Touring Westphalia Missouri museum

On Sunday we went to Westphalia, Missouri, 

(Osage County) to visit the Westphalia Historical Museum.

It did not disappoint. It’s open every Sunday from May through October from 1:00 to 3:00 o’clock.

The blacksmith’s family goes way back in Osage County. His great grandparents' house is still standing in good condition. You can click here and see our visit.

The museum is 3 floors, plus a basement full of things from the past. 

Then you go outside to a restored, relocated log cabin. 

Shelly and Jeanine were our tour guides. It’s a small world, when the blacksmith made connections with Jeanine and realized he had forged the handles on her father’s casket.

Remember to click on each picture to see all the fine details.

 

A screened in playpen!

The bank vault that was literally rolled down and across the street to the museum.

 

The barber chair from the town's Barbershop.

An awesome needle tin!

A Singer feather weight machine!

A one-time there was a millinery shop in town.

Antique postcards from Westphalia.

This was a reconstructed fireplace like the one that could have been in the log cabin of that period.

The log cabin looks like it’s always resided there. The wrap around porch was not original but added to protect the logs. 

Afterwards we strolled through the memorial garden behind the school. 

Bernie made this weathervane several years ago for the Kloeppel family in memory of Norman Kloeppel, who was in the Blacksmith Association of Missouri club.

Before leaving town, we stopped by the cemetery to visiting his relative's graves. The St. Joseph cemetery was established in 1905. 

 

relatives

His uncle Jim, who was the last member to own the family farm.

I love her name! Cunigunde

Out of town we stopped by to see what remained of the old iron bridge over the Marie’s River.

August 17, 2020, a truck carrying 4 times the limit of the bridge attempted to cross it. The bridge had just passed inspection the previous week. 

Area residents now drive several miles extra on their trip to town. We were told the lawsuit has been settled and they are hopeful to have a new bridge built.

This is what it had looked like. 

The Story of Our Bridge by Mary Rakestraw

In 1893, the Kansas City Bridge Company was commissioned to come to Westphalia, Missouri, and build an iron and timber bridge over the Maries River. It provided a crossing from Westphalia to the eastern areas of Linn and Rich Fountain and south to Freeburg. It wasn’t long afterward that bridge reinforcements were needed. In 1902, Interstate Bridge Company added pony trusses so the bridge could handle heavier loads.

In the 1920s, the bridge did need to

accommodate heavier loads, as automobile

use became increasingly popular, and

vacationers and locals alike headed to

Westphalia’s Rehagen Park. 

We are excited to say we have now joined the Westphalia Historical Society. You can too! 

Congratulations to the Society as this year they celebrate 50 years from when they were formed!

The August meeting is in a restored 3 story log cabin. I can hardly wait.