Did you know that....
According to Mr. Charles Scheidt, who had lived in Affton from 1882 till he died, the old Affton he remembered was an area of truck gardens. He told of the farmers starting out before dawn to take their produce to the market in horse drawn wagons. One of the principal markets for the farmers of this area was located in the City of St. Louis, at the wide V where Gravois meets Grand Avenue. There, twice a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays the farmers would back their wagons to the curb for the day and sell the produce of their fields direct to the residents of South St. Louis who would walk there to do their buying. Other farmers would continue on down Gravois to the old French Market, Soulard or Biddle Markets.
The "Ten Mile House" which had been located at Gravois and Tesson was a well known landmark. The name itself had much significance. In the days of the horse and carriage, there were not many "Road Markers" as we know them today. Instead travelers were guided by different buildings along the way. They devised the scale that any building one mile from the Court House in St. Louis (now the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) would be called the "One Mile House," meaning one mile from the Court House.
Thus you will still find today a "Ten Mile House" or an "Eleven Mile House" by going out the older by-ways such as Manchester or Gravois. The building at Gravois and Tesson was the building 10 miles out Gravois Road from the courthouse. The building was originally built by the Detjen family and called Detjen Grove. The original building has been replaced by a building that now houses National Check Cashier, Subway, Mid America Arms and 2 small stores.
Johann Aff began a general store at the "Ten Mile House" in 1872. Besides owning a truck garden and operating the general store, he also served as the first postmaster of the area. Thus it was for mailing purposes, the area began being referred to as Aff’s town and eventually Affton. Did you know that Johann Aff is buried near Affton, just inside the City limits?
