#20 – Was Henry Shaw married?

Stop inside Tower Grove House, piano

Shortly before the Missouri Botanical Garden opened, founder Henry Shaw had to deal with a very personal, yet very public matter.

Shaw never married, despite the attempts of several acquaintances to find him a suitable mate. However, he maintained friendly correspondences with several ladies over the course of his lifetime, most notably a young woman named Effie Carstang.

Shaw loaned money to Carstang twice. He also rented a piano to her for one dollar a month, with the agreement that it would eventually be returned. Instead, in July 1858, Carstang sued Shaw for breach of the promise of marriage, seeking a staggering $100,000 in damages.

Shaw denied the claim, but after a stirring and nationally-publicized trial, Effie Carstang won unanimously. The New York Illustrated News called the verdict “the largest sum ever awarded in this country in such an action.” However, the court agreed to an appeal, and eventually reversed the earlier decision. Shaw had spent more than $15,000 in court costs, but kept his $100,000 fortune. He refocused his attention once again on the Missouri Botanical Garden, which had officially opened its doors to the public by the end of the trial.