Payne-Gentry House Fact Sheet

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	Payne-Gentry House DESCRIPTION: The Payne-Gentry House is a residence dating from the 1800's that has been fully restored and is decorated with period items. The house is the only historic private residence in Missouri that has a doctor's office in it. ADDRESS: 4211 Fee Fee Road, Bridgeton, MO 63044 LOCATION: North St. Louis County PHONE NUMBER: 314-739-5599 GETTING THERE: From downtown, take I-70 West to Lindbergh Boulevard. Take Lindbergh south to the next street which is St. Charles Rock Road. Turn right on St. Charles Rock Road and continue to the next stoplight which is Fee Fee Road. Turn right on Fee Fee and follow it for three blocks. The Payne-Gentry House will be on the left. HOURS: 1-4 p.m. on the first and third Sundays of the month or by appointment. Closed in January. ADMISSION: $1, adults; free, children 14 and under SIGNIFICANCE: The Payne-Gentry House is an example of a Victorian country home. It is furnished with many items owned by the original residents. The fact that Mary Elizabeth Payne, the original owner, and her daughter, Mary Lee Payne Gentry, were avid journal-writers has given restorers a clear vision of the daily goings-on at the house and what the interior of the home looked like. William Payne, the Paynes' son, was a doctor and lived in the home as an adult. Dr. Payne was also an amateur photographer whose photos of the house also made the restoration team's job easier. In addition, his home office is preserved in the lower level in one wing of the house making it the only historic private residence in Missouri with a doctor's office in it. HISTORY: The house was built in 1870 for Elbridge and Mary Elizabeth Payne who spent a lot of time traveling between St. Louis and Memphis where Elbridge Payne oversaw the general stores he owned in those cities. Payne's family members were early residents of Chesterfield, Missouri where several streets bear his name. Initially, the Paynes stayed with Mary Elizabeth's parents when they were in Missouri but eventually she wanted a St. Louis home of her own, and they built the home in Bridgeton. However, four years after the house was built, Elbridge Payne died and Mary Elizabeth raised her two children there by herself. The Payne's son William went to medical school at St. Louis Medical College, interned at Belleview Hospital in New York and returned to the house in 1880 where he set up his medical office in the lower level of the wing he added to the home. He lived over his office until his death in 1897. The Paynes' daughter, Mary Lee, named after the Confederate general, attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri and became an artist and musician. She later taught art in the area. After her marriage in 1896, Mary Lee lived in the house with her husband William R. Gentry and later with their son, William R. Gentry Jr. Mary Lee died in the house during childbirth in 1901, as did the daughter she was delivering. After Mary Lee's death, William Gentry moved out of the house but he and his family continued to use the house as a summer home. Mary Lee's granddaughter, Elizabeth Gentry Sayad, remembers her family using the house as a summer home when she was a young child. Although the family retained ownership of the house, they rented it out for many years. While it was rented, the property fell into disrepair, and in the 1960's, Mrs. Sayad sold the home to the city of Bridgeton for "a very reasonable price" with the condition that it be restored, preserved and maintained. With Mrs. Sayad providing a lot of details about the house and its furnishings, the Bridgeton Historic Commission and the Bridgeton Historical Society took on the job of restoring the home to the way it looked originally. The restoration team was even able to match some of the original wallpaper exactly. Mrs. Sayad donated a number of items which had been owned by the family, and other period pieces were either donated or bought from antique stores to furnish the house. The home was opened as a museum in 1974. It is owned by the city of Bridgeton and operated by the Bridgeton Historic Commission and the Bridgeton Historical Society. HIGHLIGHTS: The doors in the house are finished with a special wood-graining process so rare the commission had trouble finding someone to do the restoration. Finally, a man who was almost 90 years old and who was familiar with the process was found to do the work. On display in one of the bedrooms is the wedding dress Mrs. Payne, an accomplished seamstress, made for her daughter. Unfortunately, she died before the wedding. On display in the kitchen are a dry sink and 19th century "appliances" such as a fluting iron, butter paddles, a spinning wheel and a rug beater. The trunk Mary Lee took to Stephens College in Columbia is on display in her room and is a treasure trove of information on the life of a young woman during the years near the end of the 19th century. Among the items are mint-condition dresses, leather gloves, shoes, fans, a hairpiece and a hat Mary Lee wore at college. Both Mary Lee and her mother kept diaries, which give a lot of insight into what went on in the house. In Mary Lee's diary, she also discussed things women usually didn't talk about in those days. The Society sells copies of their diaries for a nominal fee. A piano in the parlor is similar to the one Mary Lee owned. Also displayed are her music books, and two pictures she painted hang in the parlor as well. Pictures of the family are on display in Mary Elizabeth's bedroom as is a quilt that she made. Dishes found in a trunk on the property displayed in the dining room. Dr. Payne's medical office has been reconstructed in the lower level of the house. On display are his medical bag, medical instruments, medicine bottles, a human skull and an amputating set he used in his practice. WHAT'S COMING UP: Plans are underway to add a Victorian-style gazebo to the grounds where concerts will be held in the spring and summer. ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Children enjoy learning about how medicine was practiced in the 19th century through the bottles of medicine and the medical instruments on display in the doctor's office. ANNUAL SPECIAL EVENTS: On the first two Saturdays in December each year, visitors can see the Payne-Gentry House as it might have been decorated for Christmas during the 1800s. Kerosene lanterns and candles light the house which is decorated with a Christmas tree bedecked with old-fashioned ornaments. Old toys are on display, and the entire house is decorated with greenery and flowers. Cookies, tea and coffee are served at the Candlelight Christmas event. HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBILITY: The Payne-Gentry Home is handicapped accessible. However, visitors who need to use the portable lift are asked to call at least 48 hours in advance of their visit. WHERE TO GET LUNCH: There are several restaurants along nearby St. Charles Rock Road and in nearby historic Florissant a few miles away. WHAT'S NEARBY: Nearby are Bigfoot 4 X 4, Old St Ferdinand Shrine, Lambert St. Louis International Airport and Missouri's First Capitol. PUBLIC RELATIONS CONTACT: Ann Thiel, Bridgeton Historical Society, 314-739-3793, tcanannie111@aol.com
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