By Cindy Gladden Record Staff Writer Since 1896, Peers Store shined as an important railroad stop, a shipping center on the Missouri River and a general store for the locals. The store has endured …
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Former Peers store has new life
Posted
Local gem to open as art gallery
By Cindy GladdenRecord Staff WriterSince 1896, Peers Store shined as an important railroad stop, a shipping center on the Missouri River and a general store for the locals. The store has endured much — the loss of the railroad, the movement of the Missouri River, and finally, the closing in 2012.Lately, the farming community who often stopped in for a breakfast sandwich, coffee or a forgotten grocery item, noticed painters and carpenters renovating the interior of the building.“I thought it deserved another chance,” said new owner Dan Burkhardt. “There is so little of this cultural history left.”On Thursday, June 25, Peers Store will celebrate its grand opening from noon to 6 p.m. The open house will coincide with the 15th annual Katy Trail Ride, with more than 300 riders making the 232-mile ride from Clinton to St. Charles.The store will make its debut as a gallery, featuring top artists who have spent a lifetime painting and photographing the beauty of the Missouri River area. The artists include painters Bryan Haynes, Gary Lucy, Billyo O’Donnell, Julie Wiegand and photographer William (Bill) Fields.Following the open house, the gallery will continue to be open every Saturday and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. until November.Dan and Connie Burkhardt, who are passionate about the Missouri River Valley and the land along the Katy Trail, bought the former Peers Store in 2014.The Burkhardts are the founders of the Katy Land Trust, an organization dedicated to preserving the rural landscape. The trust allows landowners to designate a portion of their land as permanent forest, agricultural or recreational usage.Connie said she and her husband have been “dragging” their friends from St. Louis out to their farm in rural Marthasville for many years, educating them about the beauty of the area.“If someone is just traveling on I-70, they don’t see the beauty,” she said. “Dan grew up on a farm and we’ve owned three farms. We want friends to understand, but it needs to be bigger than our farm.”During the open house, the Missouri Humanities Council will be on hand, hoping to talk to as many local people as possible.“We want everybody who ever traded here or did business here to come in and tell their stories,” said Dan Burkhardt. “Bring artifacts or newspaper clippings about the store. We will have a scanner here to make copies.”As people from outside the area visit Peers Store, Burkhardt hopes to educate them on the cultural significance of the area.“This is a place where everyone can connect,” he said. “It is historically and culturally significant.”Burkhardt speaks highly of the men who built the store and the past owners. During renovation, only the floor needed replacement and the walls painted.He retells stories he has heard about the Glosemeyer family, the store’s previous owners, and the store’s neighbors as if he knew them personally. He is interested in the area’s German heritage and is anxious to hear more from the families living in the area.“We feel very lucky to spend time out here,” he said. “We have a great respect for the whole area. We hope this helps repay all the fun we’ve had out here.”It’s been a family adventure for the Burkhardts. All four of their grown children and five grandchildren have helped “fix the store.”Burkhardt said the opening of the store will be good for the Katy Trail, whose bicyclists come from all over the world.“It will be another experience on the trail,” said Connie Burkhardt. “It is the best way to connect people to the countryside.”THE GALLERYBryan Hayneswww.artbybryanhaynes.comConnie Burkhardt first met Bryan Haynes when she saw his work and knew she needed him to paint a landscape of their farm. That began a friendship between the Burkhardts and Haynes that led them to the artists to be featured at the Peers Store Gallery.Haynes’ art is many faceted. His historical, landscape and wine art most resonate with the new gallery at Peers Store. Haynes also specializes in illustration, portraits and murals.The vibrant colors and undulating hillsides he paints reflect the river bottom farmland typical in southern Warren County. His art also brings us a glimpse of times when Native Americans and pioneers inhabited this land.Haynes’ art can be seen on an Agatha Christie book cover or on products from such companies as Disney, Nike, Sony Music and Anheuser Busch. Galleries who highlight his work include The Kodner Gallery, St. Louis; Touch of Class Gallery, Wildwood; Augusta Wood Ltd., Augusta and the American Legacy Gallery in Kansas City.William Fieldswww.william-fields.artistwebsites.comBill Fields, of Hermann, uses his camera and his vast knowledge of photography to communicate his “love of life” to those who view his work.His resume lists a wide variety of accomplishments, including work with Steven Spielberg’s “Seaquest,” Greenpeace, the Arthritis Foundation and Herman Hill Vineyard.He has spent a good deal of time photographing the Southwest. Much of his work is displayed in a number of California galleries.“Art is my passion,” said Fields in his bio. “I try to put everything I have learned from every great teacher I have known and through every mistake I have made into every piece with as much passion as I have for art and for life itself.”Fields said he has a great deal in common with the Burkhardts especially in the realm of conservation and preservation.Julie Wiegandwww.juliewiegand.comOriginally from Chesterfield, Wiegand now makes Berger her home. She considers herself an oil painter and muralist, and grew up among a family of artists and musicians.She has been heavily involved in several Plein Art events, recently winning the Cream of the Crop award at the Augusta Plein Art event.“I have been attracted to the river bottoms forever,” she said.She works on her art in an 1868 limestone schoolhouse she calls Lyon School Studio. Wiegand will hold an open house highlighting her paintings June 20-21.Wiegand currently has 12 paintings on display at the Chesterfield City Hall building on Chesterfield Parkway West. Locally, you can see her work at Astral Glass in New Haven and Augusta Wood in Augusta.Billyo O’Donnellwww.billyoart.comRaised in Warren County near Pendleton, O’Donnell sees Missouri as a very special place.“When I was a kid, I worked for a lot of wonderful farmers and learned a lot about discipline and hard work,” he said. “They were good, honest, hardworking people. That is their heritage.”O’Donnell said the Peers community will have a connection with the gallery.“They’ll relate to it,” he said. “This work is very reflective of the area.”His resume is chock full of his adventures as an artist. He describes his childhood as a “Huck Finn” journey and has continued that as an artist.O’Donnell is considered by many to be one of America’s leading landscape painters. One highlight of his career is the completion of 115 paintings of Missouri, which are included in the book “Painting Missouri,” written by Karen Glines.Gary Lucywww.garylucy.comWith roots in the Missouri bootheel, Gary Lucy never envisioned himself as an expert in wildlife or the Missouri River. He certainly did not foresee his successful career as “An American Artist.” He initially chose a career path in marketing and advertising.Lucy’s first job was as an art teacher in the Washington School District. As he developed his own artistic style, Lucy won many competitions, including the Federal Duck Stamp Competition, the National Wild Turley Federation and the Missouri Duck Stamp Competition.Lucy is well known for his paintings depicting the journey of Lewis and Clark. Recently he was commissioned to paint “Washington, Missouri Landing,” which portrays the first German families arriving in 1833.The Gary Lucy Studio is located on the riverfront in Washington. He is often seen working from his riverboat, the “River Rover.”
This rendering of Peers Store is a photograph by Bill Fields of Hermann. Fields will be the host at the Peers Stores Gallery each weekend through November.
