Several interesting and historic buildings can be found at the Shaw Nature Reserve.
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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 building is for staff use only and not open to the public.