Hermann in Gasconade County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Terminus of the Iron Road
1829 1858
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 1, 2024
1. Terminus of the Iron Road Marker
Erected 1986 by Hermann Lions Club.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1829.
Location. 38° 42.459′ N, 91° 26.112′ W. Marker is in Hermann, Missouri, in Gasconade County. It is at the intersection of Schiller Street and Wharf Street, on the left when traveling north on Schiller Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 Wharf St, Hermann MO 65041, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Missouri River Corridor. It is also in the American Ozarks, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Iron Landing (here, next to this marker); The Concert Hall and Barrel Bar (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gasconade County Courthouse (about 400 feet away); Gustav Wohlt House (about 400 feet away); The Maria Waechter House (about 500 feet away); 232 Wharf St. (about 600 feet away); 114 Schiller Street (about 700 feet away); Schlender Building (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hermann.
Regarding Terminus of the Iron Road. Excerpt from a 1985 historic survey of Hermann conducted by David Denman of the Missouri Heritage
this page online
The first personal fortune accumulated in Hermann was made by a shipping and commission merchant, Charles D. Eitzen, who was responsible for the large volume of pig iron bars arriving at the wharf in Hermann from the Maramec Iron Works in Phelphs county well to the south. Frustrated by poor access to markets the owners of the iron works eventually came to depend on the Iron Road as it was called which they blazed in the late l840s leading to Hermann. Eitzen was responsible for sending the iron on boats to markets up the Ohio and later to the developing industries in St. Louis. Returning wagons would carry off-loaded merchandise to the people at the iron works which in the 1850s employed some 700 skilled artisans a considerable population for rural Missouri. Hermann enjoyed an additional advantage as shipping point for the large rafts of pine timber cut in the pineries of the upper Gasconade River and seasonally floated downstream or carried overland. At times as much as 200,000 feet of pine lumber would be piled near the wharf.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, July 1, 2024
2. Terminus of the Iron Road Marker
History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade, via Google Books (Public Domain), 1888
3. Charles Dietrich Eitzen (1819-1895 or 1896)
Born in Bremen, Germany, he arrived in Hermann in 1838. There he became a prosperous merchant, as well as iron and lumber shipper. He also served as town mayor, school board member and state representative, and his will bequeathed enough money to build and furnish a new county courthouse. A monument with a bust of him is in the city park.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 260 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
