City History

Settled by immigrants from Melle, Germany, in 1839, the City of New Melle is a small scenic town in the historic southwestern section of St. Charles County, Missouri. Located at the intersections of Hwy Z, D, and F, it is the Crossroads to Wine Country. New Melle lies between Wentzville, Defiance, Foristell, Augusta, and O’Fallon and is about 37 miles west of St. Louis. The first settlers found their way up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to St. Charles. They traveled west along the Booneslick Trail, then south to the highest point, a site that reminded them of their homeland and was appropriately named “New Melle”.

The immigrants organized the St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1844 and quickly formed a town. Before 1900, there were four general stores, a mill, a small hotel, two wagon makers, three blacksmith shops, a public school, two parochial schools, a creamery, a furniture shop, a shoe cobbler, a jeweler, a brick kiln, and a large park. All was thriving until the Great Depression in the 1930s, followed by World War II in the 1940s.

As the years passed, the beautiful countryside surrounding New Melle was rediscovered and began filling with families in attractive subdivisions and small businesses. Today, the City remains a quaint town but is filled with unique features such as:

• New Melle Sports and Recreation – a community center and sports complex serving Southwest St. Charles County

• Churches – Catholic, UCC, Lutheran, and Baptist with community and youth activities

• Daniel Boone Elementary School – part of the top-rated Francis Howell School District

• Historic 19th

• Century homes, along with large, manicured subdivisions

• New Melle Chamber of Commerce – an active civic organization dedicated to working toward the betterment of the community and its residents and businesses

• Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall and the Blue Star Memorial Marker

• New Melle Fire Protection District – 24-hour staffing, largest in St. Charles County

• Charles County Ambulance District Station – 24-hour staffing

• Boone-Duden Historical Society and Museum

• New Melle/Melle Germany Friendship Society and Immigrant Monument

• Commercial and retail businesses such as a bank, dentist, restaurants, specialty meat shop, post office, and a variety of services to meet your daily needs

As of the 2000 census, the median household income in the City was $55,417 and the median income for a family was $67,917. According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.61 square miles.