Bernadine Klebba and Janet Koetting visited while sitting at a table in a room that was built as an addition to the Osage Bend General Store decades ago, representing separate generations of families who once ran the business.
Culling through photographs and a local church and community history book, they described the lengthy history of the store and the role it fulfilled in Osage Bend.
Koetting said the property on which the former store now sits was first patented in 1850. However, she said the true history of this mercantile begins with a Swiss native who immigrated to Osage Bend and became a citizen in 1892.
“Joseph Hofer (Jr.) bought 280 acres of land in 1897 on Section 9, some of which is now the center of Osage Bend,” noted the “Cole County Cooking and Culture” booklet printed in 1976. “In 1907, Louis Bode purchased land from Hofer and built the general store,” the booklet clarified.
Louis Bode married Agnes Adrian on Oct. 29, 1907, and two of their four children were born while living on the second floor of the store. It was also in 1907 that another important anchor in the community was erected across the street from the general store on land donated by Joseph Hofer — St. Margaret’s Catholic Parish. Fifty years later, the first church structure was demolished, and the current one erected.
Similar to many mercantile businesses of that era, Bode operated the local post office for approximately 12 years out of his store. The original Hofer home, first store building, church and one-room school next to the store were covered in tin, thus earning the community the unofficial title of “Tintown.”
“In 1920, Henry and Mary (Bisges) purchased the Osage Bend Country Store from Louis Bode,” explained the centennial booklet printed in 2007 by the congregation of St. Margaret of Antioch Catholic Church. “Living quarters were added onto the side of the store at that time.”
Henry and his wife raised seven children, most of whom worked in the store during their youth. Sadly, Henry was only 48 years old when he died from pneumonia in 1930 and his wife received help operating the store for the next few years from her brother and brother-in-law.
“My father, Leo Bisges, who was Henry’s son, married my mother, Regina Bode, in 1936,” Bernadine Klebba said. “They then moved into the store and began running it.”
With a smile, she added, “I was actually born in the store in 1942.”
Klebba retains many fond memories of growing up in the store and assisting her parents throughout the years. One of these includes the bookmobile from the county library stopping there on a rotational basis, in addition to a book lending library also being maintained in the store.
“After Sunday morning mass, since the church was just across the street, parishioners would come in and buy their livestock feed and some of their groceries,” Klebba said. “A lot of people would run tabs and pay it off at the end of every month.”
She added, “I also remember the handwritten ledgers being kept for these tabs.”
Since there was not a high school in the district, the school bus stopped in front of the store to transfer students to and from Fatima in Westphalia. The students often came into the store to purchase sodas and candies. Also, since there was no restaurant in Osage Bend, those working in the area came to the store to have Klebba’s mother prepare sandwiches.
Leo Bisges died in 1967 and his widow, Regina, sold the store to Alfred and Janet Koetting. The store officially changed hands on Jan. 1, 1968.
“I’d worked for the state until our second son was born and wanted to stay home and raise our kids while my husband continued other full-time employment,” Janet Koetting said. “It was an opportunity that just came up, and I ran the store. For many years, we were open from around six in the morning to nine at night.”
Gasoline pumps had been installed in front of the store, but the Koettings moved them to the side, adding a bell to signal them when a motorist pulled up for fuel. Although they did not deal much in dry goods, the Koetting Store sold a variety of items, including livestock feed, lunch meats, cheeses, sodas, groceries and tobacco products.
Koetting said, “We did extensive remodeling and took the back porch and converted it into a dining room, bathroom and a laundry/furnace room. We changed the pink ceilings and removed all the horsehair plaster, which made quite a mess when it came down.”
The Koetting Store remained open until 1989, at which time the decision was made to close since most area residents did the bulk of their shopping in nearby Jefferson City. The building continues to serve as a home for Alfred and Janet Koetting and contains items linking it to its storied past, like an old candy case, vinegar barrel and scale.
“I don’t know if there was ever a large amount of profit in this general store, but it certainly helped support many families throughout the years,” Koetting said.
Bernadine Klebba added, “That store was all that I knew for many years of my life. We may have been sitting in the kitchen eating dinner as a family, but if a customer showed up, you went next door and helped them. The customer was always first, my father taught us.”
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of “Hidden History of Cole County.”
Courtesy/Bernadine Klebba
Louis Bode built the general store around 1907. He is pictured in his wedding photo with his wife, Agnes Adrian.