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    Washington
    Washington
    Washington
    Ebook158 pages43 minutes

    Washington

    By Dianna Graveman, Don Graveman and Washington Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    Washington Landing, as the settlement was called in the early 1800s, was a popular river port along the Missouri River. Many German immigrants were attracted to the rolling hills and valley reminiscent of their homeland, and other settlers saw potential as well. The settlement grew quickly, and by the time the town of Washington was officially established in 1839, it was the most prosperous town in Franklin County. John B. Busch established a brewery in Washington in 1854 and produced the first Busch Beer. Franz Schwarzer began manufacturing what would become his world-famous zither (a German, stringed musical instrument) in 1866. Henry Tibbe began making corncob pipes around 1869, and Washington later became known as the “Corncob Pipe Capital of the World.” Today Washington holds the state record for the most buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and hosts four museums, including the Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Fame. Nestled in the heart of Missouri wine country, Washington draws thousands of visitors to the area each year.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439639603
    Washington
    Author

    Dianna Graveman

    Dianna Graveman and Don Graveman are coauthors of St. Charles: Les Petites Côtes (Arcadia Publishing). Together, with members of the Washington Historical Society, they compiled this book in celebration of a lively Missouri River town and its rich, unique history.

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      Book preview

      Washington - Dianna Graveman

      75¢.

      INTRODUCTION

      Washington, Missouri, was likely named for the first U.S. president, George Washington, after the settlement came under the United States’ control. Previously, the settlement was controlled by the Spanish and was called St. John’s because of its proximity to St. John’s Creek. Pioneer Daniel Boone settled near the area around 1799, and Lewis and Clark camped nearby in 1804. A ferryboat was licensed in 1814 to travel between the settlements of La Charette on the north side of the river and St. John’s on the south, and the landing below the mouth of St. John’s Creek was named Washington’s Landing. The village grew up around it and eventually took its name.

      William G. Owens, a Kentucky lawyer, and his wife, Lucinda, settled near here in 1818 and purchased most of the land that would later become downtown Washington. The settlement began to grow with the sale of lots in 1829, and many new families arrived. Sadly, Owens was murdered in 1834, possibly over political differences, and legal entanglements prohibited the establishment of the new town. Owens’s wife, Lucinda, was finally able to resolve the issue and obtain a clear title, and on May 19, 1839, the town of Washington was officially established.

      The first German Catholic families moved to the town in October 1833. They and other later German immigrants were sometimes called followers of Duden. Gottfried Duden was a German researcher and explorer who settled along the Missouri River in 1824 near what is now Dutzow. His famous book, composed as a series of letters, was titled Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerika’s (Report of a Journey to the Western States of North America). In it, Duden glowingly described the Missouri River Valley and compared the Missouri River to the Rhine in Germany. His book was published in Germany in 1829, influencing many of Duden’s countrymen to immigrate to Missouri in the 1830s. Germans continued to arrive throughout the 1840s, especially after the German Revolution of 1848. By the early 1850s, the town’s culture was heavily influenced by its growing German population. The city’s first newspaper was published half in German, half in English; afterwards, Washington had both English and German newspapers until 1913. Many church services were in German until World War I; services continued to be said in German at St. Peter’s Evangelical and Reformed Church until the 1940s.

      Ferryboats served as transportation for Washington until a bridge was built over the Missouri River joining Franklin County and Warren County in 1936. The Pacific Railroad came in 1855, and the first passenger train arrived in Washington that same year.

      Washington’s Turnverein, a German gymnastics movement intended to promote fitness and health through exercise, was founded in 1859 and incorporated in 1879. Translated loosely as does gymnastics (turnen) and association (verein), the original Turnverein was an association of gymnasts founded in Berlin in 1811 by German teacher and patriot Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. Participants were encouraged to develop a spirit of Deutschheit, or Germanness. The first president of the Washington Turnverein was Franz Wilhelmi, and the first exercises took place at Fricke’s Meadow off Jefferson Street. The Washington Turnverein ceased functioning during the Civil War but resumed in 1865. In 1868, a dramatic section was introduced, and plays were rehearsed and performed. Social gatherings were also an important part of the Washington Turnverein, and the organization continued to be the physical, cultural, and social center of Washington for many years. But interest in German culture and tradition faded with the new generation, and the Turnverein disbanded in 1932.

      Washington is famous for its early industry. John B. Busch established his brewery in Washington in 1855 and bottled the very first Busch beer before his younger brother, Adolphus, began his business in St. Louis. To keep the company going in Washington during Prohibition, the elder Busch sold soda pop and

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