OSAGE COUNTY — Long before the founding of the Osage County Historical Society in 1984, there were calls for one to be formed as the surrounding counties began to establish such organizations. As early as May, 1957, William L. “Bill” Zevely, publisher and editor of the Unterrified Democrat, called for one to be formed in his editorial column.

Entitled “County’s History Should Be Preserved,” the editorial appeared as follows: “We, in Osage County are missing a golden opportunity to preserve for future generations the history of the county and of the people because we lack a county historical organization. Many counties have organized historical societies whose functions are the preservation of the writings, articles, and furnishings of by-gone years, so the present generation and those who come after may see and read of the people who by their efforts have helped make this a good place to live.

“Undoubtedly, many attics in the county contain articles of clothing and furnishings now useless because of age that would find a welcome place in a county historical museum. Many of us have old letters telling of events and happenings of years gone by that would be invaluable in piecing together the fabric of living as it was known back in the 19th century from the time the county was organized to the present.

“Cole County organized its historical society in recent years and its membership has grown amazingly. The Cole County Historical Society purchased one of the old homes in Jefferson City and its members have contributed a wealth of material to make it one of the most interesting places in the Capital City.

“We can started a historical society in Osage County with the formation of a group of interested citizens, and from that beginning, future generations will be grateful for authentic and truthful information concerning the activities of the people whose lives and works will have been obliterated by time, unless steps are taken to preserve the relics of the past which still remain.”

In June, Marilyn Plassmeyer in her column “The Westphalia News” in the U.D. wrote: “… and we would like to add our two cents by saying that we agree with him. As Mrs. Good (Julia Good) has told us so many times there have been so many historical papers on Westphalia and other sections of the county that have been lost through the years, and with a center and organization of this type working they could be preserved for generations to come. History, contrary to what we all thought in school is very interesting, particularly when it is history that concerns your town, or your county, or your ancestors.”

Meanwhile, citizens in surrounding counties were starting such societies, Cole in 1941, Maries in 1956, The founding of the Maries County Historical Society prompted another editorial calling for the founding of one here.

Considering these other societies, Bill Zevely wrote another editorial in January, 1961, observing, “Future generations in Osage County may ask why nothing was done to preserve the history of the county and its people….The formation of an Osage County Historical Society would be a long step in the right direction. It needs to be done. The longer we wait the more we will miss because history is being lost in every locality with the passing of the years and lives of our senior citizens.”

Gasconade County formed their Society in 1972. Then in 1980, the folks in Westphalia got together to start gathering the history of their community.

THE FIRST DECADE – 1985 TO 1986

An article titled “County historical society to be organized” appeared in the U.D. featuring OCHS founder Claudia Baker, who suggested that a “central location for such treasures would provide a wealth of information to researchers, to schools and to history classes, and be a source of price for all of us here in the county of Osage.”

Augustus W. “Woody” Zewicki, the last family member to live in the Zewicki home located at 402 East Main Street in Linn, died on Sept. 5, 1984. The house was built by his parents, Dr. Enoch T. and Amy Busch Zewicki in 1895 for $1,000 — “all the money they had.” It was built on Lot 62, in Block 7 acquired from Amy’s mother, America Busch who lived on Lot 61.

R. V. Cramer, the Zewicki’s grandson who lived in San Antonio, Texas, was credited with promoting the idea to the other heirs of preserving the house as a historic site. The other Zewicki heirs: daughter Laura Zewicki Knoerr, and grandchildren, Laura Mae Miller of Belmont, Mass., and Renna Jordan of Fairfax, Va., agreed.

In 1985, Claudia Baker was contacted by members of the Zewicki family with a proposition: the house and many of its furnishings would be donated as both a museum and archive center. Knowing of Claudia’s desire to be of service, her love of local history, and her organizational skills, the Zewicki heirs approached her about taking over the 90-year-old property. She took up the challenge.

For several years, Claudia Baker and Hallie Mantle had talked about the possibility of a historical society to house Osage County records and other memorabilia. Claudia began calling people around the county to drum up support for such a society. She set up an organizational meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 1985, at the Osage County Court House in Linn, inviting all those interested in preserving and marking historic sites and local history in general.

A crowd of nearly 60 people filled the County Courthouse to witness the formation of the Osage County Historical Society. Claudia Baker kicked off the meeting serving as temporary chairman. Hallie Mantle, school teacher and local historian, gave a presentation which emphasized the reasons to form a historical society. She said that it “would perpetuate the spirit that built America.” A unanimous vote in favor of organizing the society was secured. The following people were elected to one-year offices: Claudia Baker, president; Norman Witthaus, vice-president; and Eulah Clark, secretary. Also elected, but to three-year offices were: Emerson Lemmel, treasurer; and directors Paul Carwile, Mary Morton, and Elizabeth Kondusky. It was voted to incorporate the society as a not-for-profit corporation. A special feature of the meeting was the announcement of the possible donation of the Zewicki property, in which the family representative John Knoerr was asked to stand and received a round of applause.

The next meeting was held on Sept. 26, 1985, at the Linn R-2 school. The board set regular quarterly meeting dates of February, May, August, with annual an meeting to be held in November; established dues at $10 for an individual and $15 for a joint membership. The by-laws were studied for adoption. The first annual meeting was held in Westphalia. It included a tour of the Westphalia Historical Society Museum with dinner at the Westphalia Inn.

The Zewicki House was deeded to the Osage County Historical Society on December 20, 1985. The gift included the house, the wash house, and half of the lot across the alley, including a barn and other sheds. It did not include the side lot on 4th Street where America Busch’s house once stood. The heirs also donated gifts of furniture, pictures and other objects appraised at $2,300. The Society’s Board of Directors issued honorary life memberships to seven members of the Zewicki family.

The first two-page Newsletter was published in March. Olive Haslag was the writer and editor; Mary Lou Schulte typed and did the layout, and Marilyn Plassmeyer attached the address labels. Claudean Morton wrote the monthly column in the local newspaper, the Unterrified Democrat.

The Society was enrolled as an Annual Member of the State Historical Society of Missouri that year and work began on the application to put the Zewicki House on the National Register of Historic Places.

More than 300 people crowded into the landmark Zewicki House on Sunday, Jan. 5, 1986, for an open house that marked its dedication as a museum of Osage County history. Laura Mae Miller, Renna Jordan, and John Knoerr presented the deed to the property to Claudia Baker, president of the Society. Mrs. Miller said that she was pleased the family home could be saved and restored, rather than being torn down for a parking lot or a business. While much work needed to be done to transform the house into a museum, five rooms of historic artifacts from Osage County’s past were on display.

Rev. Norman Witthaus, board vice-president, said the attendance Sunday far exceeded anyone’s expectations, and at times, the preparations resembled a “hysterical” society. By the end of the event, the membership role of the Society had grown to a total of more than 100 members. The goal of 200 charter members was attained in early February 1986.

Work began immediately to spruce up the house inside and out. Spring allowed for yard work. Coming with rakes, trucks, chainsaws and brush eaters were: Clarence and Claudia Baker, Irene Zeilmann, Ida Schaefer, Alice Lock, Mary K. Jaegers, Hope Benson, Irene Ebert, Merle Turner, Polly Lock, Seigle and Ruth Lockwood, Homer and Linda Maassen, Reuben and Laura Bock, Clinton Ferguson, Diana Franken, Emerson Lemmel and others. Work continued throughout the year on the interior, washing windows, scrubbing, and vacuuming.

Among those preparing to open for business on June 1 were: Noel, Hilda and Claudia Baker, Hallie Mantle, Velma Lemmel, Mary Ann “Tippie” Franken, Larry Hunt, Barbara Baker, Betty Radmacher, and Jennie Peth. Adrian Voss, Esther and Ralph Reynolds, and Gerald and Wilma Lansford cleaned out all the outside buildings. Electrician members who volunteered to upgrade the “old wiring” were Henry Allen, Rhey Gelven, Bob Branson, Bill Anderson, and Stanley Scheel.

To promote and educate everyone about the many historical buildings, sites, trails, and monuments, many of the meetings were held in those locations and programs planned regarding the history of these places. Meetings were held at Bonnots Mill, Loose Creek, including a tour of the Dohman-Boessen house, Freeburg, Argyle, Folk, Jefferson City, Painted Rock Conservation Area, Rich Fountain, Meta, Gasconade County, Koeltztown, and Ben Branch Lake.

THE FIRST DECADE – 1987 TO 1990

The first years of the Society were filled with celebrating Osage County history, renovating the Zewicki House, gathering historic items, and of course fundraising. And it continues ….

As soon as they were getting organized, the Society started requesting printed materials, such as family histories, genealogies, biographies, diaries, letters, etc., to build the library; as well as furniture and other articles to furnish the Zewicki House for the period of 1890 to 1910. Artifacts for display in the museum could be early primitives to the 1900s items from Osage County. As the donations arrived, duplicate books were sold at auction at quarterly meetings. The response was overwhelming. Items continue to be donated to the museum — everything from thimbles to pump organs. The library has received numerous family histories, thousands of photos, letters, deeds, and other memorabilia.

Fundraising to restore the Zewicki house was a major occupation of the volunteers in those first years. They conducted an auction of some of the “modern” items that were left in the house on Sunday, June 8, 1986. The auction proceeds were $301.50. The Society held a barbecue at the Linn City Park on Oct. 11 that year. They sold a meal of pork steaks, baked beans, slaw, and home-baked bread for $3.75. Pie was extra. Best Choice labels were collected. Every 1,000 labels could be redeemed for $30.

A Liberty Salute was held at the Zewicki House on Sunday afternoon, July 6, 1986. Francis Gilbert of St. Aubert became the first Life Member of OCHS. The day included a presentation of flags by the American Legion at Freeburg and the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Linn. Rhey Gelven won the croquet match and Mrs. Matt (Eleanor) Obermark won a game of horseshoes, each winning a $50 savings bond. Homemade ice cream, watermelon, lemonade, hot dogs, and other refreshments were served. The evening ended with a Gay Nineties Parade.

In the summer of 1986, the Linn Garden Club started a service that continues to this day. The ladies worked up the flower beds at the front of the Zewicki House and planted geraniums, sweet alyssum, dusty miller, zinnias, marigolds, and begonias. Members planting and maintaining the beds were Merle Turner, Ruth Lockwood, Irene Ebert, Polly Lock, Faye Eastham, and Grace Maddox.

On Aug. 10, 1986, the public was invited to a “Signing Party” in the West Room of the Zewicki House to celebrate the publication of a book by the Society’s own – Grace Bacon Ferrier.

The Research Library opened for researchers in July 1987. That was a year of firsts for the Society. In March, the newsletter was expanded to four pages. The first raffle letter and tickets were mailed to members in June. The winners were selected at the August Quarterly meeting: Quilt – Jesse Ferguson, Chamois; $50 savings bond – Jim Turner, Linn; and 1-year membership – Steve Mosby, Kansas City. In December, the first Christmas Open House was hosted in the Zewicki House.

A grant application was made in the spring of 1987 to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to conduct an inventory of historic sites in the county. Photographs, along with data sheets, would be made of at least 300 buildings over 50 years old and important to the community. Dr. Gary Kremer led the survey, doing the photography and documentation. Initially, a $12,000 grant was received to conduct the survey in Benton, Linn and Washington townships. In June 1989, a second grant of $16,000 was received to complete the survey in Crawford, Jefferson, and Jackson Townships. Additional funds of $2,000 were required of the Society to complete the grant. A turkey dinner was held in August to help raise the funds. The survey was completed in August 1990. Dr. Kremer noted at a reception following completion of the project that while the survey was underway, at least one substantial historic structure in each township was destroyed, giving as examples commercial buildings in Chamois, St. Aubert, and Linn. The results of the survey occupy an important place in the OCHS library and has been a useful tool for researchers.

Soon after the Society was formed, Pat and Kathy Flippo began researching cemeteries in Benton and Crawford Townships, and later the other four townships. Kathy said the one drawback to doing this in the summer was the chigger! As Pat and Kathy continued their survey, they were assisted in the actual field work by nearly 100 “live” folks. As tombstones were identified, a file card was developed for each person. There are 9,240 of those cards available at the OCHS Library. The Society held an Open House on Aug. 28, 1988, to honor Kathy Flippo’s first publication, “A Comprehensive Survey of the Cemeteries of Benton & Crawford Townships.” The book is a loose-leaf publication in a 3-ring binder, containing 338 pages, 168 photos, covering 124 cemeteries, with an index. The second book, covering Jefferson Township went on sale in May 1992.

After two years of hard work, the renovation work on the Zewicki House interior was completed in September 1988. Among those making this possible were: Lorene Verdot, Henry Zeilmann, Joe Schaefer, Lee Schepers, Robert and Byron Baker, Mary Ruth Morton, Viola Luebbert, Harold and Mary Lou Schulte, Leta White, Emily Lock, Tom and Jeff Maassen, Clell Baker, Mabel Sohns, Anna Mae Kliethermes, Jay Bish, Eula Clark, Marceline Karsch, Maybelle Ragland, and many others.

A Minolta copier was purchased for the library at a cost of $2,370. It was partially funded by a $1,600 donation from George Kishmar of Chamois.

A celebration of an old-fashioned Christmas was held on Dec. 30- 31, 1987, with a collection of antique toys and ornaments from the past. And of course, refreshments were served. The Christmas Open House is a tradition that continues to this day.

The Zewicki House was open to visitors on Wednesdays from 10-12 and 1-4, while the Museum was open Sunday afternoons from 2-4, June through September. Docents were available for tours. More than 60 volunteers spent time on Sunday afternoons so that visitors might enjoy a sojourn into the past.

From the Society’s beginning, a need for more space to house the growing collections was a cause for concern. In September 1989, Lee Scheppers, Restoration Committee Chairman, presented an idea for a fireproof addition to the back of the Zewicki House, which would house a furnace and provide storage space for records. It would not detract from the historical significance of the building.

Quilting is an Osage County tradition that the pioneers and immigrants brought with them. The Society sponsored a quilt show on May 29, 1990, at Bescheinen’s Furniture Store in Loose Creek. More than 100 persons came to view the 118 quilts on display. The “favorite quilt” was the creation of Florence Boss of Chamois. Her appliquéd tulip design won a $10 cash prize. Another show was held on October 22, 1991, again at Bescheinen’s. This event was attended by 170 people, 70 of whom came by bus from the St. Louis and Washington, Mo., area.

A quilt frame was set up in the west front room of the Zewicki House for some old-fashioned quilting bees. Volunteers would do their needlework on Wednesdays from 9:30 to 3:30. The group did custom quilting as a fundraiser for the Society. In the first two months, they had finished two quilts and were starting on a third. Some of the quilters were: Alice Lock, Irene Zeilmann, Ida Schaefer, Mary Sinnett, Mary Morton, Bea Robertson, Pauline Bescheinen, Irene Kliethermes, Laurine Boessen, Louise Peters, Wilma Lansford, Pat Muenks, and Viola Backes.

With the April 1989 issue, the Newsletter was expanded to six pages (its present form). A year later, Olive “Oli” Frohardt Haslag, the newsletter contributor and editor from the beginning, died suddenly on June 16, 1990. She was only 49 years old. She had been an English and journalism teacher at Linn High School. The Society was privileged to have her at the helm of the newsletter for four years. Oli was succeeded by Mary Lou Ferrier Schulte.

Renovation of the open back porch began in September 1990. Included was carpenter work to enclose it so that it made it an excellent display and meeting room area. New wiring, drywall, paint, carpeting, steps, and a concrete sidewalk were installed. All rooms had registers installed, and heating and air conditioning installation was completed. These renovative measures would not change the historical value of the home. Francis and Margaret Kliethermes wallpapered the “new” bathroom.

In addition to interior renovations, a new sign was added to the front lawn. It was the combined effort of Voss Lumber, which donated the plywood, David Morton, who designed and painted it, Clarence and Byron Baker, who constructed and painted the posts and frame, Osage County Industries, which supplied the concrete, and Hometown Lumber, which provided materials for the roofing on the sign. It is still standing there today.

The young Society received $26,339 in income and grants in 1990 and spent $29,286 on restoration and operating expenses. That left a balance of $1,770.

THE FIRST DECADE – 1990 to 1994

The commissioners of the Osage County Court saw an opportunity to unload some of the county’s records to the OCHS. They met with an archivist from the Secretary of State’s Office, who found in the County Clerk’s vault items that she recommended for donation to the Society’s library. One of the tasks the OCHS volunteers were asked to consider was preparing records for microfilming. The Local Records Project began in September 1990 with volunteers from OCHS. The tasks would include removing staples, unfolding and putting flat in boxes, sorting by years, etc., to ready county records for microfilming. Workshops were conducted to train the volunteers on proper preservation methods.

The first volunteers were Hubert and Pauline Bescheinen, Eula Clark, Ruth Miller, and Glen and Marceline Patterson. Other volunteers included: Al Backes, Clara Backes, Vincent Backes, Claudia Baker, Jaye Bish, Joe Bonnot, Sue Gelven, Marie Hackmann, Melva Hull, LaVerne Jaegers, Shirley Jett, Volley Jett, Anna Mae Kliethermes, Francis and Margaret Kliethermes, Irene Kliethermes, Wilma Lansford, Rita Maasen, Rosella Maasen, Wilma Maasen, Hallie Mantle, Judy Muenks, Martha Otto, Beatrice Robertson, Florence Samson, Leo and Regina Schepers, Marian Schmitz, Lorene Verdot, Audrey Vogel, Jewell Weiher, Henry and Irene Zeilmann, and many others. A total of 1,203 hours were spent on the project. Work continued on the probate records through January 1994, thanks to many OCHS volunteers. Microfilming of Osage County record books began on Dec. 3, 1997.

A large addition to the library came when the Osage County Commissioners donated 127 volumes of tax assessment books in July, 1991.

At the November 1991 annual meeting, Verda Leonard, a Townley descendent, presented the deed and keys to the Townley House in Chamois for use as a historical museum. The 135-year-old house was believed to be the oldest house in Chamois. It was built by Charles Phelps of logs covered with weatherboarding. Located at Third and Market Streets, the house and grounds, including a barn, is an excellent example of an urban farmstead. Phelps’ daughter Myra Jane married Alvah Townley and Townley’s had occupied the house for 100 years.

In making the presentation, Verda reflected, “I believe that the homes we live in develop character over the years as they are lived in … I feel the need to preserve what has gone before, and let it speak to the present and to the future.”

Many hours were spent cleaning and sprucing up the homestead with much fundraising done by many volunteers. A little less than a year later, on Sept. 19, 1992, the newly renovated house opened for visitors. On Aug. 5 1999, the Townley House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

THE SECOND DECADE – 1995 to 2004

– Aug. 17, 2003: A public dedication of the Zewicki House Museum being placed on the National Register was held. It was combined with an exhibition of the photographs of Laura Zewicki Knoerr, “Remembering Laura.”

– September 2003: Osage County native and architect Kurt Morton was asked to submit a design for a new archives center.

– Oc. 29, 2003: A reception for representatives of the Osage Nation from Oklahoma was held at the Osage County Community Center.

– Jan. 31, 2004: John Knoerr, husband of Laura Zewicki, and part donor of the Zewicki House died.

– May 28, 2004: A Lewis & Clark reenactment group was welcomed on the Missouri River at Chamois.

– Sept. 5, 2004: Claudia Baker’s 80th birthday was honored with a party and musical at the Zewicki House.

– September 2004: The two lots south of the Zewicki House were purchased as the site of the future archives building.