The Story of East St Louis: Industry, race relations, and decline
Details
Cost: $5; doors open at 6:30pm.
On Thursday, April 16th, Unseen STL History Talks welcomes historian Andrew Theising for a deep dive into the story of East St. Louis.
Learn more about the talk and the speaker at https://unseenstlouis.substack.com/p/unseen-stl-history-april-2026
"Just across the river sits a city whose story is inseparable from St. Louis, yet is often reduced to scurrilous headlines rather than understood on its own terms. East St. Louis was once a powerhouse of industry, a place where railroads converged, factories ran day and night, and thousands of workers built their lives. What happened there is part of a larger story that still shapes the region today.
"Andrew Theising brings more than 30 years of research on East St. Louis to this talk, along with a striking collection of historic photographs. He will discuss how the city rose, how it functioned at its peak, and what led to its unraveling."