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Jacob S. Bowers, one of
central Missouri's well known and most
prosperous business men,
who established a department store in Moberly
nearly 40 years ago, being
the senior member of Bowers & Reis, was
born in Philadelphia, Pa.,
in 1850 and died at Moberly in 1917, He was
reared and educated in the
East and after his school days were over
engaged in merchandising,
knowing that there were many good openings
in the newer country to the
XVest, Mr. Bowers determined to locate there.
In partnership with Ira S.
Reis, a company was formed which opened
the "Trade Palace" of
Moberly in 1883 at the location still occupied by
the Bower's department
store. The store has a large frontage carrying
the street numbers of 210-
214 Reed street, one of the finest locations in
the city, From the first the
new concern met with a cordial response
from the residents of
Moberly and the surrounding territory; business
grew, more lines were
added and the Trade Palace became the center of
the retail trade for dry
goods, men and womens furnishings and childrens
supplies of all kinds. Later
carpets and drapery departments were added
to accommodate the
growing trade until today the Palace is one of the
largest and most up-to-
date department houses in the middle west. Open-
ing with a stock valued at
$30,000 the business grew in such proportions
that today it is rated at
more than $100,000.
In 1895 Jacob Bowers
purchased the Reis interest in the concern and
since that time the
business has been conducted under the firm name of
J. S. Bowers & Son. On
the death of the senior member of the firm,
the junior member, William
S. Bowers, succeeded his father as owner-
manager of the house and
continued the same successful policies inaugur-
ated by his father. The
widow of Jacob Bowers now resides at Long
Beach, Calif. From first
coming to Moberly, Jacob Bowers began to take
an active part in the civic
and communal life of the town. He was a man
of progressive ideas in his
business and believed that these same prin-
ciples should be applied to
the city administration, and did much toward
the development of the
city of Moberly. For 20 years he served as a
member of the school
board, being president and treasurer of the board
and was an incumbent of
these positions at the time of his death. He
was an active, public
spirited man, who lived up to the high standard he
set for an American
citizen, was well known among the educators of the
state as a man who
promoted all educational movements and had raised
the standards of the
Moberly schools. During his life he won for him-
self the highest possible
esteem from all who knew him, friends and
business associates alike.
With his passing, Mr. Bowers left to his son
the example of an
honorable and useful life; to his family the memory
of his loving care as a
husband and father. His remains are buried in
Philadelphia Pa
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