One hundred and fifty years ago, Henry Shaw, an Englishman with a keen sense of business and a passion for plants, transformed those fields, far from St. Louis’ bustling core, into what is now the oldest botanical gardens in the United States. At 79 acres, it is not the biggest; the New York Botanical Garden has 250 acres, the Chicago Botanic Garden 385.

But the Missouri Botanical Garden conducts more research here and abroad and boasts more volunteers and members than almost all of its peers.

Here we look at some milestones in the garden’s history.

— Diane Toroian Keaggy | St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Explore 3d photo panoramas of the Missouri Botanical garden.

Students from the McCluer North High School honors humanities class are staging an archaeological dig at the Old St. Ferdinand Shrine in Florissant to find out more about the site. It is one of the oldest settlements in Missouri.

Video by staff photographer Huy Mach hmach@post-dispatch.com

Take a closer look at the swearing-in of each president and compare their inaugural addresses. Read their addresses and watch videos of their inaugurations.

Explore more multimedia coverage of Barack Obama.

President-elect Barack Obama will be the first African-American to become an United States President. Post-Dispastch columnist Sylvester Brown reflects on this historic moment. Watch an audio slideshow by staff photographer Huy Mach