The James O’Fallon Home, a mansion on a hilltop at the intersection of Parkton Way and Marriott Drive in Barnhart, serves as a beautiful reminder of a prominent family who once called Jefferson County home.
Built in 1860, the house belonged to the great-nephew of William Clark, the famous explorer. James O’Fallon was the son of Clark’s nephew, Benjamin O’Fallon, who made a name for himself as a principal partner in the Missouri Fur Co. and as an Indian agent responsible for arranging treaties between Native Americans and the U.S. government.
In 1834, Benjamin O’Fallon settled in Jefferson County on a large tract of land that he called the Indian Retreat Plantation near Sulphur Springs. According to Walter L. Eschbach, in his book Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Missouri, James O’Fallon, who was a farmer and raised livestock, built the home at Parkton Way and Marriott Drive, inside what is now the Parkton subdivision.
The 13-room brick house has two stories and several gable ends and four dormer windows. In 1884, Joseph G. Marriott purchased the home, which then became known as the Marriott Homestead. Marriott, a cattle breeder, owned 632 acres of land surrounding the home and is remembered for introducing the first Holstein cattle in Jefferson County, according to Eschbach.
