Gentle readers, viewers, and listeners, I bring you news of another great Live Tell It Like It Was (TILIW) Interview. On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., we will chat with Bob Brail, the editor of the Boone-Duden Historical Society newsletter. The interview will be held at the Harmonie Verein, 5333 Hackman Rd, and co-sponsored by the Friends of Historic Augusta (FHA), TILIW, and BDHS. After we all get better acquainted, Bob will speak on one of his specialties, the Weldon Spring Ordnance Works site, otherwise known as the TNT area.

The site consists of about 17,232 acres located in St. Charles County, about 14 miles southwest of the city of St. Charles. From 1941 to 1945, the site produced explosives for the U.S. Armed Services as part of the World War II defense effort. The towns of Hamburg, Howell, and Toonerville and around 700 citizens of the area were displaced beginning in 1940. To help you visualize this better, Bob and his assistant will project maps and photos to a screen.

Howell Garage, circa 1940. Located in the Weldon Spring
Ordnance Works site, otherwise known as the TNT area.