17301 Manchester Road
Constructed Circa 1925
This property was purchased by John A. Kern (1870-1948) in 1893 for $550. He established a successful blacksmith and wagon shop here shortly after the purchase. The advent of the automobile after the turn of the century began to cut down on the volume of Kern's business and by 1930 the shop was fully converted into the Kern Service Station, however the present building was constructed several years earlier, around 1925. John A. Kern died in 1948.
*All information courtesy of St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation in an inventory prepared by Esley Hamilton.