The history of Cheltenham goes back to 1798. The area then was known to run from what we now call Kingshighway on the east and went as far as the City limits on the west end. At that time River de Peres was a clear crystal stream. It made a good area for settlements. In later years, immigrants were drawn to the area because they needed work. The factories sprung up with the mining of clay. The earliest and largest of the enterprises was the Laclede Fire Brick Company, which began in 1844., but expanded rapidly with the coming of the railroad. Irish, Italian,German, and Polish immigrants came to wok in the factories. In 1861 the Catholic Diocese established a mission which grew into St. James the Greater Parish. The Cheltenham public school opened in 1868. By World War II, most of the mines had shut down and the brick yards had closed. Subdivisions were built over the mines and pits.