Mill neighborhood took its name from the whimsical 60-foot
windmill restaurant built by August Busch Sr. in 1916. Today, the old windmill is
surrounded by Bosna Gold, the new Taft Street Bosnian restaurant, the Stari Grad
bakery and the Europa market and cafe. At nearby Grbic, Eastern European
master musicians play in front of a stone fi replace that used to warm the Bailey
Farms Dairy. The venerable American Czech Educational Center now stands in
the neighborhood with the largest concentration of Bosnians outside Europe.

NEVER CHANGED: The Men's Pinochle Club still plays at Carondelet Park, the Hat
Mart on California has been open for more than a century and the beloved 131-
year-old Carondelet Bakery still stands in the Ivory Triangle.

ARCHITECTURE: South City has row upon row of small brick houses with pointy
front gables and a storybook charm: "Hansel-and-Gretel," "fairy-tale" or "ginger-
bread" houses. "We've been very fortunate," says preservation his- torian Esley
Hamilton, "that so many of these rows are intact and not broken by teardowns or
Permastone veneers."

* Cyrus Crane Willmore developed St. Louis Hills, insisting on tile and slate roofs,
stained glass and artistic landscaping. Look for the fl amingos discreetly tucked
into the rosebushes.

* Compton Heights' streets curve gracefully to soften the traffi c. Many of St. Louis'
early corporate leaders settled in these mansions.

* In Shaw Place, Henry Shaw re-created a street from Victorian England: an oval
drive around a parkway with a fountain.

* In Carondelet, the Steins Street limestone row houses were built in 1851 by
Ignatz Uhrig, proprietor of a local cave and brewery.

RITUALS: Bevo Day Festival * yard sales * Pridefest * the Ancient Order of
Hibernians' St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dogtown * the Pagan Picnic in Tower
Grove Park * the International Festival * the Czech Festival * the Bosnian Festival *
the Christmas Cookie Walk and Cinco de Mayo on Cherokee Street

HANGOUTS: Both Ted Drewes frozen custard stands are in South City, and
nobody forgets it * La Tropicana Market * Amighetti's on the Hill * the
Italia-American Bocce Club * Trattoria Marcella * Hartford Coffee * Shaw's Coffee
Limited MoKaBe's * O'Connell's Pub * The Pitted Olive * Plato's Cafe.

CELEBS: Yogi Berra, and Joe Garagiola grew up on the Hill, and a young Jack
Buck moved there with his wife in 1954.
St Louis Magazine »  SLM Lists »  Neighborhoods
Where We Live
by stefene russell | illustration by nathan heigert

Copyright 2007 St. Louis Magazine  http://www.stlmag.com/media/St-Louis-Magazine/SLM-Lists/Neighborhoods/
SCRUBBY'S FRIENDS ARRANGING HER ...
Ancestors of Eugene Ashton ANDREW & Anna Louise HANISH Mary Jane Andrew

Grandma Andrew- I remember going to her house for Christmas through the years. She had a tiny
brick house on Eichelberger in St Louis City. We could tell her house apart from the others on the
street because she had a little squirrel statue on her porch. The squirrel was holding a nut in its'
paws. We were always on the lookout for that squirrel once we pulled onto her street. Her house
was immaculate. Talk about your "scrubby Dutch!" Even the basement was spotless. You could
have eaten off the floor in that basement. Speaking of the basement, she had some sort of
torpedo in her basement! Holiday meals were a big deal at Grandma's because we got to eat REAL
BUTTER! Grandma loved Dr. Pepper soda and I hated it. We had to drink Dr. Pepper at Grandma's.

http://www.geneal.net/14.htm
1683 Mennonites and Quakers arrive on the
"Concord"and found Germantown, PA with Francis
Daniel Pastorius as their leader.

1983 Tricentennial of German Immigration (landing of
the "Concord" with 13 Krefeld families and founding of
Germantown in 1683). German-American Day, Oct. 6,
reinstated  
1990 US Census: German-Americans are largest ethnic group
October 3, Germany reunited
On the eve of Dec. 6th, children put letters to the good saint along with carrots or other
food for his white horse or donkey on a plate or in their shoes. These are left outside,
under the bed, beside a radiator, or on a windowsill in hopes of finding goodies from St.
Nicholas the next morning. During the night Sankt Nikolaus goes from house to house
carrying a book in which all the children's deeds are written. If they have been good, he
fills their plate, shoe or boot with delicious fruits, nuts and candies. If not, they may find
potatoes, coal, or twigs.  We put out wooden bowls.
Soulard section (Frenchtown): (Johann Franz Maurer)
The area attracted large numbers of German-Americans who had begun arriving here about
1830. After political upheavals in Germany and Bohemia in 1848, a great influx of immigrants
from those countries found their way to St. Louis with a substantial portion of them settling in
the present Soulard area. One of their principal industries was the breweries, including
Eberhard Anheuser's Bavarian Brewery and Adam Lemp's Western Brewery, which later
became the City's leading brewers. Among others which flourished in the area during the
nineteenth century were the Arsenal Brewery, Anthony and Kuhn's, Excelsior, Green Tree and
English breweries.  Sts. Peter and Paul Church founded in 1849 for the German immigrants.  
It served during this time as the  major  spiritual center for the Soulard German community.

Carondelet section: (Lorenz Schilly)
About 1702 a temporary settlement was made by French Catholic missionaries to the Indians
at the mouth of the River des Peres, which received its name therefrom, meaning "River of the
Fathers."

The village which was later named Carondelet was founded in 1767 by Clement DeLore de
Treget on a trip upriver from Sainte Genevieve. He chose a site for his family home at what is
now the foot of Elwood Street, near the river but above the flood stages. DeLore was soon
joined by other French settlers who migrated from Cahokia and Kaskaskia, forming a village.

The original French village was located near the north end of what is now called Carondelet,
just south of the hill where Bellerive Park is now situated. At first called DeLore's Village, it
underwent several name changes such as Louisburg, Prairie a Catalan and finally, in 1794,
Carondelet in honor of Baron Francois Louis Hector de Carondelet, the Spanish governor of
Louisiana. Carondelet was a Frenchman who married into a family that was influential in the
Spanish government. Lots in the village were allotted by DeLore, but few of the settlers had
deeds.

In 1826 1,700 acres were sold to the United States government for only $5.00 by virtue of
signatures of only twelve of the village's 250 land holders. This tract was later developed by the
War Department as Jefferson Barracks. To establish a formal local government, the village
was incorporated by the St. Louis County Court as the Town of Carondelet on August 27, 1832.

In 1843, Jacob Stein, a German immigrant, acquired a lot at the southeast corner of Stein and
Reilly Streets. He was so impressed by opportunities in Carondelet that he persuaded many
other Germans to come there. Some of them later became prominent in the life of the
community unity and gave their names to streets in what came to be known as "Stein's Town",
south of old Vide Poche. These names exist today on Krauss, Schirmer, Koeln, Nagel,
Espenschied and other streets in the area. The small stone houses that can still be seen in
this section of Carondelet are reminscent of these German settlers; many of whom started
small factories which spread in later years to create a highly industrialized section of the town.  
Vide Poche means empty pockets, this was an area of high card gambling at one time.

The census of 1850 showed Carondelet to have a population of 1,265, of whom 28 were
classed as slaves. In this area were the stone houses built by the German immigrant settlers
in the 1840's. Largest house in the southern end of the town in 1850 was that of Delphi Carlin,
it was located on the south side of Davis Street a block east of Broadway. A desirable location
for large homes was "upon the hill" along Michigan Avenue, where, near Iron Street was the
home of Judge Primm. Nearby was the home of Bernhard Poepping, last Mayor of Carondelet.
In wooded country near the present intersection of Virginia and Haven was the Henry T. Blow
mansion and to its west was the Alexander Lyle home, in what is now Carondelet Park.

St. Boniface Church at Michigan Avenue and Schirmer Street was founded in 1860 as the first
German Catholic parish in Carondelet. The building, which was designed by Thomas W. Brady
in the Romanesque style, has two 100 foot towers flanking its entrance. The towers were
completed in 1868 and 1890 respectively. The parochial school, which was founded in
January, 1860, now occupies a building which was finished in 1949.  Sts. Mary and St. Joseph
at 6304 Minnesota Avenue was founded in 1826.  Both St. Boniface and Sts. Mary and Joseph
were closed in 2005.  I was baptised at Sts. Mary and Joseph and it was the site of my parents
wedding in 1952.  (The Morgans lived in this parish for a while.)

1870 brought the merger of Carondelet with St. Louis City.

Marquette-Cherokee section:  (John A. Maurer, Sr. and Joseph A. Schilly, Sr.)
The oldest Roman Catholic Church in the area is that of St. Anthony of Padua at Meramec
Street and Michigan Avenue. This parish was founded in 1863 by the Franciscan Fathers in
connection with their friary. First services were held in a frame house belonging to John
Withnell, who presented the order with the land upon which their buildings are now located.
The stone Gothic church was completed in its final form in 1869 at a cost of $56,000,
previously services were held in the sanctuary of the friary since 1865. The parochial schools
were opened in 1870 and two years later the friary was enlarged into a theological seminary.
The present brick Romanesque church was begun in 1910 after designs by Brother Anselm
Wolff, OFM. The church has twin spires 175 feet in height flanking a central gable outlined with
Bedford limestone, which is used as architectural trim on the building's exterior. The interior
features an altar of onyx and gold, fine frescoes, paintings and stained glass windows.

The parish of St. Thomas of Aquin was organized in 1832 by an Irish group of English
speaking members of St. Anthony's parish where the services were conducted in German. The
congregation worshiped in the chapel of Alexian Brothers Hospital until their church was
finished in 1883. The edifice, at Osage Street and Iowa Avenue, was built in the Gothic style at
a cost of $12,000. Its steeple was demolished in the tornado of 1896 and was not replaced. St.
Thomas parochial school was conducted on the ground floor of Maryville College (later
Christian Brothers College High School) until 1916 when a school building was erected on the
convent grounds. The present school at 4021 Iowa Avenue was opened in 1932, both were
closed in 2005.

Bevo Neighborhood:  (Grandmother Morgan)
The Bevo Mill is located at the main intersection in the neighborhood -- Gravois, Morganford
and Delor. The area received its name from this landmark.  In 1915 Augusts Busch chose a
spot exactly halfway between the brewery and Grant's Farm, his home. Mr. Busch used the
beautiful Mill Room as his private dining room for many years, while the remainder of the
restaurant was opened to the public in 1917. Bevo Mill is a high class German restaurant that
served great food for the whole family and featured a low-alcohol beer by the same name.
Bevo is derived from the Bohemian pivo which means beer.  St. John the Baptist on Delor is
the last parish of Grandmother Bertha Morgan, Fr. Schily was stationed there, as were so many
other of the Precious Blood family who taught at St. John the Baptist high school.  We also
celebrated my parents 25th Wedding Anniversary at the VFW just down the street from St.
John's.
St. Louis is known as Mound City, due to the Indian burial sites once
very common in the city limits.  1852 picture clearly shows.
Photo of that mound in 1854, unfortunately they were all removed
by St. Louis residents.  They can still be seen in Cahokia, Il.
Soulard 1875
Jacob Stein home in 2005
8th and Chestnut protest against German Consult
in St. Louis prior to WWII
GERMAN CREATIVITY AND SERVICE!
Reported by Gerald Perschbacher

Germans, in general, realize they are preserving their land for the future. This
results in a clean, pleasant countryside and relatively manicured streets, even in big cities.
If you wonder where the idea of “South St. Louis Scrubby Dutch” comes from, simply
visit the central Rhine and points nearby. Germans in small villages take to the streets
almost daily, to sweep small debris and keep their walkways looking attractive.

…from the German Special Interest Group. G-SIG is an effort of the St. Louis
Genealogical Society and the German American Heritage Society, St. Louis.

http://www.stlgs.org/pdf/g-sigForum18.pdf.
Richard Gephardt was born in
1941, in a German Catholic
neighborhood of St. Louis whose
inhabitants were known as
"Scrubby Dutch" (deutsch),
because they scrubbed their
sidewalks. At the age of 25, he
began getting into politics at the
ward level. In 1971, he became an
alderman. Older pols called him
"Little Dickie Do-Right." He ran for
Congress in 1976, knocking on
100,000 doors.
South Hampton Neighborhood: A
walk to Ted Drewes, Tumo's,
Buder public library, Gino's,
Frances Park and more. Built in
1939, this Scrubby Dutch has a
spacious, neatly landscaped yard,
semi-private wood fence in the
back one side lined with
spring-blooming lilacs.
Oak Hill

Holy Family parish in the Oak Hill district was organized by Rev. J. F. Reuther in
1898. A house on Wyoming Street was rented and its first floor fitted up as a
chapel. The first mass was celebrated there on November 10, 1898, and the
parish school began its work in the chapel rooms in January, 1899. The church
site on the northwest corner of Humphrey Street and Oak Hill Avenue was
purchased and construction began on the 125 by 350 foot lot in 1899. The
church was dedicated on November 28, 1899, with final completion and erection
of a sister's home accomplished in 1907. Parish growth made necessary the
building of a four-room school addition and auditorium in 1912. Cornerstone
laying ceremonies for the present church occurred on November 22, 1926, and
the new building was dedicated by Archbishop Glennon on June 19, 1927. It was
designed in the Romanesque style by Ludwig and Dreisoerner and is
constructed of variegated granite with a massive appearance. The brick arch
spanning the sanctuary is among the widest of its kind. The present school at
4132 Wyoming was completed in 1941, followed by the convent at 4161
Humphrey in 1956, and a parish center building at 4141 Humphrey in 1963.

The Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist was an offshoot from the
Church of Our Lady of Sorrows and was funded by Rev. John Peters. First
services were held in a vacant store on Gravois Avenue near Itaska Street in
February, 1914. A temporary brick church was completed in July, 1914, and the
present church edifice, in the Italian style of architecture was dedicated in 1925.
It is located at 4178 Delor Street and the parochial school is adjacent to it at
4172 Delor. The school was opened in September, 1914, with 234 pupils. An
additional school building at 4158 Delor was opened in 1963. To the west of the
Church, at 5015 Adkins Avenue, is the St. John the Baptist parochial high school,
which was established during the 1930's. Its present buildings were erected in
1942 and 1968.

By 1930, the growth of St. Anthony's parish convinced Cardinal Glennon that a
new church was needed to serve the western portion of that parish. Father
George Dreher was appointed as the first pastor of the new parish of the
Resurrection of Our Lord. A site at Meramec Street and Hydraulic Avenue was
acquired and a multi-purpose building was erected, as was done by other newly
created parishes during the depression. After some twenty years, additional
parish growth made construction of a new building imperative. The present
church, in the contemporary style, was designed by architects Joseph D. Murphy
and Eugene Mackey. It has a parabolic floor plan and was dedicated in 1954. Its
construction incorporated work of modern liturgical artists in similar fashion to
that of guild artisans used in the erection of medieval cathedrals. Stained glass
windows are the work of Robert Frei, the altar mural was done by Robert
Harmon, sculpture by Hillis Arnold and the Stations of the Cross were designed
by William Schickel of Loveland, Ohio. Landscaping was the work of Emmett
Layton. A bapistry of lattice-like limestone is at the center of the church's facade
and a tall tower at the apex of the parabola marks the location of the altar and
houses four bells from Holland.

A Catholic secondary school in the area is St. Mary's High School at 4701 South
Grand Boulevard. It was founded as the South Side Catholic High School in
September, 1931, in some small wooden buildings on the grounds of St.
Joseph's Home for Boys. Upon completion of a new home for the orphanage in
1935, the school moved into that institution's old building. In 1947, the present
name was adopted and in 1964, the existing building was completed at a cost of
$1,500,000, with a new wing added in 1967. The school, which has an
enrollment of 975, has been administered by the Marianist Brothers since 1933.

St. Joseph's Home for Boys, which has been located at 4753 South Grand
Boulevard since 1935, previously occupied another building at 4701 South
Grand since 1895. At that time, the institution was known as the St. Joseph's
Male Orphan Asylum and it had moved out from the downtown area where it was
founded in 1846. A neighborhood landmark since 1895, was razed in 1969, to
make way for the present Zayre Plaza shopping center. This was the House of
the Good Shepherd, a vast red brick structure at Gravois, Gustine and
Bamberger Avenues. Its eleven acre site was donated by Adolphus Busch, and
proceeds from the sale of the old buildings at 17th and Chestnut Streets,
together with a $75,000 legacy from Mrs. Winifred Patterson, enabled the
erection of the massive building on Gravois. It was operated as a home and
school for penitent females by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
Discover Dutchtown - A Valued Past, A Promising Future

Steeped in the traditional values of city living, Dutchtown combines convenience,
comfort and safety with affordable housing. Generations of families remain in
Dutchtown because of theses values, others have moved into the neighborhood
to share them. Old and new, residents agree that Dutchtown is a good place to
invest, live and raise a family.

Originally settled by German immigrants at the turn of the century, Dutchtown is
now home to people of many ethnic backgrounds, trades and professions. From
independent singles to retiring seniors, from young couples to extended families,
Dutchtown is as diverse as its people.

The name “Dutchtown” was chosen since the area was familiarly known as
the “Scrubby Dutch Neighborhood” and the then student body of Cleveland
High School was nicknamed “Dutchmen”.

The general boundaries were set; the Mississippi River on the East, Utah on the
North, Compton, Chippewa and the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks on the West,
and Delor on the South. In the mid ‘80s, the southern boundary was extended to
Eichelberger and Walsh.
So many of us have our own "Scrubby-Dutch stories of relatives to tell, here are a few:
Busch's Inn or Gretchen's Inn  was built in 1914 by August A. Busch, Sr. of Anheuser Busch, Inc.  In that era there was a strong
prohibition movement, so Busch wanted to show that beer could be served in a respectable family establishment instead of
the typical sawdust floor saloon full of rifraff.  Its timber and stucco construction, steeply pitched roof and corner turret have
made it a historic St. Louis landmark.

Anheuser Busch operated both this restaurant and the Bevo Mill throughout the difficult years of prohibition.  With the repel of
prohibition, anti-trust laws would not allow a brewery to operate a drinking establishment.  Al Smith leased and successfully
operated Al Smith's Restaurant from the 1930's through 1961, when Fred and Evelyn Krumm took over operations after
managing the business since 1945.  The restaurant suffered a fire on May 5, 1968 and was completely refurbished and
continued to serve Dutchtown for many more years.  The restaurant sat vacant from 1986 until 1993 and suffered from neglect.

Anheuser Busch was preparing to sell off the property to a franchise that planned to replace the historic building with a fast
food restaurant.  Local activists convinced the brewery to continue looking for a buyer who would use the existing building.  The
Dutchtown South Neighborhood Association took the lead in the battle to save the landmark and convinced the state to give the
brewery a tax credit upon the donation of the property to the Association.
First of all the Dutch are from the netherlands. The confusion ensues because of what the Germans call themselves "Deutsch"
While the exact word origin of "Deutsch" is somewaht hidden it may originate from the old Germanic word "Diutsc" meaning
"the people" or something close to that.

The Dutch are closely ethnically related to the Germans and their language [Dutch not Deutsch!!} is somewhat close to
"Plattdeutsch" or Low German which is the popular dialect of North Germany although somewhat on the wane in modern
Germany.

The German presence was so strong in St Louis that Henry Keil then a congressman organized a huge rally attended by over
50000 people in 1915 urging the US to stay neutral in the war. The rally was mostly attended by German and irish Americans.

WW1 was the death knell for the german community in st louis. While the obligatory teaching of German in the public schools
had ceased by the 1890s there were still at least 3 German papers in st louis in 1914 and 6 theater companies, 3 Catholic, two
Lutheran and one German-Jewish. The Anzeiger Des Westens was the most influential paper in the German community. All of
this was swept away by the entry of our country into WW1.
Orion, I didn't mean I get confused between German and
Dutch. I was talking about back in the 60's when we used to
go visit my grandma's relatives and we went through areas
that I wasn't sure if they were German or Dutch. But you heard
of the scrubby Dutch I'm sure. They were the women that
would be out scrubbing their stoops and porches with scrub
brushes.
In order to have “Scrubby Dutch,” you have
to have “Dutch,” (i.e. Deutsch, i.e.
Germans, i.e. German-Americans).  It
“used to be that people took care of their
neighborhoods” because there “used to
be people” that wanted to, and were
relatively homogeneous, and homesteads
were stable.  Furthermore, even among
St. Louis City’s German-American
population, extended families tended to
stay near each other within parts of the
city.  (As a personal example, as late as
1982, three of my maternal grandparents’
four children lived within a half mile of
each other in south St. Louis.)  When you
had that, then sweeping the sidewalks
was as much an extended family affair
and necessity as vacuuming the living
room in your own house.