Many of the pioneers moving westward were outfitted in St. Louis before moving West. Shaw carried the kind of hardware, tools and cutlery they would need to make the trip and set up a new homestead. As his business went well, he continued to buy land on the outskirts of the city. Slave ownership Missouri was a slave state, and Shaw acquired enslaved African Americans as workers by 1828 for his working farm land. He also had several slaves working as domestic servants. He owned as many as eleven slaves at a time. In June 2020, the Missouri Botanical Garden shared a Facebook post with the names of some of Shaw's slaves: Peach, Juliette, Bridgette, Joseph, Jim, Sarah, Tabitha and her daughter Sarah, Ester and her children. In 1855, four of Shaw’s slaves escaped but were caught as they crossed the Mississippi River. Esther and her children were trying to get to the free state of Illinois where they hoped to connect with helpers to travel further north on the Underground Railroad. Shaw consequently sold Esther south to Vicksburg, Mississippi, separating her from her children. A census record reveals that Shaw had eight slaves in 1860. Retirement By the age of 40, Shaw was one of the largest landholders in the city and was able to retire. This gave him the freedom to travel and to pursue his great interest in botany. Following his retirement, Shaw travelled extensively for years. He returned to St. Louis in 1851. He engaged architect George I. Barnett (who later also designed Shaw's mausoleum) to design and build Tower Grove House, which became the center of his estate. Working with leading botanists, Shaw planned, funded and built what would become the Missouri Botanical Garden on the land around his home. As the garden became more extensive, Shaw decided to open it to the general public in 1859. Shaw donated additional land adjoining the garden to the city of St. Louis for Tower Grove Park. He helped with its construction, including the pavilions and various works of art. He gave the city a school and land for a hospital. He endowed Washington University in St. Louis School of Botany, and helped found the Missouri Historical Society. Shaw died in 1889 and is buried in a mausoleum surrounded by a grove of trees on the grounds of the gardens he founded. He is widely remembered for his