Herculaneum Missouri

Just the Facts

NOTE: The data that follows derives primarily from the 1990 U.S. census and as such is a decade out of date. Comparative data for the U.S. at large and for the St. Louis metro area are presented to establish perspective. St. Louis was chosen because it is the largest city on the river as well as smack dab in the middle.

• Population
  • Herculaneum: 2,805 total, 52% female, 47% male.
  • United States: 248,709,873 total, 51.3% female, 48.7% male.
  • St. Louis: 2,444,099 total, 52% female, 48% male.
• Age Groups
  • Herculaneum: 22.6% under 18 years old, 21.8% over 64 years old, 55.6% in between.
  • United States: 25.5% under 18 years old, 12.5% over 64 years old, 62% in between.
  • St. Louis: 26% under 18 years old, 12.8% over 64 years old, 61.2% in between.
• Race
  • Herculaneum: 100% human, 96.6% white, 2.6% black, .8% other.
  • United States: 100% human, 80% white, 12% black, 8% hispanic.
  • St. Louis: 100% human, 81% white, 17% black, 1% asian, 1% hispanic.
• Education
  • Herculaneum: 65.7% high school or better, 6.1% college degree or better.
  • United States: 75% high school or better, 20% college degree or better.
  • St. Louis: 76% high school or better, 21% college degree or better.
• Unemployment
  • Herculaneum: 3.3% unemployment. (21% over 16 listed as "not in the work force").
  • United States: 3% unemployment (34.7% over 16 listed as "not in the work force").
  • St. Louis: 3% unemployment (33.4% over 16 listed as "not in the work force").
• Income
  • Herculaneum: $12,670 per capita income, 4.2% below poverty level.
  • United States: $14,420 per capita income, 13% below poverty level.
  • St. Louis: $14,917 per capita income, 10% below poverty level.
• Climate
  • Herculaneum:
  • United States:
  • St. Louis:

Located on the west bank of the river about 25 miles south of St. Louis, Herculaneum Missouri has the archetypical look of the small rural town where it's still legal to burn Fall leaves in your driveway and, in the section of town across the tracks, you can expect to see an old Camaro up on blocks in one out of ten backyards. A quiet friendly rural town where the kids play in the streets, but politely step aside to let the occasional car go past. Not big enough for a McDonalds but there's Chester's Chicken at the gas station. Herculaneum however is not what it seems. Upon closer examination you'll find Herculaneum anything but peaceful and quiet.

Herculaneum's story begins with some Mississippi Valley geology and a short diversion to the north. What would you say if you were asked to define gelena? I suspect most people would be stimied. Some midwesterners would recognize it as the name of a small town along the Mississippi in northern Illinois. A few others would know it as the name for unrefined lead ore. Gelena Illinois' name isn't a coincident; the area is rich in lead. Across the river from Gelena, Julien Dubuque began mining lead in 1788 where Native Americans had been mining lead for centuries. One hundred years later even richer deposits of lead were discovered along the Mississippi in Missouri. The Mississippi Valley remains today the nations primary source of lead.

The small text on the sign above reads: Do not allow children to play in the streets or on curbs. Have children play on solid grass cover or play at Crystal City Park. Remove shoes before entering your home. Wash hands and face before eating, drinking and sleeping.

Little Herculaneum in fact contains the largest lead smelter in the nation and the second largest lead smelter in the world. In combination with the smelter in Annapolis Missouri, which is owned by the same company (Doe Run) and located a short drive further south, it produces eighty percent of the nation's refined lead. Only one other lead smelter in the US remains in production today. The Doe Run semelter in Herculaneum has been in production now for over one hundred years. Fundamentally, the town exists to serve the smelter which is really the only industry in town.

I have to wonder at how the town received its name. The ancient Roman city of Herculaneum was famous for its pioneering use of lead pipe for indoor plumbing. Was that the connection? Modern Herculaneum is certainly not a wealthy resort getaway as was its ancient namesake. Maybe it's founders had aspirations? In hindsight I fear both towns can be viewed as twins; connected through the centuries by tragedy: On the one hand a natural tragedy and on the other a tragedy caused by human ignorance and greed, both cataclysmic enough to bury the respective towns.

Since Isaac and I live in St. Louis a scant twenty five miles north we have been familiar with Herculaneum and have visited there for years. In our most recent visits we have been appalled to watch the town change as it grows ever nearer to becoming the newest EPA superfund site and another potential Times Beach -- a sore spot for we Missourians as Times Beach is just a few miles away up the Meramec River. Herculaneum used to have a town center with little shops; it was only a block -- a bar, a barber, an office or two -- but it anchored the town. The town made sense then both visually and economically. That town center is gone now. It hasn't been re-built or replaced or even abandoned, it's just been taken away. It was too close to the smelter. It is so very odd now to drive through Herculaneum with its heart cut out. The church is still there and that helps, but now the church is the nearest building to the smelter. All of the ancillary businesses are now located on the highway behind the town or in the next town down the road, Crystal City.

There is a road that runs behind the smelter and provides for a view of the river. Isaac and I have always made a point of driving around to have a look at the river from this vantage point. During our most recent visit (November 2001) we did the same. As we were driving back toward town a fellow from the smelter came running out waving his arms at us. I didn't know what was going on. I stopped and ran the car window down and he came over to tell us that he had to wash our car. You can imagine our befuddlement. It seems we had driven too close to the smelter and before we could re-enter the town we had to have the tires and bottom of our car washed to remove lead.

Twenty four percent of Herculaneum's children recently tested have lead levels at or above 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood. (That's not a hugely damning figure and it's to the community and company's credit that the children didn't test worse.) The amount of lead on the streets and in some family's yards is as much as 300,000 ppm. (400 ppm is the safety threshold established by the EPA). The Doe Run company has replaced entire yards of some homes near the smelter. The smelter is at or near the top of the EPA's list of most polluting operations in the state.

The Doe Run smelter is in violation of Clean Air standards. In 1990 the Missouri Department of Natural Resources submitted a plan (approved by the EPA) to bring the smelter into compliance by 1995. That plan failed and now the goal is to reach compliance by August 2002 (that EPA compliance standard was set in 1978). It is sad and demoralizing to watch this community be destroyed. Recent proposals now from various groups have suggested a government buyout for the residents of Herculaneum.

It's hard to talk about the town in other terms given their current crisis. There's a great deal more to say about the lead poisoning of Herculaneum. Click here or on the picture of the smelter at the top of this page to learn more.

The river at Herculaneum is big and treacherous. It flows with a strong current from St. Louis to its confluence with the Ohio. On the Missouri side of the river there are high bluffs. They are not as steep or picturesque as the bluffs in Wisconsin and Iowa but they are higher overall. The terrain is full of hills and valleys, Herculaneum has very little flat land. Most often the bluffs run right to the river's edge and it's only in the creek valleys that you can get to the river without stepping off a 700 foot cliff. Across the river in Illinois is a wonderfully fertile flood plain that extends for as many as four or five miles before bumping into smaller bluffs. The flood plain is devoted mostly to the cultivation of corn and soybeans. Although St. Louis is only 25 miles to the north, the area is sparsely populated. The terrain on the Missouri side of the river is too rugged, while the flood plain on the Illinois side is occasionally too wet. The US Geological Service aerial photo below does a wonderful job of illustrating the natural area.

Herculaneum has a proud history. The people there have worked hard to contribute to this country. They've never wanted for more than an honest days work and a safe place to raise their families. In return they've been lied to as they've watched their children's future washed down the drain like the lead dust that poisons them. It didn't have to happen this way but for the greed of a few. Whether they will receive any justice for the crimes they've suffered remains to be seen.