Historian Donates to Hazelwood's Knobbe House

The Knobbe House in Hazelwood's Brookes Park was recently gifted a historic set of photos. 

Stan Busken of Liberty, Mo., donated three large photos. Busken is the great-grandson of Joseph S. Knobbe, Sr., who once owned the Knobbe House.

The photos date back to 1872 and are mounted in antique frames, according to the City of Hazelwood. Busken said one of the photos is an image of family members he’s been looking for ever since he started doing historical research in 2009.  

It is the wedding photo of Joseph S. Knobbe, Sr., with his first wife, Anna Maria (Henke) Knobbe, taken in 1879.  He said photos of Anna Maria are rare since she died of tuberculosis when she was 41.

In 1877, at the age of 19, Busken said Knobbe, Sr., immigrated to America from Wettrup, Germany. He said when his great-grandfather arrived in the St. Louis area to live with relatives, he only has $25.

He was able to acquire 300 acres for farming in Hazelwood where Village Square Shopping Center and Hazelwood West High School now sit. Busken said Knobbe, Sr., became a potato farmer and stockholder of the Citizen’s Bank of Florissant.

One of the other donated photos shows Joseph S. Knobbe, Sr., at the age of 15. The third donated photo shows Joseph S. Knobbe, Sr., posing with his three other brothers: Clement, August and Benedict. 

The photos will be added to the collection of photos of the Knobbe children Busken previously donated.