County of city: Franklin County
Location of city: Northern border, central in county; crossroads of MO-47 & MO-100, on the banks of the Missouri River
County is Mid-Central, eastern portion of the state
Founded: May 29, 1839
Sister City: Marbach am Neckar, Germany
Elevation: 551 ft (168 m)
Population: Population: 14,061 (2016)
Current View of The City of Washington
"Some of the earliest settlers in the Washington area were literally followers of Daniel Boone, who blazed a trail from the hills of Kentucky to the wilderness of east-central Missouri.
"A natural river landing, at what was to become the Washington site, made this an ideal place to begin a settlement. In the first three decades of the 19th century, the small community grew upon the gently sloping hillside on the south bank of the Missouri River.
"William G. Owens and his wife Lucinda came from Kentucky and settled in the area in 1818. They eventully purchased several hundred acres, 50 acres of which would become known as "downtown" Washington. William Owens began selling town lots in 1832, however in 1834, he was murdered, and legal entanglements in his estate blocked the new town's establishment. His widow Lucinda, would eventually receive clear title to the town's core. May 29, 1839, she filed a plat at the county courthouse thus establishing the city of Washington.
"The German populace for which Washington is known began with the arrival of twelve Catholic families in the fall of 1833. This group and other later German immigrants were sometimes called "followers of Gottfried Duden," who for two years lived at nearby Dutow and wrote glowing reviews of the area for readers in his homeland. The lush, green, rolling hills and the river valley reminded Duden of the area in Germany from which he came.
"Ferryboats served the community from the early 1800's until the bridge was completed in 1936.
"In 1854, John B. Busch, and older brother of the famous Adolphus Busch, established a brewery in Washington, bottling the first Busch Beer.
"The Pacific Railroad laid lines from St. Louis as far as Washington by 1855.
"An Austrian immigrant, Franz Schwarzer, began the manufacture of his world-famous zithers in 1866.
"Henry Tibbe and his son Anton began making corn-cob pipes in 1869; that business would help put Washington, Mo., on the map as the "Corncob Pipe Capital of the World." The company he started, Missouri Meerschaum, is the only remaining United States corn cob pipe factory. It remains in Washington.
"Many of Washington's historic structures remain today, proudly standing as reminders of times past and evidence of the pride and determination of our forefathers.
"For more information on Washington history, check out these links: Washington Historical Timeline and Walking Tour Map." ~ Washington Historical Society
History relayed on marker on the riverfront:
Sponsor: State of Missouri Historical Society and State Highway Commission.
Location: Rennick Park, Front St. & Lafayette St., Washington.
Marker Text:
FRANKLIN COUNTY
WashingtonCharacterized by old world charm of its German heritage, Washington was founded by William G. Owens who bought acreage here 1828, at the Missouri River ferry called Washington Landing, Lucinda Young Owens, his widow, filed the town plat, 1839. A rival town, Bassora, was laid out in 1836 but was later absorbed by Washington. The Missouri River bridge here dates from 1936.
Here, in 1833, settled 12 German Catholic families attracted to the area by Gottfried Duden's writings on Missouri. Their number increased after the German Revolution of 1848. Pattern of the town was laid in the 1850's when it became a prominent river port. The Pacific (Mo.Pac.) R.R. reached here, 1855. The Washington Turn Verein, a cultural, social, athelic organization, was formed in 1859. Washington's only Civil War incident was when Confederates under Col. J.B. Clark looted the city, Oct.2, 1864.
In the period of prosperity after the war, varied industries were founded and many handsome brick buildings and homes were built. The Catholic Church and Turn Verein Hall (now Elks Lodge) were completed, 1866.1
A town of many industries, Washington achieved world recognition with a zither factory founded, 1866, by Franz Schwartzer,2 and today's corn cob pipe industry begun in 1970's by Henry Tibbe. Tibbe and Ludwig Muench invented a plaster of paris process, patented in 1878, which turned the corn cob pipe into the "Missouri Meerschaum."
Washington lies 10 miles north of Union, seat of the county, organized in 1818. An Ozark border county, Franklin is an area of industries and livestock farming.
A part of the Osage Indian land cession of 1808, Franklin County, including this area, was utilized by Osage, Shawnee, and other tribes. They mined hematite for paint from an extensive mine south of the Bourbeuse River and had a much used trail along the Meramec. Earliest settlers were French and Americans who held Spanish land grants along the Missouri River. It is of interest that John Colter, explorer of Yellowstone, and Robert Frazier, both members of Lewis and Clark Expedition, settled in the county.
[Ed. Note: Updates and corrections since marker erected:
1. Only two of the original walls of the Turn Verein Hall remain, and the site is still used by the Elks
2. The Correct spelling is Franz Schwarzer.]