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1889
Shaw dies.


Lying in state in Museum Building, 1889. The paintings along the upstairs banister are now located in the Missouri Botanical Garden Library.

In the late 1880s Shaw’s health began to deteriorate. Due to the severe heat in the summer of 1885, his physician suggested that he travel north to the cooler climates of Wisconsin. He returned to St. Louis in improved health, but his health soon began to decline once more. The long ride from his town house to the Garden began to become too much for him. Therefore, he moved out to his country home where he could be near his Garden. In 1889, he suffered an attack of malaria, and it was too much for his already weakened system. In August, Shaw began a steady decline and he died at 3:25 Sunday morning, August 25th, 1889. His physician and some friends attended him in his final hours. His death scene was described next day by several local newspapers, in which it was the lead headline. After his death, Shaw’s body lay in state in the museum building for viewing by the public. The crowds that came to pay their last respects were enormous, and they saw him lying in state in the museum building surrounded by flowers and exotic plants.

 

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