Missouri Germans Consortium

In this issue

• The Emmaus Home
• The German Heritage Corridor
• Sister Cities International
• After the Paris Agreement – What Will Determine National Climate Change Policies? 
• German American Day 2016
• Upcoming Events

The Emmaus Home

On Friday, August 5, 2016 our our friends at Missouri Preservation announced their list of  Places in Peril! And number one was a site that is near and dear to many of  our Missouri German hearts… The Emmaus Home Complex in Marthasville began as a seminary for the German Evangelical Church in Missouri.  A campus of five buildings was completed here by 1859. Four of these remain in various states of repair, those being the Farm House, Bake Oven, Friedensbote (Messenger of Peace) Publishing House, and the Dormitory. The College Building itself was lost to a fire in 1930. The seminary was in operation at this site until 1883, when it moved to St. Louis and eventually became Eden Seminary. In 1893 the campus in Marthasville became known the Emmaus Asylum for Epileptics and Feeble Minded. The campus grew to a total of eight substantial buildings including a chapel, by 1928. An additional building, known as the Retreat House had also been constructed by 1954. In more recent years the religious denomination became the United Church of Christ and the two campuses the church body owned – this one in Warren County for men, and the other in St. Charles County for women – became known simply as the Emmaus Homes. This is an important historic site, having been constructed by some of the tens of thousands of Germans who emigrated here beginning in the 1830s. In the area the first Evangelical church west of the Mississippi was constructed, and this marked the beginning of the Synod of the west, known as Der Deutsche EvangelischKirchenverein des Westens. The buildings in the complex are unique in that they are of sturdy limestone construction in varying German styles by German immigrants. They are representative of the tenacity of some of Missouri’s earliest Germans, and are unique in that most are original with very few modifications over the years.   To read more of this story….  Watch for upcoming post on the history of the Emmaus Homes on Missouri Germans in September.

The German Heritage Corridor

On August 10, 2016, the Missouri Humanities Council celebrated its recent accomplishment of Missouri’s German Heritage Corridor.  This project by Humanities Council seeks to preserve the cultural heritage through Oral History collection, the tangible sites through the German Heritage Corridor, and the narrative that makes Missouri so German through many various projects in the planning stages at this point. Invited were friends and organizations who have assisted on the project thus far.  If you wish to know more about the German Heritage Corridor contact Steve Belko, Executive Director or visit their website MOHumanities.org … and learn more. Watch for our post on the latest news on the German Heritage Corridor in September.

Sister Cities International

Sister Cities International does so much to assist various American communities partner with various cities throughout Germany. Recently the St. Charles Ludwigsburg Sister Cities helped host the Ludwigsburg Philharmonic Choir. They, the City of St. Charles and 2 area churches, Hope Lutheran Church, and First United Methodist Church spent 10 wonderful days sharing music and singing and performed several concerts that were enjoyed by hundreds of people. The friendship between the two cities was strengthened and several members of the communities joined the Sister City chapter. The St. Charles Ludwigsburg Sister City is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year. Members of the St. Charles community, including their Mayor Sally Faith, are visiting Ludwigsburg, and several families will be hosting young high schoolers from Germany with their youth exchange.

Another Sister City – St. Louis – Stuttgart  – which is over 50 years old, recently introduced two visitors from Schorndorf, Germany, searching for information on their great-grandfather to Executive Director Dorris Keeven-Franke.  Missouri Germans Consortium was assisted by the St. Louis Genealogical Society  and not only helped Katherina find her great grandfathers grave, but we were able to put her in touch with relatives in America she wasn’t aware of. Watch for this story in September about finding your relatives! and to learn more of Katherina’s journey of discovery.

Upcoming Events

There were so many great events coming up this month and next that we simply cannot fit them all in the newsletter anymore.  Two events in September and October we wanted to make sure you were aware of though….  For more see UPCOMING EVENTS on MO-GERMANS.COM

From the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) Berlin

The St. Louis Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany  and theWeidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy at Washington University-St. Louis cordially invite you to a Discussion and Breakfast as part of the Weidenbaum Center Public Policy Breakfast Meeting Series with Dr. Susanne Dröge,  Senior Fellow in the Global Issues Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) Berlin on

“After the Paris Agreement – What Will Determine National Climate Change Policies?” Tuesday, September 20, 2016  7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Room 170 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Meeting, Room L006  Washington University in St. Louis,  Seigle Hall, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130 There is no charge for this event; registration is required. To register call 314-935-5689 or email glolucy@wustl.edu.

Dr. Susanne Dröge is a Senior Fellow in the Global Issues Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) Berlin. She specializes in energy, climate, and international economics and has extensive work experience with trade and the environment. She was Head of the Global Issues Division at SWP from 2009 to 2015, and she advises the German Parliament, the German government, and international organizations on climate and energy policy issues. Her current research focuses on the climate policies of the EU and other countries, the UNFCCC climate negotiations, energy-intensive industries, carbon leakage, and trade policy implications of national climate policy measures. Dr. Dröge has published various books, articles, and policy papers, and teaches university classes in environmental and resource economics. She studied economics at the Free University Berlin, Warwick University, UK, and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

GERMAN AMERICAN DAY 2016

Germans Americans have been celebrating German Heritage in America since they arrived!  Germans love their festivals and are ready to party for just about any occasion! Ever since the Tri-Centennial in 1983 that celebrated the arrival of Germans in American and the founding of Germantown, the German Committee of St Louis has been dedicated to preserving this anniversary. This years German American Day 2016 promises to be the best German American day St. Louis has ever seen! The St. Louis German Cultural Society’s German Cultural Hall at 3652 Jefferson Avenue will be filled with all the music and dancing a German could want. Visit our Bier Garten and enjoy Kraftig Beer and pretzels, or step over to the kitchen and treat yourself to some Kaffee und Kuchen.  In the Cultural Hall you can learn more about the German Heritage Corridor, meet all of the German Societies of the German American Committee or get help with finding your German ancestors!  All in one day in one place! You won’t want to miss this and is definitely worth the travel time. Mark your calendars now for Saturday October 1, 2016 and join us Noon til 5pm and don’t forget your Dirndls or Lederhosen!  For more information see the website of the German American Committee at GermanAmericanCommittee.org and we will see you there!

Have you been sharing your Missouri German newsletter Die Zeitung with your friends every month? Tell them to get their own!  Have them visit Mo-Germans.com and click on the subscribe button and they won’t miss a thing.  Enjoy all of our stories on the history and culture that makes Missouri so German!

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