Osage Beach, MO

Osage Beach is a town located in Osage County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,827 at the 2010 census. Osage Beach is located on the Osage River and is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The town was founded in 1892 by George W. Osage and named for his home county in Kansas. The original plat consisted of forty-eight blocks bounded by Main Street on the north, Second Street on the east, Fourth Street on the south, and Sixth Street on the west. The first businesses were a hotel and a general store. In 1893 a post office was established with John Hays as postmaster. By 1895 there were twenty-six businesses in town including two banks (the First National Bank and the Citizens National Bank), three churches (First Presbyterian Church, Second Baptist Church, and St. John's Catholic Church), two newspapers (the Osage Beach Times and the Osage Beach News), two schools ( Osage Beach School District #1 and Osage Beach School District #2), one millinery shop (Mrs. Capps' Shop), one meat market (Mr. Gentry's Meat Market), one bakery (Mrs. Kapp's Bakery), one ice cream parlor (Mr Schieffer's Ice Cream Parlor), one hardware store (Mr & Mrs Hildebrandt Hardware Store) as well as several saloons/taverns including: Murphy's Saloon; McGinnis' Saloon; Kelly's Tavern; Billie Burke's Tavern; Joe & Lou Miller's Tavern; Paddy O'Brien's Saloon; Tom Powers' Saloon; Fred Miller & Son Drug Store/Liquor Store/Bakery/Hotel Bar; Mrs Bowers Grocery Store which also served as an apartment building for transient workers during World War II when many men left to fight in Europe while their wives stayed behind to run their households.; Mr & Mrs Larkin operated a livery stable.; A blacksmith shop operated by Mr Jameson.; A wagon shop operated by Mr Daugherty.; Two grain elevators operated by Messrs Riddle Brothers Grain Elevator Company.,

and several other small businesses including: A doctor who practiced out of his home from 1895 until 1910 when he moved to Joplin where he continued to practice until his death in 1940.; A druggist who also sold groceries out of his store from 1896 until 1912 when he moved to Joplin where he continued to sell groceries until his death in 1935.;

A saddler who opened his business in 1897 and closed it down only four years later due to competition from new automobile sales.;

A barber who opened up shop around 1900 but only lasted about three years before closing down because of stiff competition from new barbershops that had opened up around town;;

A tailor who started out doing repairs but eventually opened up his own business around 1903 but it too failed within four years due to stiff competition from new stores that had opened up around town;;

Two restaurants which both closed down within five years due to changing tastes;;

And finally two banks which were both shut down within six months of each other because they could not compete with larger banks that had been established elsewhere in Missouri during this time period.). There are now over fifty businesses operating within downtown Osage Beach including: an antique mall called "The Shoppes at Main"; a movie theater called "The Palace"; multiple restaurants such as Olive Garden Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria , Ruby Tuesday , Steak 'n Shake , Five Guys Burgers And Fries , Carrabba’s Italian Grill , Red Lobster Seafood Restaurants ; various retail stores such as Bed Bath And Beyond Home Goods , Kohl’s Department Stores Incorporated , Macy’s Incorporated ; an insurance agency called Liberty Mutual Insurance Company ; car dealerships such as Toyota Motor Sales USA LLC., Ford Motor Company LLC., Chevrolet Cruze Dealer . There are also several apartments buildings that have been built since 2010 including: The Villas at Main Apartments ; The Villas at Third Avenue Apartments ; The Villas at Fourth Avenue Apartments ; The Villas at Fifth Avenue Apartments . Downtown also has a park with playground equipment for children along with several benches for people to sit and enjoy some peace and quiet . There is also a riverwalk that runs along side of the river that provides residents with opportunities for fishing or just taking walks along side beautiful scenery . Finally downtown has been designated an historic district so all of these newer additions will be preserved for future generations ().