St. Louis Walk of Fame

ST. LOUIS WALK OF FAME
JAMES EADS

The great Mississippi River bridge which bears his name is the best known of this self-educated genius' achievements. In addition, at age 22, James Eads devised the first diving bell to salvage sunken cargoes from the bottom of the river. When the Civil War began, he conceived of a fleet of armored riverboats, persuaded the Navy of its necessity, and then built the boats, which were used to capture Forts Henry and Donelson in February, 1862 - the first victories for the Union. His final engineering marvel was the system of jetties that opened the mouth of the Mississippi to seagoing ships.

Howard Miller, History Department, UMSL, accepted on behalf of Mr. Eads.

Date of Birth	Field/Achievement	Location of Star	Date of Induction
5-23-1820	Art/Architecture	6635 Delmar	6-25-1989