A Brief History of Oakland
A natural question can be asked: "Why is there an Oakland?" First, there certainly wouldn't be a City of Oakland if there wasn't a Glendale first. And two, neither city may exist if it were not for Howard Nichols.
Glendale was incorporated as a Village in 1912. Prior to incorporation, the two areas were referred to informally as Oakland and Glendale. Glendale was named after the Glendale commuter station located at Glendale and Berry Roads on the southeast corner of the tracks. Glendale was east of Sappington, south to Big Bend, west to Berry, and north to Shady Grove Creek (bottom of the Berry Road hill). Oakland was west of Sappington and took its name from the Franklin estate where Ursuline Academy is currently located. There was also a commuter station called Oakland at Sappington and the Missouri Pacific tracks on the southwest corner.
Kirkwood planned to hold a vote in 1912 to annex all of current Oakland and Glendale south of its current city hall. Howard Nichols led the "Anti-Annexation League" and helped incorporate Glendale four days before the annexation vote failed. They probably chose Glendale over Oakland as the name because there were more voters living east of Sappington. Nichols hosted the first city meeting in his home on Monroe in current day Oakland.
By 1919 Board President Nichols unsuccessfully pushed to disincorporate the financially struggling Glendale. In the meantime, Nichols was elected Mayor on April 3, 1920. Since Nichols hadn't resigned his seat, a new election was called and Nichols promptly resigned as mayor. On April 6, Ward 2 voted to secede and the Oakland Improvement Association was created with Howard Nichols agreeing to serve as its head. Glendale voted in late May to reclaim the ward but St. Louis County Court granted a charter to the Village of Oakland on July 1, 1920.
Tensions had been mounting between those living north and south of Lockwood for several years. Some argue it was sidewalks and an aversion to taxes affecting wealthier landowners in Oakland that caused the split. Others believe Nichols was protecting the right of the Jewish country club Westwood (now Westborough) to sell liquor by the drink as the temperance movement supporters had shut other Glendale and Kirkwood establishments down. For a more thorough explanation of the Oakland secession, of Howard Nichols and other interesting local men and women, please see Suzanne Bolten's Oakland: A History of the People & Their Homes available in the Oak Bend Library and on many bookshelves in Oakland.
Glendale was incorporated as a Village in 1912. Prior to incorporation, the two areas were referred to informally as Oakland and Glendale. Glendale was named after the Glendale commuter station located at Glendale and Berry Roads on the southeast corner of the tracks. Glendale was east of Sappington, south to Big Bend, west to Berry, and north to Shady Grove Creek (bottom of the Berry Road hill). Oakland was west of Sappington and took its name from the Franklin estate where Ursuline Academy is currently located. There was also a commuter station called Oakland at Sappington and the Missouri Pacific tracks on the southwest corner.
Kirkwood planned to hold a vote in 1912 to annex all of current Oakland and Glendale south of its current city hall. Howard Nichols led the "Anti-Annexation League" and helped incorporate Glendale four days before the annexation vote failed. They probably chose Glendale over Oakland as the name because there were more voters living east of Sappington. Nichols hosted the first city meeting in his home on Monroe in current day Oakland.
By 1919 Board President Nichols unsuccessfully pushed to disincorporate the financially struggling Glendale. In the meantime, Nichols was elected Mayor on April 3, 1920. Since Nichols hadn't resigned his seat, a new election was called and Nichols promptly resigned as mayor. On April 6, Ward 2 voted to secede and the Oakland Improvement Association was created with Howard Nichols agreeing to serve as its head. Glendale voted in late May to reclaim the ward but St. Louis County Court granted a charter to the Village of Oakland on July 1, 1920.
Tensions had been mounting between those living north and south of Lockwood for several years. Some argue it was sidewalks and an aversion to taxes affecting wealthier landowners in Oakland that caused the split. Others believe Nichols was protecting the right of the Jewish country club Westwood (now Westborough) to sell liquor by the drink as the temperance movement supporters had shut other Glendale and Kirkwood establishments down. For a more thorough explanation of the Oakland secession, of Howard Nichols and other interesting local men and women, please see Suzanne Bolten's Oakland: A History of the People & Their Homes available in the Oak Bend Library and on many bookshelves in Oakland.