Missouri-Germans

01/21/2025

I've been asked to share this upcoming event! Sonatas & Cantatas from Northern Germany
January 26, 2025, 3 pm
Featuring Un tas de cordes: Samuel Breene, Baroque violin; Sarah Biber, treble viol; and Jeffrey Noonan, theorbo
With Samantha Arten, soprano
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 110 North Warson Road, Ladue, MO
$20 suggested donation at the door
For more information, visit

11/05/2024

The Missouri Humanities has announced its 2025-26 Speakers Bureau. To schedule a program about The Boone’s Lick Road please use this link: https://mohumanities.org/schedule-a-speaker/ and book your program by Award-Winning Author and International Speaker Dorris Keeven-Franke. This is the story of Missouri’s birth and those that created it. Listen to the stories of the people and the places, from the Osage to the State Legislators, from the soldiers to the settlers, and even the freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad. The great road led from St. Charles to the Sante Fe Trail and played a huge role in Westward Expansion.

FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT Schedule a Speaker We have 38 speakers participating in our Missouri Speakers Bureau Program. Learn more about how to schedule a speaker for your event! Schedule […]

10/29/2024

On this date in 1856 Gottfried Duden died in Germany. He was responsible for inspiring thousands of Germans to immigrate to the U.S. and especially Missouri with his book A Report on A Journey to North America he published in 1829. His farm today is the Bethel Hills Community in Dutzow Missouri. For more read the Missouri Germans Consortium's

Gottfried Duden’s book, the Report about Missouri was published in Germany in 1829. We do know that in the decade of the 1830s alone, over 120,000 Germans immigrated to the United States, an…

10/29/2024

Missouri Germans Consortium Executive Director Dorris Keeven-Franke helped the German Culture Center at the University of Missouri—St. Louis celebrate its 25th Anniversary. You can enjoy the evenings program and hear How St. Louis Became So German with their YouTube Video

Author and historian Dorris Keeven-Franke visited UMSL Global to discuss St. Louis' German-American heritage. This event was sponsored by UMSL Global's Germa...

10/13/2024

Everything needed to enjoy the holidays in true German fashion

10/13/2024

The new murals include the stories of Missouri’s German immigrants

Read County Executive Steve Ehlmann's blog from the October Connection newsletter: https://sccmo.org/Blog.aspx?IID=286

10/13/2024

Germans really know how to enjoy October!!

10/11/2024

Join us for our own Oktoberfest on Thursday, October 17th, at Spine Bookstore and Cafe, located at 1982 Arsenal St. Doors open at 6 p.m., giving you plenty of time to grab a drink, explore the unique selection of books, and chat with other history enthusiasts. The talk begins at 7 p.m., where we’ll dive into the talks. We ask for a $5 cover to support the venue and keep these enriching talks going.

The Talks

Beginning in the mid-1830s, German immigrants arrived in St. Louis in search of land and opportunity. Many of these immigrants opposed slavery and played a significant role in supporting the Union during the Civil War. Their cultural impact extended to the education system, our neighborhoods, and more. In our upcoming talks, we’ll explore two distinct perspectives on life for Germans in early St. Louis, offering unique insights into their experiences and contributions to the city.

Dorris Keeven-Franke will ask, “Who made St. Louis so German?” One key figure is Gottfried Duden, a German author who visited Missouri from 1824-1827 and then published A Report on a Journey, an instant bestseller in Germany. Although the German government tried to discredit it as fake news, Duden’s book inspired hundreds of thousands of Germans to immigrate to the U.S., with many settling in St. Louis. Duden, who bought a farm in Warren County, Missouri, spent years observing life here, writing about everything from Native American raids to local politics. His work led to the formation of Emigration Societies, and subsequent waves of immigrants followed, with letters home encouraging even more to come.

Nathan Jackson will take us on a journey through German St. Louis by exploring our city’s rich architectural heritage. Focusing on the city's 19th-century structures, this talk will reveal how German immigrants influenced and shaped St. Louis as we know it today. From the social hubs of the Turnverein and Union Beer Hall/Smile building to the iconic Naked Truth Statue, Nathan will highlight key landmarks of German heritage. The talk will also showcase a range of residential buildings, including unique flounder houses, grand mansions, and row houses designed by renowned architect Ernst C. Janssen.

Learn more at https://unseenstlouis.substack.com/p/unseen-stl-history-talks-october

10/11/2024

For more information please contact [email protected]

10/07/2024

Come Join Us!!

10/06/2024

October 6th is National German-American Day. This day commemorates the date in 1683 when 13 German families from Krefeld near the Rhine, landed in Philadelphia. Those families subsequently founded Germantown, Pennsylvania, the first German settlement and organized the 1st petition in the colonies to abolish slavery in 1688. Originally just Deutsch-Amerikanischer Tag or “German Day”, the holiday was celebrated for the first time in Philadelphia in 1883, on the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the settlers from Krefeld; and similar celebrations developed across the country. The custom died out during World War due to the anti-German hysteria that prevailed at the time.
The custom was revived in 1983, when President Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German American Day to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German-American immigration and culture to the United States. On August 6, 1987, Congress approved S.J. Resolution 108, designating October 6, 1987, as German-American Day. It became Public Law 100-104 when President Reagan signed it on August 18. A proclamation ( #5719) to this effect was issued October 2, 1987, by President Reagan in formal ceremonies calling on Americans to observe the Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
German immigrant story is a long one—a story of early beginnings, continual growth and steadily spreading influence.” U.S. Census (2017) reports show that German is the largest ethnic group with approximately 44 Million in America who claim it as their heritage. And among the 53 U.S. metro areas with at least one million people those considered to be among the most German are Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis” according to Cincinnati.com who ranks fourth. Three of these: St. Louis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati are considered the German triangle of America where you will find the highest concentration. In Missouri alone 1,376,052 reported their ethnic background to be German. In St. Louis, the German American Committee of St. Louis, was officially founded IN 1983, working to preserve, educate and promote the German-American heritage of St. Louis. The St. Charles County German Heritage Club and the St. Charles - St. Charles-Ludwigsburg Sister Cities' are both members of the German American Committee.
If you would like to read more about the Germans who immigrated to the St. Charles area read Utopia - Revisiting a German State in America available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Revisiting-German-State-America/dp/3954945959/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.cMV-cCu6YXgOVpGaLNbbNTFXmMiMKnfR69U3Sd4kC6TGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.5qlrLMrIu3--1AZUBSxmYByHVbuli_TdRS0Av7lXemc&dib_tag=se&keywords=Utopia+-+Revisiting+a+German+State&qid=1728228618&sr=8-1

Utopia: Revisiting a German State in America

10/06/2024

Interested in reading about Missouri Germans? Utopia Revisited available on Amazon...

09/12/2024

09/12/2024

We are thrilled to have Dorris Keeven-Franke join us for the Hermann Farm Heritage Festival on September 14, 2024! 🎪✨

With nearly 40 years of expertise as an author and historian of Missouri German history, Dorris will be presenting a lecture regarding the history of the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia that founded the town of Hermann. This is one of many festival activities you won’t want to miss! 📜

Be sure to mark your calendars for September 14, 2024 to hear Dorris bring to life the struggles of those early settlers as they worked to make this area their home.

Receive a discounted price when booking prior to this event! 🎟 Tickets can be purchased via this link: https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/hermannfarm/items/478239/?full-items=yes&flow=706791

09/12/2024

Some of our board members with the Milwaukee Glockenspiel! Thank you Cleveland Oktoberfest for showing us a good time. 🍻 We can't wait to return the gesture at our event. 🤝 Make sure you don't miss the Milwaukee Glockenspiel when they perform at our Saint Charles Oktoberfest! View performance dates & times here 👉 tinyurl.com/stoktentertainment