Buildings
 
VISITOR CENTER
The Visitor Center, near the front gate of Shaw Nature Reserve, offers seasonal displays on natural events, interpretive programs and classes. Reserve trail guides, a variety of natural history books, and seeds of native wildflowers and grasses are available for sale.
JOSEPH H. BASCOM HOUSE
One of the original buildings on the site, the Bascom House built in 1879, was restored in 1993. The mansion houses an array of exhibits which illustrate the interaction between humans and the land in eastern Missouri over the last 12,000 years.
GLASSBERG FAMILY PAVILIONS
Two sturdy, rustic pavilions were installed in early 2011.  Sunny’s Pavilion and Myron’s Pavilion are a shelter and staging area for educational programs.  The pavilions are located near the Bascom house and wildflower garden.

MARITZ TRAIL HOUSE

An excellent place to stop and eat lunch while you are at Shaw Nature Reserve.  The Trail House is centrally located among the Reserve's 14 miles of trails.  The Trail House provides picnic tables, restrooms, drinking water, and also has a parking lot close by.

SOD HOUSE

The sod house was built in 2004 and is located along Brush Creek Trail just north of the Trail House.  Stop by the sod house for a cool break on a hot summer day.

HENRY SHAW GARDENWAY BUS STOP

Located near the wetland, the bus stop provides shelter and a water fountain while you wait for the Wilderness Wagon.

THE ADLYNE FREUND AND DANA BROWN EDUCATION CENTER

This set of buildings is used for education programs and can be rented by groups.  To visit these buildings you must make a reservation.  The Dana Brown Center is an overnight facility for those who would like to experience Shaw Nature Reserve after dark.

EDGAR ANDERSON CENTER
The new support facility at Shaw Nature Reserve, Edgar Anderson Center, constructed in honor of Edgar Anderson was dedicated on June 29, 2010. This buildig is for staff use only and not open to the public.

Maritz Trail House

The trail house, built in 1942 with native rock, is a central point on Shaw Nature Reseve's 14-mile trail system. The starting point of the woodland trail system, trails departing here lead visitors through glades, prairie, woodlands, and bottomland forests, and provide access to the Meramec River. Restrooms, drinking water, and a sheltered picnic area are available.

The Trail House, #8 on your map, is accessible by car using the Trail House Loop Road Monday through Thursday during the months of April through October from 8:30 am to 4 pm.

The first stop on the Wilderness Wagon Tour, the Trail House is located near the Cresent Knoll Overlook and the Sod House.

Joseph H. Bascom House

To reach the Bascom House take the Pinetum Loop Road  to #4 on your trail map.  The Bascom House is open to the public from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Sunday.

 

One of the original buildings on the site, the Bascom House, built in 1879, was restored in 1996. Close by the Bascom House are the Whitmire Wildflower Garden and Pinetum Lake.

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Sod House

This sod house was completed in the fall of 2004 with lots of help from Shaw Nature Reserve staff and volunteers. The sod house is located along Brush Creek Trail in the prairie north of the Trail House parking lot. When pioneers decided to make their home on the prairie there were no trees or rocks to build with so they made sod bricks to build their house. The sod walls must be very thick to support the weight of the sod roof. A benefit of thick sod walls is that the house stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter due to the added insulation. While you are hiking at Shaw Nature Reserve take a break in the sod house and feel the refreshing difference in the temperature. Near the sod house are the teepees, which are only up for special events during the fall. 

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Henry Shaw Gardenway Bus Stop

Built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, this rustic stone structure was designed by the National Parks Service and moved to Shaw Nature Reserve in 2002. A welcome respite and water fountain for guests hiking the prairie and wetland trails. The Gardenway Bus Stop parkinglot, #14 on your map, can be accessed from the Trail House Loop Road.


The second stop on theWilderness Wagon Tour is the Gardenway Bus Stop. Near the bus stop is the Wetland Complex, prairie observation deck, Roberts cemetery, and the serpentine wall.