Clarence Barbre, an ardent horticulturist, lived on this property and operated a small nursery where he found great pleasure in plant propagation. He specialized in growing azaleas, rhododenrons and hollies, raising thousands from seed and introducing thousands more as plants for testing in the St. Louis area. In a way characteristic of him, he would not agree to sell azaleas unless buyers first agreed to follow his explicit instructions for their culture, and his system worked so well that failures were few. People soon learned that azaleas, rhododenrons and hollies could be successfully grown in the rigorous climate of St. Louis, an achievement that gave him much personal gratification. Barbre was born in Taylorville, Illinois, on May 15, 1880, and died on June 8, 1973. He worked at Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis as a chemist and retired from there. He served on the Advisory Council of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., on the Board of Directors for the Men's Garden Club of America, and for many years assisted in teaching classes in plant propagation at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Upon his death, he willed this 2.8 acre tract of land to the City of Webster Groves, and in 1979 the land was dedicated as Barbre Park.