POINTS OF INTEREST

Check out EVENTS for managed tours where you can take it all in with the help of a native tour guide. Also watch for driving tour routes that will take you on day trips to experience the treasures of Osage County.

Westphalia, 1835

In 1835 German immigrants settled on the Maries, near the present site of Westphalia. In April 1838, P. Helias, a Jesuit missionary, having been sent out to found a central mission, came up the Missouri river on a boat. Finding this mode of travel slow and tedious, the zealous missionary, with his trusted pony, pushed his way into the interior of the country and in May reached the little settlement on the banks of the Maries. Finding a little log church where the settlers worshipped, he determined to found a central mission. June 28, 1838, he entered into a contract with F. Geisberg for a forty-acre tract of land, which that gentleman had homesteaded. Here he founded his mission and named the place Westphalia, in honor of the province in Germany by that name and from where most of the settlers of that day had come.

ST. JOSEPH'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, founded in 1838, is the oldest Catholic parish in Osage County. This church holds the largest collection of relics in the Diocese of Jefferson City. The building features a unique double choir loft and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

WESTPHALIA INN, built in the 1930's, it was a 30 room hotel before the owners turned it into a wonderful family style restaurant.

WESTPHALIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM has a large collection of memorabilia from the early days of the town.

PAINTED ROCK CONSERVATION AREA is located 7 miles southwest of Westphalia on High 133.

Rich Fountain, 1840

Rich Fountain is located on a high hill in the forks and overlooking two fertile valleys; about 11 miles south of Linn. The first settlers were attracted to the location because of its beautiful spring. John Burns entered the land upon which Rich Fountain now stands in the early 1830's.

CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART- Father Helias organized the Church of the Sacred Heart at Rich Fountain in 1840. A log church was completed in 1841, which was replaced by the present large limestone structure on the hill in 1879.

WHITE STONE INN, a restored 1892 general store, is built from large hand-hewn blocks of Missouri limestone.

Freeburg, 1855

Freeburg was settled by area German immigrants in 1855, as part of the "Westphalia Colony" movement founded in 1835. In 1900 the Chicago, St. Louis and Colorado Railroad (Rock Island Railroad) surveyed a line thru the area. The actual commercial town was established in 1902. The Rock Island Railroad was dissolved in 1980. However, the railroad tunnel under the community of Freeburg still holds the fascination of visitors. To the east, the Gasconade River, and to the west, the Maries River are recreational and fishing outlets.

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, a Romanesque, red brick, twin spired church, was completed in 1921. Since the 1930's WPA federal writers program, this landmark has been dubbed, "The Cathedral of the Ozarks."

Chamois, 1850

Chamois is located on the Missouri river, nine miles west of the eastern boundary of the county. The Missouri River, forming the corporate limits on the north, adds beauty and a picturesque quality to the city. Early settlers entered the land that is now the site of Chamois in 1818. At that time the Missouri River channel was much farther north.

TOWNLEY HOUSE MUSEUM, a house built in 1856 by Charles Phelps, is probably the oldest building in Chamois. It is located at the corner of Third and Main Streets.

Linn, 1843

Linn was established as the County Seat in 1843 and originally populated by non-Germans. Linn was incorporated as a village on October 3, 1899, remained so until October 11, 1911. Called the "Mile Long City", Linn is laid out in the tradition of the "String Cities" of Germany. A pattern familiar to early towns in Osage County.

ST. GEORGE CHURCH was organized in 1867. The first church building was erected in 1874.

THE FIRST METHODIST MEETING HOUSE was erected in 1874.

OSAGE COUNTY COURT HOUSE, located on Main Street, is built on the original foundation. The first court house burned down.

ZEWICKI HOUSE MUSEUM, a nine-room house, was built in 1892 and is home of the Osage County Historical Society. The museum is located at the corner of Fourth and Main Streets.

LINN STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE, established in 1968, gained state technical college designation in 1995. Enrolling over 900 students, college administrators focus on advanced technology needs of business and industry. The college is located just east of Linn on Highway 50.

Bonnots Mill, 1852

Bonnots Mill originally known as Dauphine, is near the site of old French Village, the first white settlement in Osage county. The town possesses an old European charm with the influence of French and German architecture. It was laid out by Felix Bonnot in 1852. Bonnots Mill is located alongside the Osage River. The confluence of the Osage River into the Missouri River occurs just east of the town.

THE DAUPHINE HOTEL has been welcoming travelers along the Lewis & Clark trail since 1875. The Dauphine is an authentic, yet comfortable, lodging establishment one might have found in any Missouri river community in the 1800s. It is a short distance away from a public boat ramp which provides access to the Osage and Missouri rivers. In the winter, you can take a break and eagle watch, in the fall, enjoy spectacular colors, while in the spring and summer, hike, boat cycle or road tour.

Fredericksburg, 1886

THE FREDERICKSBERG FERRY celebrates 120 years in 2006. The town opened it's first post office in 1855. It became a stop on a major Post Road to Linn by the 1870s. Three major Post Roads came together at the Gasconade River linking Hermann, Morrison and three communities that have now disappeared, all served by the Fredericksburg Ferry around the turn of the century.