Herculaneum, Missouri
Herculaneum is a city of 5,071 people in Jefferson County, Missouri, founded in July 27, 1819.
Why visit Herculaneum
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 3 parks and trails and 2 places to eat in and around town.
Highlights include Gustave Greystone-Meissner House.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 88°F; January lows average 22°F.
Weather in Herculaneum
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Herculaneum
Herculaneum is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, and is a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,273 at the 2020 United States census. The City of Herculaneum was the first county seat of Jefferson County from January 1, 1819, to 1839. The city celebrated its bicentennial throughout 2008.
From the Wikipedia article Herculaneum, Missouri (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks1
Gustave Greystone-Meissner House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Estate in Jefferson County, Missouri
Parks, trails and playgrounds3
Restaurants and cafes2
Churches and places of worship2
History
In 1798, Moses Austin, a settler from Connecticut, obtained a Spanish land grant of one square league (approximately 3 square miles) of land after learning of the richness of the area's rich mineral deposits. After bringing in equipment and workmen from Virginia, he began mining and smelting lead despite frequent problems with the neighboring Osage tribe. In 1808, Austin and Samuel Hammond laid out a town at the mouth of Joachim Creek. The purpose of the new town was to serve as a shipping point for the lead smelted at mines in Jefferson and Washington Counties. It is believed the town was named by Austin, who called it Herculaneum because the limestone strata were so eroded that they resembled seats in the amphitheater of the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum buried by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
The first post office in Jefferson County was at Herculaneum, established soon after the town was laid out, and it remained the only post office in the county for nearly thirty years.
By 1813, three shot towers had been constructed on the bluffs. These were designed for the production of shot balls by dropping molten lead through copper sieves. The balls were then caught in a water basin and taken to an adjoining building, to be turned through cylinders to round and smooth the pellets for use as projectiles in firearms.
From the History section of Herculaneum, Missouri on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Gas and EV charging1
Schools, colleges and libraries16
Map of Herculaneum
25 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°F | 22°F | 2.7 in | 2.1 in |
| Feb | 46°F | 25°F | 2.5 in | 2.7 in |
| Mar | 56°F | 34°F | 4.0 in | 1.1 in |
| Apr | 68°F | 44°F | 4.9 in | 0.2 in |
| May | 76°F | 54°F | 4.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 85°F | 63°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 88°F | 67°F | 3.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 87°F | 65°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 81°F | 57°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 70°F | 46°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 56°F | 35°F | 3.5 in | 0.6 in |
| Dec | 45°F | 26°F | 2.8 in | 2.5 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Festus (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Jefferson County has had 21 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2025-05-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Wildfires (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2019-07-09: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2017-06-02: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds And Flooding (Flood)
- 2016-01-21: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Saint Louis Downtown - Parks Airport (CPS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 25 miles away.
- Crystal City 3 mi south, about 4 min by car
- Festus 3 mi south, about 5 min by car
- Barnhart 5 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Valmeyer 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Raintree Plantation 11 mi west, about 18 min by car
- Arnold 12 mi north, about 19 min by car
- De Soto 12 mi southwest, about 20 min by car
- Oakville 14 mi north, about 22 min by car
- Waterloo 14 mi northeast, about 23 min by car
- Mehlville 17 mi north, about 28 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Doe Run smelter Herculaneum 22, Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0
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