OSAGE COUNTY — Note: This is part two of a two-part series celebrating the Society’s 40th anniversary, with the following historical account provided to members.

THE THIRD DECADE                   

2005 TO 2014

The third decade of the Society brought about many changes including plans, fundraising and construction of the Cultural Heritage Center.

The Society started 2005 with the purchase of a laptop computer for doing inventory, and a new copier. Betty Chillington and her helpers started the daunting task of making an inventory of museum items in the Zewicki House and the Townley House in Chamois. Architect’s drawings of the proposed archival center were put on display at the Zewicki House. Jim Symmonds gave a detailed report of the new proposed Cultural Heritage Research Center. He emphasized the need to begin fundraising immediately. In May, a new WWI memorial stone was dedicated on the Square in Linn, thanks to the efforts of OCHS volunteer Glenn Patterson. The third annual photography contest was held during the summer. The fall brought the “20th Century Wars,” a military exhibit to the Zewicki House.

An “Antiques Road Show” fundraiser was held on Jan. 28, 2006, with about 50 persons bringing their treasures to be appraised. In July, the first year of a five-year fundraising effort began for construction of a Cultural Heritage Center with a mailing to all the membership. A brochure “this Special Place” was designed with the help of Jim and Joyce Symmonds. The crew preparing the brochures for mailing included: Jeanne Best, Alice Lock, Rosemary McDaniel, Virginia Reynolds, Christy Brandt, Judith Muenks, Betty Jaeger, Joyce Symmonds, Fern Manley, and Claudia Baker. By July 31, $4,075 in donations were received.

An honor was bestowed on the OCHS in January 2007 when it was selected as one of the top 15 historical societies in the state by the Missouri Humanities Council. During the summer months, a “Children’s World” exhibit opened at the Zewicki House. The fifth and final photography contest began. A Memorial Brick project for the Heritage Plaza at the Cultural Heritage Center was introduced. A $1,000 contribution would buy a brick with the donor’s name or in remembrance of a loved one.

The year 2008 was filled with fundraising and making plans for the Heritage Center. In February, Thermocore Panel Systems was selected to construct the Heritage Center. At the July meeting, the board approved the purchase of two lots adjoining the Heritage Center site to provide more room for the building and surroundings. That Fall, the Osage County Library in Linn displayed the photographs from past OCHS photo contests. The exhibit “Keeping Christmas” opened at the Zewicki House in November.

In 2009, an exhibit named “The Milliner’s Shop,” featuring hats and accessories, opened in the Zewicki House Museum. In October, at their regular meeting, the OCHS Board accepts the building committee’s recommendation to approve architect Keith Lesko’s proposal to design the Osage County Cultural Heritage Center. The building committee members included; Harold Schulte, Doug McDaniel, Joe Wilkinson, Tim Muenks, Jim Symmonds, Byron Baker, Roberta Schulte, Mary Lou Schulte, William Miller, Edgar Muenks, Don Brandt, and Felix Frank. Claudia Baker, the force that helped found the Society was honored upon her retirement at the Annual Meeting in Rich Fountain. A Christmas Open House was held at the Zewicki House during the day of the Christmas Parade in Linn.

The new Heritage Center remained the focus of 2010. But work also needed to be done on the Zewicki House. Architectural plans for the Cultural Heritage Center were being finalized. In June, more than 20 volunteers came together to scrape off the old and put a new coat of paint on the Zewicki House. They were Byron and Clell Baker, Felix “Butch,” Doris, Dave, Bill, Joe, and Henry Frank, Debbie Monroe Hudson, Charles Hueste, Doug McDaniel, Edgar Muenks, Tim Muenks, Eugene Plegge, Carol Porting, Harold and Mary Lou Schulte, Eldore and Bobbie Schwinke, Patrick Steele, Jim and Joyce Symmonds, and Joe Wilkinson. Hallie Mantle, teacher and the Osage County historian, died on July 25. The Zewicki House restoration and painting was completed in October. Meanwhile, the small rental house on the southwest corner of the lot was demolished.

Grace Bacon Ferrier, teacher, speaker, and author, died on Feb. 26, 2011. In May, “Osage County Makes Music” exhibit opened in the Zewicki House. Musical entertainment was presented by Earl Vaughan and Iona Beck. In the heat of July, five Zewicki descendants painted the wash-house roof green. The massive collection of Hallie Mantle’s years of collecting Osage County history was received by the Society. Successful fundraising had netted $300,000 toward the construction of the Cultural Heritage Center. On Sept. 26, groundbreaking for the CHC was held. Dan Hostetler was hired to be the building supervisor. Midwest Custom Timber Frames of Centralia was awarded the contract to provide the framework for the CHC. Yearly dues were increased to $20 for a single membership, $25 for a joint membership.

“Here Comes the Bride!!!” exhibit opened in the Zewicki House in May 2012. The beautiful 3x6-foot-stained-glass window made by Kathy Johannesmeyer of Westphalia was installed above the main door in the CHC in September. Dr. Merrill Townley, veterinarian, author, legislator, and past Board President died on Nov. 6. In December, ownership of the Townley House Museum in Chamois was transferred to the Chamois Historic Preservation Commission. This was the year that the Newsletter paper color changed from goldenrod to a much easier-on-the-eye cream.

The final construction of the CHC continued through 2013. In April, a Civil War sampler quilt project was started. Local churches and community organizations each made a quilt block from the Civil War period. Progress was made on the CHC and the Library and office were moved from the Zewicki House to the new building in July. On Sept. 8, 2013, the Grand Opening ceremony of the Cultural Heritage Center was attended by more than 200 people.

The year 2014 was a year of loss of persons that were important to the OCHS. On March 11 Kathy Flippo, author and tireless surveyor of Osage County cemeteries, died. Fr. Joe Welschmeyer, historian, author, and priest died on June 25. Two days later, Claudia Baker, driving force in the founding of the Osage County Historical Society, died.

That same month, “A State Divided, the Civil War in Missouri” exhibit opened in the CHC. Programs and events were held throughout the summer. “An Osage County Civil War Patchwork” book by Roberta Schwinke became available. By July, over 100 quilters had helped to complete the Civil War sampler quilt. A book “Stitching Memories: A Quilt to Remember the Civil War” was published and presented at a program at the CHC. In October, a U.F.O. Sale: unidentified items found in the move to the CHC.

Jim and Debbie Wolfe gifted the OCHS with a portion of their huge Native American artifacts collection that was found on their farm.

THE FOURTH DECADE – 2015 TO 2024

The last 10 years had been ones of varied exhibits and continued growth, with many donations to the Museum and the Cultural Heritage Center.

The fourth decade began in 2015 with the marking of the 30th Anniversary. Mary Lou Schulte noted it in the Newsletter: “Almost all who attended that first meeting are now gone, but their efforts gave rise to a viable, expanding organization which will serve Osage Countians and their friends well into the future.”

In May 2015, the Laura Ingalls Wilder exhibit opened in the CHC. Events included a Family Day, with games and crafts from the times of Laura Ingalls Wilder. A Mills of Osage County exhibit featuring a scale model of the Leach-Baker Mill at Cooper Hill opened in September of that year. To complement the little mill, there were pictures, scale models of old machinery fashioned by Don Brandt, examples of flour and meal sacks, and a book featuring the mills of Osage County. The mill diorama on loan from the Missouri State Archives returned to the CHC for a short time in 2018.

The following spring, a Mapping Missouri exhibit opened. It was a collection from the State Archives, featuring more than 100 examples of cartography from the 19th century.

The Society was blessed with several bequests to enable it to continue its work in 2015. Margaret Klebba Dendinger, aunt of John and Tom Klebba, left $150,000, which was used to establish an endowment fund. The Clarence and Claudia Baker family donated the deed to the lot directly across 4th Street from the CHC. The Baker family also gave a bequest in honor of Claudia Baker of $1,000 that was used to refurbish the stained-glass window in the parlor of the Zewicki House.

On Sept. 25, 2016, a Cemetery Walk at the Deer Creek Cemetery was held. More than 50 persons gathered to take a walk and hear the stories of some of those who were buried there. It was organized by Board member Holly Neuner. Another Cemetery Walk was held in September 2018 at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church Cemetery in Frankenstein, planned and directed by Holly Neuner and Betty Chillington.

An ongoing project that was started in 2017 was assembling a large number of obituaries. Initially the project collected over 1,000 obituaries by volunteers Maridel Braman and Verda Rogers. The collection continues to grow as new and old obituaries are discovered in the U.D. and in the CHC collections. It now contains almost 18,000 newspaper stories of the deaths of citizens with roots in Osage County. More recently, volunteers have undertaken the task of better preserving over 1,500 original wills. Once completed, the documents will be taken to the State Archives to be imaged.

World War I was featured in an exhibit which opened in March 2017. On display were uniforms, supplies, pictures and many artifacts from the men who served in this conflict that had been donated to the OCHS Museum.

Projects and maintenance undertaken during this period: repairing leaks in the Zewicki House Museum and CHC; installing a new floor in the schoolroom; installing a chairlift on the basement stairway in the CHC; installing additional electrical outlets in the CHC; replacing the glass in the windows of the Zewicki House with energy efficient ones; a new porch by the schoolroom entrance, and a new covered entrance to the CHC.

In December 14, 2019, the first Christmas on Main Street event was held in Linn. OCHS participated with an open house at the Zewicki. House Museum and six trees in the CHC which were beautifully decorated by members of local communities. After the parade on Saturday, families flowed into the CHC to visit with Santa Claus. The Society has continued to contribute to the festivities annually.

2020 started with wonderful gifts from the Zewicki heirs. They donated Dr. Zewicki’s daybed, Mrs. Zewicki’s sewing machine and other Zewicki artifacts to the Zewicki House Museum. These items were shipped from the East Coast where they had been treasured by the descendants of Enoch and Amy Zewicki.

The years of 2020 through 2022 brought a new era of uncertainty to the world and the Society. In April 2020, the CHC and Zewicki House closed to visitors due to the Coronavirus pandemic. After a month, the volunteer staff began to continue the tasks needed to keep the Society running. The May Quarterly Meeting was canceled. In August, an alternative form of Quarterly meeting was planned. It was held outdoors in the new Legends Bank Park on the Square in Linn. A sack lunch and musical entertainment were featured. The Board continued to meet while wearing masks and seated apart from each other. For the first time since the inception of the OCHS, the Annual Meeting was canceled and election of Board members and business was conducted by mail with a letter included in the November newsletter. The February 2021 Quarterly Meeting was also canceled. The CHC and Zewicki House once again was opened to welcome visitors in April 2021. But then the May Quarterly Meeting was canceled. Things started to return to normal, then the February 2022 Quarterly Meeting was again canceled due to concerns about the new outbreak of COVID. Activities resumed when the Board approved holding the regular quarterly meeting in May 2022.

During all this craziness, Missouri celebrated its 200th birthday. In March 2021, a collection of quilts, both donated to the Society and on loan, were displayed at the CHC. The Missouri State Bicentennial quilt was traveling around Missouri and made a stop at the CHC from March 18-20. There was a contest for Missourians to submit a quilt square depicting something about their county. Our own volunteer, Linda Roberts, had her square selected to be in the quilt. On Aug. 10, 2021, the Missouri State Bicentennial Ice Cream Social was held on the Zewicki House lawn. In spite of the hot weather and the risk of exposure of COVID, visitors came to eat a bowl of ice cream, tour the Zewicki House Museum and enjoy socializing with each other.

In May 2021, a new program to encourage young historians was initiated in the form of a $500 scholarship to an Osage County student. The award was based on an essay researched at the CHC library. The first $500 scholarship was awarded to Claire Baker. In the following years in May, $500 was awarded to Gibson Tschappler, Autumn Baker, ending in 2024 with two $500 scholarships awarded to Katrina Mueller and Stuart Massman. The winning essays were published in the Newsletter.

Two exhibits drew much interest in 2022. In June, “Farmhouses Before the Great Flood of 1993—Life in the Chamois and Morrison River Bottoms” celebrated the book written by Susan Sundermeyer with pictures and memorabilia. The next month, the Grand Opening of the “Osage County Sports through the Years” exhibit was well attended. The co-chairs of the exhibit, Mary Zeilman and Mary Ann Gelven, were pleased with the attendance and the enthusiasm of those viewing the exhibit. There were many visitors to the exhibit during the time it was on display.

There were many other events of note during this decade.

In 2015, the former library room, originally the back porch, in the Zewicki House was repainted and became a turn-of-the-century “School Room” with desks, books, photos and a chalk board on the wall. The room that formerly was used as the office was transformed into Dr. Zewicki’s office featuring his refurbished dental chair and other dentistry tools.

Robert “Bobbie” Schwinke spent 2016 compiling a cookbook of historic and family recipes. “A Taste of Osage County,” a historical recipe book went on sale in July 2017.

The Linn Garden Club was honored with a plaque in the garden for caring for the Zewicki House gardens since 1986. In November 2020, the sad news came that Laura Mae Cramer Miller, granddaughter of Dr. Enoch and Amy Zewicki, had died. The Westphalia Historical Society celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2023. Longtime volunteer, Mary Lou Schulte, retired as newsletter editor and office manager in April that same year. Then in May, the Society donated $10,000 to the Chamois Historic Preservation Commission to help with repairs to the Townley House.

OCHS embraced technology in this period. “The Osage County Historical Society” Facebook page was started by Bill Reynolds in 2015. In September 2023, a new microfilm reader-scanner was acquired through a grant from Missouri State Archives. Receiving the monthly newsletter by email became an option starting in 2024. Currently more than 75 members receive their newsletter electronically, saving printing costs and postage.

A first for the Society was the hiring of a paid office manager when Ean Sanchez, a student at State Tech, was hired in September 2023. After his graduation, Kathy Hilkemeyer became the current office manager.

In October 2023, an Osage County Photo Contest in partnership with Osage County Agritourism began. In March 2024, the photos were displayed at the Missouri River Regional Library in Linn and the winners were announced at a reception. The next spring, Board members Mary Zeilman and Julie Allen gave a presentation for Women’s History Month program at the Library.

The summer of 2023 was spent gathering the history, photos and memorabilia of the postal service in Osage County. The well-attended grand opening of “Osage County Post Offices and Postmasters” was held in August.

The Society was awarded a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council in 2024 to fund a project entitled “Osage County Through the Years – Personal Prospectives.” They captured Osage County history through the eyes and voices of citizens that are 90+ years old. The Society was grateful for this opportunity to capture these oral histories of our county and central Missouri.

2025

To commemorate 40 Years of History an exhibit filled with photos and memorabilia was displayed during the February and November meetings. A history of the Society was published in the monthly Newsletter. Celebrations were part of the quarterly meetings, recreating gatherings from years ago.

In Feb., at the first quarterly meeting at Loose Creek, office manager Ean Sanchez gave a visual presentation on the first 5 years of the Society.

The June 2nd quarterly meeting was a throwback to the beginning of the Society. It was a potluck dinner at the Linn Lion’s Fairground Pavillion. Fr. David Means lead everyone in a sing along and the speaker, Barnes “Barney” Bradshaw spoke about the Great Fire in St. Louis in 1849.

The Aug. meeting was the annual Ice Cream social, which is always well attended. The Jammers, a band of local musicians, provided the entertainment. People donated things to sell at the Silent Auction, also a continuation of the early years, and also did a little house cleaning around the Historical Society.

At the annual meeting in Nov., at St. George Hall in Linn, volunteers and board members were recognized: Donna Zeilmann, past president; MaryAnn Gelven, Treasurer for 14 years; and Roberta “Bobby” Schwinke, who served as the Zewicki House Museum curator for many years. Board Officers for 2026 were elected: Doug McDaniel-President, Ed Bossaller-Vice-President, Christy Brandt-Secretary, and Linda Roberts-Treasurer. The speaker for the evening was Dr. Gary Kremer, who shared memories of growing up in Frankenstein and the many historic buildings in Osage County that were part of a survey conducted in the early years of the Society.

The Osage County Historical Society continued the tradition of a Christmas Open House as part of Christmas on Main Street celebration on December 12th. 

Volunteers are an integral part of any organization, and there is always a need for help at the Zewicki House Museum and the Cultural Heritage Center. Society membership has averaged about 400 for the last several years, and the society is actively recruiting new members. Membership benefits include the monthly newsletter, free research, and quarterly meetings that are both entertaining and informative. Single memberships are $30 and joint are $35 per year.