I found my Aunt and Uncle on EBay!!

The other day I was looking on Ebay for a postcard of Davis Baskets, (see my previous blog post). Davis Basket was near the Lake of the Ozarks. I was searching for postcards of Lake of the Ozarks. 

Sometime in the 1940, my dad's brother James O. Cardwell purchased a resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. Or he could have even built it himself. I remember going there in the 50's and 60's. 

The resort was named Silver King Resort. He was a vacuum salesman for the company bearing the same name. I have his business card and several other postcards.

But then I see this postcard listed for $4.  It also showed the back side dated 1952 (the year of my birth). I started reading and fast forwarded to the signature. Immediately I recognized it was my dad's sister Faye!  My Aunt Faye, my quilt mentor, my baking mentor, my I can do it mentor.

She had written it to her husband's cousin. 

SOLD, I had to have the card.

 

This is another one of his cards in my collection.

This is a postcard my grandmother sent to her dad, My great Grandfather. 

Bernard Hammer was born June 20, 1862, and died Nov 20, 1932

This Thanksgiving card was sent by my great grandparents to my grandma and grandpa November 26, 1925.

I'm not a serious postcard collector, but I do have a book full. A lot have come from Cousin Bob and Rita when they were traveling. She finds ones that I'd have a connection with. 

Rita calls this big letter postcard. 

Another one from Rita, a Dale Chihuly glass exhibit. Her and I love looking at his beautiful works!  She even went to see is display two weeks ago in St Louis, Missouri.

Frank Lloyd Wright House, also from Rita. Another thing that we like and have in common.

Wardsville is the town closed to us. We were married in Wardsville. This card is dated June 24, 1914. The name Rodeman still is a common name in the town too. 

The Meta card, a town just 10 miles south from postmarked Meta, Missouri. Unfortunately, I can't read the date. 

This beautiful funeral home is in Jefferson City. It has sadly been neglected and is in very sad shape now. 

The bridge across the Missouri in Jefferson City. Now there are two bridges side by side. 

Busch's Florist. A local florist since 1924 I think, oldest flower shop west of the Mississippi river. It still looks pretty much the same. The family that started this business, also built the lake behind my house, known as Busch's lake.

This postcard shows my husband's craft in the top right circle. 

This is my brother and his family. He sent it to Mom and Dad in 1988! 

It's always fun to browse through a box at antique shops or Ebay. You never know what you might find!

My SECOND Davis basket!!

I scored another one!  Same place as before, an online auction from J Street Vintage, Jefferson City, Mo.

This one is another oak one (my favorite type), strips are tapered from 1 1/4 inch to 1 inch. 

The original hang tag just sucked me in! I am a little sad that this does not include the original price. But the tag may be even better.

It's a 12-inch, square bottom basket.

This one is 13 1/2 inches across and flat bottomed. It too was purchased through an online auction from J Street, May 2022. I'm seeing a trend here. I'm waiting for the next one to show up!

You see what I see?  The original price of $3.98.  This has to be a very early one.

Here is the story behind Mr. Davis. The Davis Basket story. 

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.