The Dardenne Presbyterian Church was begun in 1819, by families who had come from Ireland to Virginia prior to the Revolutionary War. In 1829, the McCluer, Wilson, Alexander and Icenhower families settled there and joined the church.

In 1831, Archer Alexander, was an enslaved person who was the property of James Alexander in Dardenne Prairie. Because his owner had no need for his services, he was sent to nearby St. Louis to work in the brickyards. He was generating income for his owner.

Archer’s wife was Louisa, property of Nancy McCluer, James Alexander’s wife. James and Nancy Alexander lived together with their four children in their cabin which was on the Boone’s Lick Road. Louisa was a nurse to the Alexander children, and mother to her own. On Sundays, Archer had a pass to leave the brickyards and visit his family on Dardenne Prairie.