After devastating flooding in 1993, the people of Rhineland decided to move their small riverside town uphill. Besides flooding, Rhineland has faced other problems like an aging population. With every obstacle the sense of community lives on through the town tavern and hopes to expand the town ball field.
The sun rises over the river bottom Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The land beyond the granary is where the town of Rhineland used to be located before the houses moved up the hill to avoid flooding.
Fog drifts over the river bottom Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The Missouri River flows just beyond the trees in the distance and this land becomes submerged in water during flooding.
The sun sets over the Missouri River Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Hermann, Missouri. Hermann is about six miles east of Rhineland and is where many people work and grocery shop.
Houses owned by three generations of the Wehrle family sit in a row Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The home on the left belongs to Steve and Janet Wehrle. The home in the middle belongs to Janet’s mother, Margaret Bahr. The home on the right belongs to Steve and Janet’s son Scott Wehlre, his wife Amanda Wehrle, and their two children Machaela, 15, and Tate, 10. All three homes were relocated to these lots when the town moved uphill in 1993.
Steve Wehrle poses for a portrait Monday, November 11, 2019 in Rhineland Missouri. Wehrle moved to Rhineland in the 1970s and has worn many hats in town. He owned the town tavern for twenty years and now is a chairman of the board for the town.
A photo of Steve and Janet Wehrle in their flooded home during the 1993 flood sits in an album Sunday, December 8, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The caption was written by Janet and reads “Going inside our house, water already has started to fall - about 6 inches.”
Steve Wehrle peruses a book Monday, November 11, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. When the town moved uphill in 1993, Steve would work day and night throughout the moving process. He’d spend all day in the tavern he owned at the time and then would come home at night to make improvements on his relocated home.
From left, Kim and Ronnie Stiers pose for a portrait on the plot of land where their home used to be located before the town relocated uphill Friday, December 6, 2019 in Rhineland, Missouri. The Stiers moved their home in three stages.
