WESTPHALIA  — On Sunday, the Westphalia Historical Society (WHS) will celebrate the start of its 50th year with a Walking & Wine Tour — in partnership with Westphalia Vineyards — from 2-5 p.m. to showcase the town’s roots and what the WHS has to offer.

“Westphalia is the oldest German Catholic community west of the Mississippi, according to a 1920s article in the Jefferson City Democrat Tribune. “St Joseph’s Catholic Church, built in 1848 of white cotton stone, has been on the National Register of Historic Sites since 1973. In April 1838, Westphalia was designated as the residence for a central Missouri mission created by the Jesuits. At the time, 25 acres, which is now the town, were purchased by the Jesuits for development.

“At first, only a few hunters paid regular visits there, and later, the fisherman joined in these pilgrimages. After a time, the women and girls discovered that Westphalia had a great many charms, and true to their nature, they spread the joyful news. Now, the society column of the newspapers tells the story only too well of how popular this little town has become. Big society women, who would not have been satisfied in the past with anything short of a trip to the Rocky Mountains, California, or even Europe, now find real enjoyment at Westphalia or its vicinity, and enjoyment that does not cost a small fortune. They get all the fresh air they can breathe, the best water on earth, fine scenery, live among the kindest hearted people to be found anywhere, are not overcharged for anything, have a great abundance of everything to eat that is good, and can motor to Jefferson City any day in two hours or less. Westphalia owes its popularity almost entirely to the newspaper men who have given the town and its people so much free but well-deserved advertising. It is known far and wide now, and everybody speaks well of the place and the people.”

Sunday’s tour starts on the north side of Main Street at 211 West Main. Follow the tour booklet house by house until you get to the Bruns house at the end. Cross the street to the south side of Main Street, start the walking tour at the cemetery, and walk back through town until reaching 204 West Main.

At 211 West Main, the older rock portion (south and west) is reputed to be the oldest dwelling in Westphalia. The home was built in 1835 and was a dram (whiskey) shop of Charles Huber. He married Christina Schroeder in 1836. Christina was the daughter of Marquerite Schroeder, who immigrated with the Nicholas Hesse group. Christina died a short time after the marriage to Huber as a result of burns from falling into an open hearth due to weakness from childbirth. In 1840, he married Elizabeth Lueckenhoff. They were the parents of five children when he died in 1850, and she passed away in 1854. He was a native of the Paderborn area. Some of the early rock walls of the structure measure 20 inches thick.

Huber was already residing here when the Dr. Bruns group arrived in November 1836. The red barn on the property was owned by Christ Hoer and was used as a dance hall. It was the home of the Butch Castrop family for many years. Owners include Castrop, Battson, and Kloeppel.

In 1914, 108 E. Main was the Borgmeyer Saloon and Hotel, run by Henry Borgmeyer and Frank Rehagen in 1923, but it burned in the late 1930s because of a lightning strike. Rehagen built a hotel next door, but the site continued as a restaurant run by various parties, including Wop Billet (1946) and Lenny Kremer (1948) as the Towne Club, and John Lueckenhoff (1958) changed the name to The Annex. In 1974, it was run by Art and Bernice Eads through the 1980s, and locals played pool, skeeball, and pinball, and locals often spilled out onto the front porch and street.

Danny Wilde purchased it and went back to its old name — the Towne Club. In 1994, Chris and Tammy Massman became new owners, and later, it was purchased by Keith and Wanda Abbott. It has remained a popular eating establishment.

The Bank of Westphalia at 116 E. Main was chartered on June 17, 1904, and received its Certificate of Incorporation from Secretary of State Samuel B. Cook with a Bank of Deposit of $50,000.

Farmers and Merchant Bank was chartered in 1913 and was located just down the street at 102 East Main and merged with the Bank of Westphalia later because there was not enough business for two banks. However, both fell during the 1929 Depression Era. It has served as City Hall for years. 

Dr. Bernhard Bruns’s home sits just outside the city limits on the south side of Main Street (208 East) and is known as the Bruns house. The construction beneath the clapboard is German fachwerk (half-timbered construction), along with the gambrel-style roof typical of the construction in the Westphalen Nord Rhein province from which they emigrated in 1836. Harsh Missouri winters necessitated clapboard siding to prevent deterioration of the brick that was originally exposed. The building, originally built in 1837, took two years to build. It housed the Bruns family, their hired help, his medical office, and a small store. He moved his family in 1851 to Shipley’s Ferry on the Osage River and later to Jefferson City, where he served as mayor and as a medical officer in the Civil War. He died there on April 1, 1864. His widow, Henriette Geisberg Bruns, continued to live there until her death on Nov. 8, 1899.

Other buildings on the tour provide a glimpse of their construction, owners, and current setting  and include the old convent at 122 E. Main, a home at 139 East Main that was built for Mrs. Mary Melias, the mother of Father John Melias, St. Joseph pastor from 1923 to 1941, one of the earliest log cabins constructed at 127 East Main, and St. Joseph Church at 125 East Main. 

A $20 ticket includes a self-guided tour booklet and map, a wristband for wine-tasting and food-pairings, a list of wines and paired foods from Westphalia Vineyards, and a Missouri Winery Guide. Tickets may be purchased at the Norton Room, Joe’s Market, Towne Club, the WHS Museum (Sundays 1-3 or on the day of the event), or electronically using Venmo (WHS65085).

WHS VP Shelly Herzing, who spent a lot of time working on the tour booklet with former board officer Mary Ann Klebba, noted that people can visit 10 wine stops along the tour while visiting porches and parlors of homes. “It’s a way for visitors to take in all the history of the town plus experience Westphalia Vineyards,” she added.

Current WHS board members are President Kevin Huber, VP Shelly Herzing, Secretary Mary Corey, Treasurer Jane Massman, Jeanine Bock, Mary Rakestraw, and Jordan Luebbert. 

In addition to homes on the tour, visitors are encouraged to stop at the WHS Museum.

“The museum is open on Sunday afternoons, but we will also open for private viewings and gatherings for private groups and family reunions on request,” she said, noting the new interactive video board is a great addition. “We have videos playing with various Westphalia historical photos and interviews of local people telling their stories, including veterans sharing their experiences.”

The museum is open from May through October. An elevator has been installed in the museum, made possible through a large donation.

Klebba added the restored log cabin behind the museum is also an option for families or groups that want to picnic or gather for whatever reason.

Membership has also become a priority for WHS. “We welcome anyone who wants to help preserve history and promote Westphalia,” said Herzing.

Over the years, WHS has offered veterans events to commemorate World War II, Korean and Vietnam wars, history books, tours, speakers, Christmas home tours, participation in town celebrations and parades, a student essay contest and scholarships, and special events such as “Night at the Museum,” with live characters and storytellers.

An individual can join for $20 per year; a family membership is $30 annually.

WHS was formed in 1973 when St. Joseph Church in Westphalia had been placed on the National Registry of Historic Sites.

Patricia Hilkemeyer, Dr. Adolf E. Schroeder, professor emeritus of Slavic languages at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and Westphalia native Dr. Edward Bowles collaborated and began the organization.

Over the years, Westphalia has seen much improvement thanks to the WHS.

Carla Schulz-Giesberg’s collection of Henriette Geisberg Bruns’ letters to her family in Germany had come to light, and through the kindness of Lynn Osvold, the WHS obtained copies of the collection. These letters would later become the basis of Dr. Schroeder’s book “Hold Dear – As Always.”

At the first annual meeting on March 29, 1974, Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Willibrand, Mr. & Mrs. Edward Bowles, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Voss, Rev. Aloysius Hilke, and Mrs. Carla-Schulz Giesberg were nominated as honorary members of the Society.

In late 1975, the Society entered into an agreement with Philip Balkenbush for the rental of the basement for $50 per month. It was at this time that the door between the buildings was blocked.  

In August 1977, new member Connie Reichart reported that she had been recopying and, when necessary, translating St. Joseph Parish’s baptismal, marriage, and death records from 1847 through 1900.

The final payment was made to Alice Fechtel in February 1978 for the WHS building, and David Patterson symbolically burned the mortgage at the annual meeting on March 19, 1978.

It was announced at the April 1980 meeting that the museum would re-open on Sunday afternoons from 2-5, with admission of .50 for adults and .15 for children.

The Society donated $200 toward the repair of the stained glass windows at St. Joseph Church, and the Bruns house was exterminated for termites in 1981, paid for by Bill Decker. The ceiling was also repaired in the museum.

At the annual meeting in 1983, the WHS awarded essay contest winners from St. Joseph School: Mary Patterson, Nancy Holterman, Mike Vanderfeltz, Nick Massman, and Suzanne Nilges. The President’s award was presented to Mary Ann Klebba.

WHS celebrated Westphalia’s sesquicentennial in 1985 and encouraged people in the community to plant red geraniums as a sign of German heritage and community spirit.

At the November 1985 meeting, it was decided the annex would not be sold to Melvin Rehagen, but members agreed to offer him a three-year lease on the building with no increase in rent.

A year later, WHS members agreed the WHS needed to publicize its news beyond the parish bulletin. They suggested that Secretary Vicky Patterson send an occasional special article to the Unterrified Democrat to keep activities before the public.

WHS members agreed in 1987 to plant a red maple commemorating the year, a Constitution tree, in the park area east of the church. The museum building celebrated its 100th year.

Also that year, the first “Tour of Westphalia Homes” was held to feature houses primarily on Main Street and the church. The first tour consisted of Mary Scheulen’s (the first convent), the Blue and Gray Inn, and the Conine and Hilkemeyer residences. The city provided electric candles for windows to identify them as tour homes. The tour netted $344.36.

In 1988, Pat Hilkemeyer, in her capacity as Westphalia’s mayor, announced that Westphalia would have a Sister City, Stromberg-Oelde, in Germany; Dr. Bruns’ wife was from there. WHS members had tentative plans to visit Germany and later decided that a quilt made by St. Ann’s Sodality quilters would be given to the city of Oelde on behalf of the Westphalia Historical Society at the time of the visit.

However, in 1990, it was decided not to call Oelde, Germany, a Sister City but rather a Friendship City due to the significant differences in population, 65,000 to 285. Also that year, WHS members decided to eliminate the Homes Tour.

In April 1995, 15 German students visited Westphalia, the museum, and Fatima High School. A WWII plaque was placed at the museum commemorating those Westphalians who served. Korean War veterans were honored in 1996.

After almost 30 years of discussion, the WHS in 1999 decided to put the Historical Register of Westphalia on hold until the sewer system had been installed, and it was suggested that a Vietnam memorial plaque be placed at the museum.

The WHS received grant approval of $649.60 from the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office in 2004 to be used for preserving artifacts. A computer was purchased in July of that year, and a phone line was installed to provide internet access.  

Former Mayor Chris Dickneite contacted the WHS in 2000 to inquire if the Society would be interested in renting the landmark Westphalia jail as a tourist attraction for $1 a year. The WHS began investigating the ownership of the old jail in 2011, and it was officially acquired and cleaned in 2012. Renovations cost $300, and the cost of legal matters concerning the acquisition of the jail ($700). Both were covered by a donation from Legends Bank.

WHS hosted a “summer program” on Father’s Day, June 17, 2012, for the grand opening of the restored Westphalia jail – the calaboose. Also that year, the museum basement walls were autographed by St. Joseph grade-school students in commemoration of the school’s 175th birthday.

In 2013, WHS members decided to use an $18,000 grant from the AJ Schwartze Foundation for a new standing-seam steel roof over the main body of the museum. Paul and Joyce Crede were named curators for the WHS Museum.

Paul Crede suggested the WHS find a log cabin to be placed in the backyard of the museum. In October 2013, it was noted that a bid from Clifford Wagner regarding moving the log cabin from the Deeken farm and constructing it behind the WHS museum would cost an estimated $15,000.

Visit the museum for more on the history of Westphalia.