Koch, Missouri

Koch, Missouri was a former community in St. Louis County centered on a hospital complex with 19 buildings, residential quarters, and farmland spread across about 200 acres. The site included railroad access, recreational facilities, and infrastructure designed to operate as a largely independent settlement.

The Robert Koch Hospital complex was established in 1875 to treat and isolate patients with tuberculosis, smallpox, and yellow fever. The facility was demolished in 1989, though it received National Register of Historic Places status in 1984.

The hospital operated as a self-contained community designed to care for patients with contagious diseases in isolation from surrounding areas. The settlement reflected medical practices of its era, where separation and self-sufficiency were fundamental to treatment.

The site is not open to the public today as it houses private antenna facilities for emergency services. Visitors interested in its history can explore the remaining cemetery and research the site's past through local records.

A cemetery called 'Quarantine' remains on the former hospital grounds and serves as a tangible reminder of those who died at the facility. This burial ground is one of the few physical traces left of the medical complex.

GPS coordinates: 38.48170,-90.28570

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:22