Selma Hall was heavily damaged by fire on March 13, 1939, when it was owned by the family of Clayton oilman William O. Schock. Workers were able to save its limestone walls, and the Schocks had it rebuilt and restored close to its original design. Because the house is on a high bluff, riverboat pilots nicknamed it Kennett's Castle, after the original owner, Ferdinand Kennett. Post-Dispatch file photo