A journey across the globe: Preserving a Jewish story written into the bricks of St. Joseph

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- In the heart of Downtown Saint Joseph, a weathered building on Felix Street still bears the ghost sign with the name “Newburger,” quietly honoring a once-thriving Jewish business and community from the late 1800s.

For Bud Collins, a retired U.S. federal agent and descendant of Jewish immigrant Bernhard Newburger, that building isn’t just part of city history; it’s part of his family’s story.

Recently, members of the Collins family made a special trip to St. Joseph to pay tribute to their roots. Most of the group traveled from Colorado, where the family is now primarily based, while others came from as far away as South Africa, where one of Collin’s sons joined the Foreign Service.

The journey was a testament to the enduring importance of their shared heritage.

“This was important enough to bring everyone together,” descendant Bud Collins said. “We were only missing one family member. This is for the grandchildren, so they won’t forget where they came from.”

The family gathered on the roof of Felix Street Gourmet on Thursday afternoon, courtesy of the owners, to get an up-close and personal view outside.

The former site of Berhnard Newburger’s women’s hat shop operated from roughly 1889 to 1915.

The building, located along Felix Street, had stood for 150 years and was once part of a lively Jewish business district.

At the time, St. Joseph was a prominent riverboat town, and Newburger’s shop was just one of many Jewish-owned businesses, which helped drive the local economy.

“My great-grandfather made women’s hats,” Collins said. “He probably made them by hand, and the business was quite successful. This whole area was the Jewish business center of the time.”

Despite the era's challenges, Collins noted that the Jewish community in St. Joseph appeared to be well-accepted.

“From what we can gather, there was little or no anti-Semitism, so they were welcomed into the community and were a part of the community," said Collins.

Collins also shared a remarkable piece of family lore: In 1912, his grandmother, pregnant with his father, was scheduled to return from Europe on the Titanic. She postponed the trip due to illness, an extraordinary twist of fate that saved their family's future.

Now, the last Jewish member of his family, Collins said, preserving this history is more important than ever.

“When I’m gone, the Jewish line dies with me,” he reflected. “This is important to our family history. And when I first saw it... I'm just like something that's here, that's that old, that has a family member's name on it. It's really significant for my family."

Collins lamented why the building is important to the family.

"That’s why this building, and this visit, matter. It’s our past. And remembering it is a message to future generations, not just about family, but about resilience and acceptance," said Collins.

For Collins, a life of public service runs deep. A veteran of the Foreign Service and law enforcement, he notes that many members of the family have served, whether in the military, diplomatic corps or as a FedEx pilot.

This trip wasn’t about service to the country; it was about the service to memory.

In a time of increasing division, Collins hopes the story of St. Joseph’s once-vibrant Jewish community can serve as a reminder of what inclusive communities can look like.

“This place embraced our family 150 years ago,” he said. “I hope that spirit is something we can return to, not just here, but everywhere.”

"Even if it's a building like this, remembering is important. At the time, in St. Joseph, the Jewish community was well accepted and prominent," said Collins, "I wish in a large sense we could go back to that rather than have this polarization that we're seeing now."

Thanks to the Collins family’s efforts, and their journey from Colorado, California, South Africa and beyond, the legacy of Berhnard Newburger, and the Jewish history of St. Joseph, will not be forgotten.

It’s a powerful reminder of why preserving and remembering our history- and the stories that shape it- is important.