Soulard's Second Century embodies the spirit of the past. Through tales of travel from distant lands searching to fulfill the American Dream, to laughter shared within the walls of a tight-knit community, Betty Pavlige's oral history takes the reader on a journey back in time to Soulard's rich past.
This is history as it was lived, in the words of the woman who experienced it. The neighborhood's famous market, travails of work, and the bonds of friendship encompass these pages filled with memories of a century in Soulard, St. Louis's historic neighborhood. Betty Pavlige has combined images from family albums with a tremendous number of her own personal tales to document the changing times in Soulard. Her vivid and poignant voice weaves together a tapestry of everyday life, and chronicles what is was like to grow up in Soulard.