A St. Louis tour guide making his usual rounds downtown recently started noticing something unusual: blank spaces where bits of the city’s story used to be. Sidewalks, pedestals and corners that once held memorial plaques and small tributes are now marked by empty outlines, and the disappearances have locals taking stock of what is missing and how to keep the rest from vanishing.
Roger Graddy, a guide with See Sight Tours, told FOX2 he realized several memorials had quietly disappeared on his daytime tours. Among them, he said, are a Joseph Pulitzer sidewalk plaque at the Old Courthouse that was taken in October 2025, a dedication plaque from the Rogers Hornsby statue outside Busch Stadium, and a bust of author Kate Chopin that had stood at the northwest corner of North Euclid and McPherson. Graddy said he suspects some of the pieces are being stolen to sell for scrap and pleaded for the thefts to stop, calling the losses “stealing our culture and history” and noting that visitors now see obvious gaps where markers used to help tell the city’s story.
Historic markers targeted
The Old Courthouse, inside Gateway Arch National Park, has long been ringed with memorials and interpretive signs. The National Park Service notes that a Joseph Pulitzer plaque was installed in the courthouse sidewalk decades ago, one of many small references to figures who shaped St. Louis’ civic life.
Farther west, the missing Kate Chopin bust is one of the anchors of the Central West End’s "Writer’s Corner" at Euclid and McPherson, a cluster of tributes honoring literary figures with neighborhood ties. The installation, including Chopin’s likeness, was highlighted by St. Louis Magazine when it was unveiled in 2012.
Surveillance footage and local reaction
Surveillance images reviewed by local reporters show a person removing the Kate Chopin bust, then riding off on a bicycle, a detail Graddy said helped him realize there was likely a pattern of thefts, according to FOX2. The St. Louis Cardinals have told local media they have seen attempts to pry off other plaques at Busch Stadium and are cooperating with police to track down anyone involved.
For residents, guides and history buffs, the losses feel personal. These are not massive statues or headline-grabbing monuments but quiet fixtures that regulars point out to visitors, small markers that help knit together St. Louis’ cultural memory.
Investigation and next steps
Park rangers at Gateway Arch National Park are investigating the missing Old Courthouse plaque, and officials say a replacement is expected this spring. The Cardinals have said they will replace the Hornsby plaque and are working with law enforcement as they do so. St. Louis police have not announced any arrests, and officials note that the timeline and cost to recreate each piece can vary widely.
In the meantime, tour companies, neighborhood groups and history-minded locals are urging people to report anything suspicious around public memorials and to pay closer attention to the low-profile markers that are easy to ignore until they are gone.
Why it matters
The plaques and small sculptures at issue might look modest, but they serve as touchstones for families, neighborhoods and institutions across the city. Their disappearance has reopened conversations about how to safeguard public history from opportunistic thefts and the scrap-metal market that can make even a humble bronze marker a target.
