Scott Joplin House State Historic Site

In a modest walk-up flat at 2658A Delmar Boulevard, Scott Joplin and his new bride Belle began their life in St. Louis. It was then called Morgan Street, a busy, densely populated, blue-collar district of African-Americans and German immigrants. Located nearby were the honky-tonks and dives of the notorius Chestnut Valley. This black musical genius, buoyed by his success with the Maple Leaf Rag, was making his move toward the national arena. He would soon be known as the "King of Ragtime." He moved here from Sedalia, Mo., where he had taken formal classes in music at a local black college, experimented with sophisticated musical rhythms, and composed Maple Leaf Rag. Lit by gaslight, and appropriately furnished for 1902, the Joplin flat wh ere many ragtime classics were composed awaits your visit. The remainder of the building has museum exhibits interpreting Joplin's life and work, and St. Louis during the ragtime era.

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