A little history about the town I grew up in.

[Arkiania]

So in light of this very old house that has been in my town forever. I finally found some more history from it than what was on the wikipedia page.

House's Spring, MO (Demaree, MO)
Early 1800's
Adam House came to Jefferson County soon after the turn of the century (1801
or 1802). The thrifty German, decided to keep away from the more populous
eastern settlements in favor of the wilds of Missouri, then known as Upper
Louisiana. He considered an area around a fine spring, which the Indians had
long used as a landmark, plus the fine sugar maples in the surrounding woods,
and decided that this would be a good location for his homestead. The
fertile flat land held the promise of abundant crops and the St Louis would
be his trading post to sell his products.
The Osage Indians were carrying their winter's catch of furs enroute to St
Louis where they intended to trade their goods for supplies such as would be
needed by tepee dwellers. They stopped by the House family farm to borrow
two horses but were refused by Adam House. While Adam returned to his sugar
making, the indians returned and decided to borrow the horses without him
knowing about it. He followed them to St Louis and had them arrested. The
indians were determined to get revenge so upon their release attacked the
House cabin. Adam House was running low on ammunition so sent his two
children for help.
The nearest settlement was twelve miles away but the children were not afraid
of life in the wilderness so they ran through the forest. One went to Fenton
and the other s to Kimmswick. By sending them at different times, House
hoped the chances of at least one getting through would be greater. One of
the children was a boy, age 13, and the other a girl, age 14. The settlers
from both Fenton and Kimmswick raced back to the Adam House home by the
spring but it was too late. The family had been killed and scalped. The
indians then cut off the heads of their victims and placed a lump of maple
syrup obtained from nearby vats.
The head of Adam House was carried to a large elm tree about 50 feet
from the house and placed in a tree some 40 feet off the ground to rest on a
"lofty" pedestal. To the Indians this denoted more than irony----this was
supreme sarcasm.
The possee realized that they were greatly outnumbered by the indians
so decided to abandon their chase for fear of an ambush.
The Adam House home stood some 50 yards north of the spring. Many
years later a large home was built near this spring [by Edward Burgess and
his wife Josephine Cromwell] and a headless skeleton was unearthed when the
basement was being dug. These bones were boxed and buried
elsewhere--location unknown.
The famous elm tree grew to a five foot diameter and was towering
about the area when the Burgess family decided to remove the dangerous
soaring decayed tree.
The House farm site is near the intersection of new Highway 30 and Hy W which runs Northwest to Eureka and Hy MM (which starts
just on the other side of Hy 30). After a long battle by local
preservationists in House Springs, the old Burgess home, shed and barn were
demolished and replaced by the likes of Hardees, KFC, and Captain D's. The
spring has been somewhat damaged by the blasting that was done to expand Hy
MM at the Hy 30 intersection to remove a sharp curve but it still runs,
albeit with a little less force! The crystal clear cold lake that use to be
teeming with fresh trout is now small and somewhat covered with moss. The
watercress that is a favorite in salads which use to abound in this fresh
cold water stream is gone.
"The Cornelius Demaree house today is located near the corner of Main Street and Gravois Road (State Route MM) in House Springs. The building was originally a log structure completed ca. 1837. Mr. Demaree lived on the several acre plot with his family until his death in 1857. By 1860 the property was auctioned off in parcels by Dr. George Smith, who marketed these plots as “The Town of Demaree,” claiming that there were already fifteen buildings in the town. According to probate records at the time, these buildings included the dwelling, a stable, a blacksmith shop, and even several well houses. Eventually the Demaree family disappeared from the area and the town re-named for the local House family, which had reportedly been massacred by Osage Indians, The town then gained its present moniker of House Springs. Over the years the Demaree house it has been expanded from pioneer cabin to a two story center hall “I-House” with a columned two-story gallery extending the entire length of the house’s principal façade. This house is important in the history and settlement of this area in Jefferson County. It has been empty and neglected for many years and was torn down today in the name of progress.