John Kliever didn't stay long in the town named after him

KLIEVER, Mo. - Sometime in the late 1880s a man named John Kliever operated a small woodwork shop in a small, but thriving community north of California, Mo.

The community was given Kliever's name when he opened a post office in his home. The name stayed even after the post office was closed a few years later.

The old store in Kliever, Mo., was once an important part of the community. (Ra'Vae Edwards/News Tribune photo)

Kliever didn't stick around the town long. Sometime after rural free mail delivery was implemented, Kliever left his partner Pete Stefleman behind. Stefleman operated a blacksmith shop that was attached to Kliever's woodwork shop.

In the early 1890s, a general store was built and operated by Anderson Hodge and his son-in-law John Lumpkin. The two men operated the store for about three years before selling it to W.R. Hodge.

The small store was owned by several people and remained open until sometime during the 1970s.

Georgia Lee Hohenfeldt, 75, still lives in Kliever. In fact, she lives in the house where she grew up. Her father, John Howe, built the house for his family more than 70 years ago.

The home she lives in was an important place during elections when she was a child.

“It used to be, when I was a kid, when they voted when an election came along. They voted here on the front porch,” she said. “They put out the stuff and they would put their ballots through the windows. They didn't even come inside. They sure took their voting serious.”

She and her husband, Harold, who have been married almost 55 years, moved back to Kliever when they retired in 1983 and have enjoyed the small community since. Having spent about 20 years in the Springfield area, she was glad to move back home.

“I've lived here more than I've lived anyplace else,” she said. “Kliever never really did change that much. It just never really grew.”

Growing up in the tiny town, Hohenfeldt said there were a lot more children in the neighborhood.

“When I was growing up and even when we would come home to visit when we were living in Springfield, there would always be a lot of children out playing. They would all gather and play ball in an open field up the road, across from the store,” she said. “That's not the case anymore.”

Other than the lack of businesses and the low number in population, Hohenfeldt said Kliever is pretty much the same as it was 75 years ago.

“The people are all friendly here, that's for sure,” she said. “If someone needs help or gets hurt, there is always someone there to help out right away. That's one of the best things about living here.”

Although the neighbors don't gather nightly or spend countless hours sitting on the front porch chatting, Hohenfeldt considers her hometown to be a close-knit community.

“We don't visit like we used to when I was growing up. We would sit out on the porches and visit with each other. You just don't do that anymore, everyone just has too much to do,” she said. “But, as far as our next door neighbors, we are all close. I think Kliever will always be a close-knit community full of good people.”

Admitting there are a few neighbors she doesn't know all that well, Hohenfeldt said she truly believes that in a state of emergency or dire straits, they would all pull together.

“Even though we don't all know each other, I think everyone knows everyone well enough to know if they need help,” she said. “That's an important part about living in a small town. Nobody is pushy or nosey, just concerned.”

Facts about Kliever

* At one time, a retired doctor named Bert Gray was a member of the Kliever community. He was famous in the area for his “Pneumonia Tea” which was said to have the ability to knock out influenza, colds and pneumonia.

* A humorous part of Kliever's history might very well be the Buffalo Lodge. Started in the 1890s, there were never any meetings but members were given little buttons to verify their membership. It cost 13-cents to join. One man paid $5 to join and since the motto was “A Buffalo never gives back any change, and a good Buffalo never asks for any change,” the man was shorted $4.87.

Georgia Lee Hohenfeldt, 75, has a scrapbook her mother put together more than 30 years ago. Hohenfeldt's son Ralph wrote several articles about the history of Kliever in 1970 while a junior in high school. Several of the articles are in the scrapbook. (Ra'Vae Edwards/News Tribune photo)