Fascinating Greystone Manor and Gustave Meissner Home: near Pevely, Missouri, both properties are over 100 years old

Greystone, near Pevely, Jefferson County, MO.Photo byHistoric American Buildings Survey, Creator. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

In addition to their historical significance, old homes can contribute to the character and charm of a neighborhood or community. They add a sense of authenticity and uniqueness that cannot be replicated by modern constructions. By maintaining these properties, we ensure that future generations can appreciate the rich tapestry of our collective history.

This above-pictured home is referred to as Greystone. It’s located in the vicinity of Pevely, Missouri (Jefferson County). This house was listed on the National Register of History on December 31, 1974.

At one time, it was believed the Greystone grand manor was constructed around 1845, but it was later discovered it was constructed in 1867 and the first owner was Maj. Emory Foster (1839-1902). This two-story structure carries the architectural style of Gothic Revival. The foundation consists of coursed ashlar limestone blocks, and a steeply pitched gable roof with dormers. 

Another house on the property contributing to the National Register listing is the Gustave Meissner House which was built in 1875. It’s a one-and-a-half-story home that’s L-shaped.

The garden side of the Greystone home, Pevely, Missouri.Photo byHistoric American Buildings Survey, Creator, 1940. Retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Greystone is situated on a bluff that overlooks a bend in the Mississippi River. The main house is linked to other buildings on the property of a 189-acre tract. 

Exterior walls are rusticated grey limestone (Missouri is known for its supply of limestone). The roof has steeply pitched gables and dormers. A gable roof is a roof that has two sloping planes coming together at a ridge creating a triangular shape. A dormer is a window set vertically within a slanted roof, and it also has its own miniature roof.

There are Gothic Revival elements in the interior of the home also. The ceiling height of the first floor is close to 10 feet. In 1935, two fireplaces were removed. 

Northeast room of first floor, Greystone, near Pevely, Jefferson County, MO.Photo byPhotographer: Lester Jones, 1940; retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Gustave Meissner House

This house is another piece of property that’s associated with Greystone. It’s also known as Green Shutters or Evergreen Hill. It’s a one-and-a-half-story structure. It has a stone basement and is L-shaped. 

This dwelling was built in 1875 for Gustave Meissner who was a foreman of the Bush vineyards at Bushberg. The architect was J.H. Hertnel. The builder was Ephiram Williams who was originally from England. 

The Gustave Meissner House isn’t as grand as the Greystone House, but it’s still historic. It’s also linked to the wine industry in eastern Missouri, and at a time when Missouri was ranking high as a wine-producing state in the country. The house is associated with Gustave E. Meissner who was a valued horticulturist. Also noteworthy, Meissner’s son, James G. Meissner, played a role in bringing telephone service to Jefferson County.

From the 1870s through the 1890s, Gustave Meissner and Isidor Bush were business partners. Bush was a wine manufacturer. Meissner managed the Bush vineyards that used to be in a town called Bushberg (now known as Bushburg) in Missouri. Bushburg is an unincorporated community and its name was derived from Isidor’s last name. I was unable to locate a census population for that community.

The window of the south room on the second floor of the Greystone House.Photo byPhotographer: Lester Jones, 1940; retrieved from the Library of Congress.

Meissner, a native of Germany, spent most of his childhood in New York studying science in Brooklyn and at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1868, he established a nursery in Waterloo, Iowa. In 1870, with Missouri’s ranking in wine production, Meissner went to St. Louis to become affiliated with Isidor Bush and Son. The company later changed its name to Bush & Son & Meissner.

The Greystone House was part of the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) record drawing and photography project of 1940. At the time the main house was being nominated for the National Register, there didn’t appear to be a lot of early history about Greystone. From 1849 to 1865, a man named James L. Dunklin owned the land. It used to be presumed the grand house was built during that time frame. 

Since the time the house was built, there have been several owners. Those who owned it early on were involved in the “cultivation of grape vines and the sale of cuttings and rootings for vineyards elsewhere.” 

Meissner paid to have his house built for his family. It was on a hill near the home of Bush. In May 1895, Bush sold six acres to Gust E. Meissner. Prior to Gustave’s death in 1898, the nursery had begun to deteriorate. The property was left to his wife, Alvina. They had five sons who weren’t interested in the business. 

However, Gustave’s son, Gus, Jr., continued to stay in the house and run a farm on 600 acres of land. In 1902, Gus, Jr. included an early photo on letterhead for his company called Growers of Fruit Trees and Grape Vines. 

After Alvina died in 1934, she willed Evergreen Hill to her two unmarried daughters, Amalie and Minnie. 

The property today

In 1965, the late Marion and Vernon Piper purchased the Greystone property that consisted of about 200 acres by the river. The property included the Greystone Manor, the Gustave Meissner House, a caretaker’s home, and guest house. Marion Ada Kaeser Piper passed away on August 13, 1997, at age 81. Vernon William Piper passed away on November 20, 2003, at age 90.

According to a Leader Publications’ article of 2017, Looking back — to Greystone Manor, both Marion and Vernon were successful and very active in the community. Marion was a historian for the Greystone Manor property. As of 2017, two of the three children of the Piper family were caring for the property they also own.

Thanks much for reading.