Underground St Louis

Cost: $5; doors open at 6:30pm. Note: our cover charge helps support equipment and other expenses to bring you these talks. No one who wants to attend will be turned away for lack of funds**.**

"For October’s Unseen STL History Talk, we’re going underground with historian Chris Naffziger and photographer Jason Gray. The two have spent considerable time exploring and documenting sites together, including Lemp Cave and other subterranean spaces, both natural and man-made. Through photography and historical interpretation, they reveal places most of us never get to see — and ask why these hidden worlds hold such a powerful fascination.

"Chris Naffziger will explore a question that runs through the city’s underground history: Why are people so interested in the subterranean world of St. Louis? What motivates explorers to seek out these spaces and document them on social media? His talk will examine the sociological aspects of that fascination through some of the most interesting past and present sites beneath St. Louis that have become iconic in Mound City’s consciousness.

"Jason Gray will then take us into the sometimes secret world just below the surface: pitch-black tunnels and caves, the long, lonely halls of past institutions, and the ruins of former factories. This world also includes the hum of industrial activity, the frantic pace of scientific or cultural innovation, and the maze of infrastructure running invisibly beneath it all. His book, Subterranean St. Louis: Below Ground and Behind Barriers, explores what exists just out of view for most of the city’s residents. His presentation will take a closer look at several of the stories included in its chapters.
Get an inside look at hidden spaces in St. Louis that most people never get to see!"

The Speakers:
"Chris Naffziger For the past fifteen years, Chris Naffziger has extensively researched the history and architecture of St. Louis, Missouri, and the Midwest, with a particular focus on the German American brewing industry of the 19th century. His work has appeared in publications across America and Europe."

**"**Jason Gray is a freelance photographer and artist specializing in post-documentary work. His projects largely focus on the people and places in and around St. Louis and the Midwest. He has published three monographs of his work and contributed internationally to scholarly articles and textbooks on photography."

Learn more about the talk and the speaker at https://unseenstlouis.substack.com/p/unseen-stl-history-october-2026