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The Steuben News Registered U.S. Patent Office 1929 A Newspaper for Americans |
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VOL. 81 NO. 5 |
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 |
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Ticket Price for Founders Day Banquet 2009 To Remain the Same Founder's Day Banquet and 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Steuben Society of America will be held on May 17, 2009, at the historic Hotel Thayer which overlooks the Hudson River on the grounds of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Such a special occasion certainly compels a special celebration and the site of the Hotel Thayer is perfect for planning our Society's special milestone. The special news here is that Steubenites will not have to pay anything extra as National Council voted to keep the ticket price - $90 - the same as last year. Beef tenderloin is already on the menu with other choices to follow. There will be a 4-hour open bar and Viennese hour with special anniversary cake as the showpiece accompanied by cordials. The Hotel Thayer's ballroom, where Steubenites and guests will gather, affords a spectacular view of the Hudson River Valley. Tours of West Point, visits to historic places of interest and other special events may also be incorporated into the 90th Anniversary Celebrations. Rooms have been reserved at a special rate for Steubenites, family and friends to stay over if they wish to stay a day or two longer to soak in the beautiful vistas. The Steuben Society has long enjoyed a unique relationship with the Military Academy at West Point and this truly exciting time will serve to perpetuate that relationship long into the future. Units, members-at-large and all those who wish to participate in what promises to be a genuine highlight in our long history are urged to save the date! Any suggestions as to how we can enhance the celebration of this milestone would be most welcome. Further details will be forthcoming as the plans are finalized. Please call Sister Karen Staub at 917-620-8959 if you have any questions or e-mail her. For more info about The Thayer Hotel at West Point, please contact: 674 Thayer Road - West Point, New York (NY) 10996; Toll Free: 800-247-5047 - Phone: 845-446-4731 - Fax: 845-446-0338 info@thethayerhotel.com - www.thethayerhotel.com CAPTION: Hotel Thayer at West Point Military Academy in NY_will be the site of our Society's 90th Founders Day Anniversary and Banquet
20th Annual German-American Heritage Month Celebrated in Cincinnati, Ohio
Since 1989, German-American Heritage Month has been sponsored in October by the German-American Citizens' League of Greater Cincinnati, which was founded in 1895. The month is centered on the date of October 6th, which was the day in 1683 when the first permanent German settlement in America was established at Germantown, Pennsylvania. This year's calendar of events features programs sponsored by the German-American Citizens League, the Hamilton County Genealogical Society, the Kenton County Public Library, and the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County. For a calendar of events, see the German-American Citizens League's website: www.gacl.org
October 13, 2008 - (Monday) - Pleasant Ridge Public Library (6233 Montgomery Road) - Presented by Deb Cyprych & Kenny Burck of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society - "Reading Old German Script in Genealogical Records - Part 2, More Practice in Reading Old German Script" - 6:30 p.m. October 15, 2008 - (Wednesday) - Kenton County, KY Public Library (5th & Scott Streets in Covington, KY) - Presented by Dave Schroeder, Director of the Kenton County Library - "Tour of Mother of God Cemetery, The Oldest German Catholic Church in Northern Kentucky" - 2:00 p.m. October 18, 2008 - (Saturday) - Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County (8th & Vine Streets) - Annual Genealogy Fair with two genealogy programs and several booths representing various groups including the Germany Genealogy Interest Group - 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. October 19, 2008 - (Sunday) - German Heritage Museum (West Fork Park in Green Township at 4764 West Fork Road, located off North Bend Road in Monfort Heights) (phone museum on this day only after 1:00 p.m. at 598-5732 for directions if needed) - Museum open 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and attendance is free - Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann (President of the German-American Citizens' League) - "Book signing with Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann, who has written many books on German-American History" - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. October 20, 2008 - (Monday) - Forest Park Public Library (655 Waycross Road at Sharon Road) - Presented by Kenny Burck & Deb Cyprych of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society - "Reading Old German Script in Genealogical Records - Part 3, Strategies for Finding the Genealogical Records" - 6:30 p.m . October 23, 2008 - (Thursday) - Kenton County, KY Public Library (5th & Scott Streets in Covington, KY) - Presented by Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann (President of the German-American Citizens' League) - "John A. Roebling and his Suspension Bridge" - 7:00 p.m. October 27, 2008 - (Monday) - Forest Park Public Library (655 Waycross Road at Sharon Road) - Presented by Deb Cyprych & Kenny Burck of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society - "Reading Old German Script in Genealogical Records - Part 4, Reading Church and Civil Records" 6:30 p.m . October 28, 2008 - (Tuesday) - Kenton County, KY Public Library (5th & Scott Streets in Covington, KY) - Presented by Bob Rau of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society - "Researching German Ancestors in Alsace-Lorraine" - 6:30 p.m. October 30, 2008 - (Thursday) - Kenton County, KY Public Library (5th & Scott Streets in Covington, KY) - Presented by Kenny Burck (President of the Hamilton County Genealogical Society) - "Tracing Your German Ancestors" - 7:00 p.m. For further information on any of these programs, contact Kenny Burck at 513-851-9549 or Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann at 513-574-1741
The Artistic Legacy of German-American Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze When he signed his portrait "Washington Crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Leutze (pronounced "Loit seh"), might have sensed how much of an impact his painting would have on American history. What would he say if he could see replicas of his work duplicated millions of times on the New Jersey quarter in every American's pocket? The original painting, a huge canvas covering a whole wall, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. An exact copy was made for the Washington Crossing Park in New Jersey. It is by far Leutze's most well-known work. The next most important painting is the one described in the last issue of Steuben News: "Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth."As we learned, thanks to the tireless efforts of Steubenites, a replica is now appropriately displayed at the Monmouth County Clerk's office. The original is owned by the University of California at Berkley. The historic significance of these paintings far overshadows the artistic value. Why did Leutze choose those subjects? He was not a contemporary of Washington; he was not an eye witness at these battles. In fact, he created these American icons 75 years later in Düsseldorf, Germany during his stay there. The answer must be Leutze was not only an artist, he also was a patriot and a history buff. He depicted those battles not because they were of military importance; they were not. He decided to single out Trenton and Monmouth, because those battles signified moral boosters during the Revolutionary War, at times when it seemed everything was lost. After many demoralizing defeats, Washington crossed the Delaware at Trenton on Christmas morning of 1776 to attack the British garrison on the other bank. This was unprecedented as usually war was suspended in winter. The British and the Hessian mercenaries were soundly defeated. The news of the victory revitalized the entire nation to fight on. Actually, it was a dark night with rain and sleet, but Leutze takes poetic licence to capture the determination of patriots banded together fighting for a cause. He may well have used the Rhine at Düsseldorf as a model for the icy Delaware. Symbolically, the sky is lit by a rising sun just below the horizon. Later, in 1778, the British occupied both Philadelphia and New York. Again the American cause looked grim. When in June 1778, the French fleet was on its way to help the Americans, the British thought is best to consolidate their forces in New York. On the march from Philadelphia to New York, General Washington attacked them at Monmouth. At first, the British counterattacked and scattered the Americans in flight. At that point, as the painting depicts, General Washington arrived on his stallion, dismissed the commanding General Lee on the spot, rallied the troops and halted the retreat. The soldiers, fresh from General Steuben's training at Valley Forge, regrouped under Steuben's command and successfully denied the British a victory. It was a day-long battle in excessive heat. Here, Molly Pitcher (her real name Mary Hays McCauly, née Ludwig), became a heroine. Not only did she carry water for the exhausted thirsty men, but when her husband fell wounded, she took his place at the canon. The outcome of the battle is considered a draw, but the enemy, as well as the entire country learned the American boys can stand up to the battle hardened British military, considered to be the best in the world at the time. Now that we have established that Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze is a famous German-American artist, we should know more about him: Soon, he gained patrons, receiving substantial commissions. By 1841, he had earned enough to allow him to travel to Germany. There, he studied under the notable artist Carl Friedrich Lessing in Düsseldorf. Lessing was known for romantic landscapes and historical scenes. Two years later, Leutze went to Munich to learn from Wilhelm von Kaulbach as well as that painter's teacher Peter von Cornelius. Those artists too were known for historical and mythological paintings, as well as frescos on walls and ceilings. Still later, Leutze visited Venice and Rome to study the Italian masters. During these years, he produced paintings of early American history, such as the "Landing of the Norsemen," "Columbus before the Council of Salamanca" and "Columbus in Chains." In 1845, Emanuel Leutze got married. He made his home in Düsseldorf, where he remained for 14 years. During this period, he first produced a number of portraits of royalty: "Queen Elizabeth", "Mary Stuart", "Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn" and many others. In 1848 the German Revolution erupted with demonstrations of dissatisfied, oppressed people. No doubt, Leutze was sympathetic. He desired the American Revolution and its outcome to be emulated, rather than the French Revolution with its excesses. However, the German Revolution failed, the Kaisers prevailed until 1918. Yet Leutze was motivated to paint the two jewels described above, "Washington Crossing" in 1851 and "Monmouth" in 1854. Those were by no means the only ones illustrating key events of the American Revolution. In 1859, at the prime of his life, Leutze returned to the United States, where he opened a studio in New York City. He prospered and soon caught the attention of government notables in Washington, DC. Thus, in 1860 he received a commission for a mural to decorate the landing of the west stairway in the Capitol. In a time when the westward expansion of the United States was on everyone's mind, it was desired to have these sentiments captured in a picture. The title was chosen: "Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way", today commonly known as "Westward Ho." To prepare for this monumental work, Leutze made the difficult journey out west to sketch the Rocky Mountains few people had seen. Then he traveled to Germany to consult his friend Kaulbach about the technique of painting on plaster. He finished the mural in 1861. It shows Conestoga wagons, cowboys on horseback, triumphant families having conquered the high mountains, pointing to the inviting landscapes they behold by the Pacific ocean. As an added attraction, portraits of the pioneers William Clark and Daniel Boone appear in the lower corners of the frame. Ever since the unveiling, with President Lincoln in attendance, the huge mural overwhelms those climbing the west stairway in the Capitol. The small image shown here does not do justice to the actual picture. During his last years, Leutze produced numerous portraits of well-known personalities in both New York and Washington. In 1868, only 52 years of age, he passed away while working on another painting for the Capitol: "The Abolition of Slavery." Other government commissions were in sketching stages, such as "The Emancipation" and "Civilization" the latter intended for the Senate chamber.
Steuben Society Mourns Loss of Brother Erick Kurz
Erick Kurz suddenly passed away September 2, 2008 at age 63. He will be remembered forever for his dedication, warmth, and compassion to everyone around him. His wake at Cecere-Pensa Funeral Home in Baldwin, NY was overflowing with relatives, friends and Steubenites who showed their respect and love for this wonderful man. Erick left behind his wife and best friend Phyllis, his two sons Matthew and Andrew and their wives Nicole and Alison, as well as an abundance of many people who loved him. Erick served in the military in the Vietnam era. He retired from his career as a chemist at age 60. Phyllis got him a BMW as a birthday gift. Their retirement was filled with traveling, golf, visiting family and friends and giving valuable assistance and dedication to the Steuben Society. Erick and Phyllis also enjoyed cooking. In fact, their sauerbraten was so delicious, they were written up in Newsday. In April 2008, they cooked over 200 sauerbraten dinners for the Bellmore Knights of Columbus. The profit from their hard work was donated to the John Peter Zenger Unit. Erick was also a past chairman of the John Peter Zenger Unit and served as First Vice Chair of the Unit. In addition, he served as First Vice Chairman on the NYS Council, Third Vice Chairman on the National Council, Ad Journal Chairman for Founders Day, was co-chairman of the John Peter Zenger Unit's Oktoberfest, wrote and published the Unit's monthly newsletter, and served on the National Council's Golf Tournament Committee for two years in a row in which he and Phyllis also played in. He also always gave out the German Language Award at Hicksville High School (see last issue of Steuben News). Upon retirement, he joined the Bremer Foende as he loved to sing. Erick's dedication and involvement in his German-American roots had no limits. As a member of the Steuben Society of America for over 20 years, Erick always supported the goals of the Units and Councils he served. He was proud of his heritage. Erick and Phyllis attended nearly every function and fundraiser of the other Units in our Society. My memories of Erick are of him dressing up as George Washington in the Steuben Parade, BBQing at our annual beach party and playing bocce at our Unit picnic. Recently, I can recall him talking about how happy he was in retirement and all the trips he went on with Phyllis. He was also very proud of his sons who recently married and bought homes. In his 63 years, Erick did more good deeds than most people would do if they lived to be 100. Erick gave meaning to the saying, "It's not the length of time we live on this earth, but rather the quality of the time we live." If there were more Ericks in this world, the world would be a better place. Erick's memory will live forever.
New Book Reveals History of Germans in NYC:
German New York City celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the hundreds of thousands of German immigrants who left the poverty and turmoil of 19th and 20th-century Europe for the promise of a better life in the bustling American metropolis. German immigration to New York peaked during the 1850s and again during the 1880s, and by the end of the 19th century, New York had the third-largest German-born population of any city worldwide. Author Richard Panchyk, in his new book, "German New York City" (Arcadia Publishing; 2008; $19.95; www.arcadiapublishing.com; 1-888-313-2665) captures a German New York City that "will serve as an inspiration to the generations of today and tomorrow to cherish their German heritage and explore their NYC roots." The book features over 200 vintage photos depicting what life was like in New York for German-Americans, including a photo of Steuben Society founders in 1923 (see photo below). Also featured in the book are photos of the once all-German neighborhoods of Yorkville, Kleindeutschland, Ridgewood, Glendale, and Middle Village as well as their lost German landmarks (Lüchow's, and Niederstein's to name a few). Other aspects of German-American life covered in the book include music and the arts, German-American trades, food, sports, politics and religion. Join the author for a book signing Saturday, October 11, 2:00 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, Bay Terrace Shopping Center, 23-80 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY. The book is available through area bookstores, amazon.com, or through Arcadia Publishing by calling (888)-313-2665 or visiting www.arcadiapublishing.com. Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. The publisher makes history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. To see if they've done a book on your town, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com. CAPTION: Signs of New Ulm
In the Midwestern town of New Ulm, German tourists are baffled to encounter a statue of Hermann, the Cheruscan chieftain, a Germanic hero in Roman times. And that is by far not the only trace of German culture. Each day at 10 p.m., New Ulm's public utility blows a sharp whistle that can be heard throughout this Minnesota town of 14,000. It's a tradition from earlier times used to help citizens unite their families at a reasonable hour. An unusual practice perhaps. But then New Ulm isn't your average American town. Nestled just 90 miles southwest of the twin cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the heart of the Minnesota River Valley, New Ulm street signs and store fronts point to the town's rich German heritage. A huge "Willkommen" billboard greets the visitor entering the town on Highway 14; another bids farewell - "Auf Wiedersehen" - on the way out. Do your laundry at the downtown "Mietwaschsalon." Around the corner, stylists at "Haar Friseure" are at hand if you're in need of a haircut. A nearby "Bäckerei" offers hearty German bread and "Veigel's Kaiserhoff" is the place to go for an authentic sauerkraut and schnitzel dinner. There is a charming bed & breakfast on "Deutsche Strasse" (German Street). During the anti-German hysteria of World War I, the U.S. government tried to change the name to "Freedom Street." New Ulmers courageously resisted and they prevailed. Courage is a defining quality for New Ulm. In August 1862, about 250 Germans survived two brutal Indian attacks in a four-block perimeter in what is known as "Little Crow's War" after the Sioux chief. As the warriors proceeded down the Minnesota River toward New Ulm, they killed about 800 defenseless settlers in one of the bloodiest of the U.S./Indian wars. Reminders of the uprising abound. In 1881, the state of Minnesota erected the Defenders Monument on Broadway by New Ulm artist Anton Gag to honor those "massacred" during the Dakota War of 1862. The battle for New Ulm and its heroic German defenders produced many scholarly works. Historian Don Heinrich Tolzmann of Cincinnati, who was born near New Ulm, has written and edited several books on the subject. "Had the Sioux not been stopped at New Ulm, they would have then proceeded down through the Minnesota River valley to Mankato, St. Peter and other towns in the region," said Tolzmann. "A victory at New Ulm might also have led the Winnebago, a tribe who were located southeast of Mankato, to join the uprising causing a much larger and more dangerous situation." Founded and developed by German immigrants from Chicago and Cincinnati in the mid-1850s, New Ulm may well be "The most German town in the U.S.A.," as the U.S. 2000 Census calls it. And its three cemeteries provide ample proof: Check any of the tombstones and you'll be hard-pressed to find a name that isn't German. But don't let that confuse you. New Ulmers are also patriotic Americans to the core. When it comes to the automobile, for instance, New Ulmers are doing fine without a single foreign car dealership, thank you. "If all Americans acted like us, General Motors would still command more than 50 percent of the market, instead of today's 20 percent," said George Glotzbach, 77, New Ulm's well-connected unofficial spokesman. Glotzbach grew up in New Ulm and Sleepy Eye where his father ran a men's store. A German farming community 10 miles to the west on Route 14, Sleepy Eye was named after Sioux Indian chief Ish-Tak-Ha-Ba (Sleepy Eyes). Glotzbach's great-great grandfather arrived in 1854 to start a flourmill and his wife Sharon is the great-great grand niece of Werner Boesch, a Swiss immigrant whose military training helped save Fort Ridgely during the Sioux Uprising. The German founders of New Ulm named their town after the city of Ulm on the Danube. Many were "Turner" (gymnasts), a movement of free thinkers founded originally as a gymnastic association in 1811 by Friedrich Jahn. Following the failed 1848-49 Revolution, many from the Turner movement fled to America where they established Turner clubs. Even today, New Ulm's "Turnhalle" (gymnasium) plays an active role in the community. The Bohemians who came to the New Ulm region two years after the Germans settled there in the mid-1850s were Catholic farmers who spoke a Bohemian dialect of German. "When I was a small boy, I spoke a mishmash of Bohemian, German and Bavarian," recalled Denis J. Warta. "I didn't start learning English until I was five." At the German-Bohemian Heritage Society, an international group founded here in 1984, Warta is known as "King of the Bohemians." The society's mission is to promote and maintain the German-Bohemian culture and heritage. New Ulm's most striking site is the Hermann Monument. It is a smaller replica of the one which was inaugurated 1875 near the German city of Detmold in the Teutoburg Forest. It was there that Hermann the Cherusker, leader of the Germanic tribes, defeated three Roman legions in 9 A.D. During the German Empire, Hermann symbolized liberty and unity. The 102-foot tall monument was initiated by the National Grand Lodge of the Sons of Hermann in 1885 in New York. East Coast anti-immigration resentment and the massacre of Germans by the Sioux in 1862 forged a strong bond unifying these early German pioneers. In 2000, the U.S. Congress designated the Hermann Monument as an official symbol of all citizens of German heritage. Following World War I, New Ulm established a strong sister-city relationship with the German cities of Ulm and Neu-Ulm across the Danube. As starvation was commonplace, then-mayor Louis Fritsche led relief efforts to ship boxcars of locally milled flour and other desperately needed food and clothing to Ulm and Neu-Ulm. The New Ulmers again extended a helping hand after World War II. The two German cities had suffered severe damage as a result of Allied air raids on Christmas Eve in 1944. Despite wartime shortages, New Ulm's citizens funded U.S. CARE packages to send to Ulm and Neu-Ulm. Looking to the future, Albrecht sees New Ulm's German identity slowly slipping away, as is the case with other American ethnic groups. "I learned German from my grandpa and grandma but in our schools, Spanish, not German is the preferred language," he said. The language may disappear from New Ulm's everyday life but German traditions live on as thousands of tourists flock here each year to celebrate German-American heritage festivals, Fasching and Oktoberfest. And you don't have to be German to love the beer from August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm. It is the second-oldest family-owned brewer in America. German virtues are likely to survive as well. Walk through town and you are struck by clean streets and manicured gardens. And if you happen to stroll by the B&L Bar on Minnesota Street, you might just hear the clanking of beer steins and people singing "Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit" - in impeccable German with a barely perceptible American accent. (c) 2006 The Atlantic Times Upcoming Events at St. Paul's National Historic Site
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 10 AM "Tour of Pell's Point Battlefield." Join us for a walking tour of the Split Rock Golf Course, in Pelham Bay Park, site of the Revolutionary War battle of Pell's Point. Reservations must be made in advance through St. Paul's; space is limited; call 914-667-4116 for details. Fri., Oct. 17, 7 PM Candlelight Tour & Historic Music Program Tour the historic cemetery by candlelight, visiting the graves of soldiers and civilians who lived through the American Revolution; hear a performance of 18th century music by Linda Russell & Companie, in the historic Church; refreshments served -- part of the Battle of Pell's Point Encampment. Sat. Oct. 18, 10 AM to 4 PM "Battle of Pell's Point Encampment" An encampment that commemorates the nearby 1776 Battle of Pell's Point. It includes talks on the American Revolution, musket firing and militia drill, period music and dancing, dramatizations, crafts and cooking, historic children's games and toys, with dozens of costumed re-enactors, representing the armies that fought in the Revolutionary War. Educational programs for school groups on Thurs. and Fri., Sat., Nov. 8, Noon to 4 PM Historian Robert W. Arnold III explores "New York and the War of 1812," the oft-forgotten war that was largely fought on New York's soil. At 2:30, enjoy a special performance in historic St. Paul's Church by the Mark Morganelli Jazz Forum All-Stars. Refreshments served. Sat. Dec. 13, Noon to 4 PM "Opera in the Historic Church" Join us for a 2 PM performance by the Bronx Opera Company, featuring favorite excerpts from classic operas as well as performances, and sing-along, of some traditional seasonal carols and holiday favorites. Mon. Dec. 15, 10 AM - Noon "Bill of Rights Program" An educational program marking the 217th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Dec. 21, 2 PM Holiday Organ Concert A recital by Jan Piet Knijff featuring classical music on the historic 1833 pipe organ, including some traditional holiday favorites. Refreshments served. Arrive early, at 1 PM, to hear seasonal tales and legends, by local storyteller Stephanie Mita. Dec. 22-23, 26, 29-31, 10 AM to 4 PM Family Holiday Program: Historic games, activities, music and demonstrations. For more info, St. Paul's Church National Historic Site, 897 South Columbus Ave., Mount Vernon, NY 10550; Call (914) 667-4116 National Chairman's Message: Dear Steuben Brothers and Sisters, As Autumn arrives we enter the busy season for the Society. But before I touch on that theme, allow me to make some personal observations.
My second observation is much sadder. On September 2, 2008, the Society suffered a devastating loss when Brother Erick Kurz suddenly passed away at the age of 63. Brother Kurz was a Past Chairman and active member of the John Peter Zenger Unit, No. 212, of Hicksville, New York. He was also the sitting First Vice Chairman of the New York State Council and Third Vice Chairman of the National Council. Brother Erick together with his loving wife, Sister Phyllis Kurz, our current National Secretary, formed a dynamic team who worked tirelessly for the Society. Brother Erick's passing is already being felt. But we will miss him all the more as the work begins to send out the mailings for next year's Founders Day Journal because he chaired that committee with Sister Phyllis. In honor of Brother Erick's memory, the Executive Board of the National Council has voted that the Society's annual national $1,000 German American Studies Award be henceforth known as the Erick Kurz Memorial Award. Anyone interested in making a donation should send in their check to the Executive Office made out to the Steuben Society with a memo Erick Kurz Memorial Fund. As I started out saying, we are now entering our busy season. On September 20th the Steuben Society Float with Brother George Stahl of Unit No. 165 portraying General Washington and Brother Walter Henning of Unit No. 998 portraying General von Steuben led off the 51st Annual German American Steuben Parade in New York City. It was a beautiful day for a parade and thanks to the efforts of our Division Marshall, Sister Barbara Yager of Unit No. 998, the Steuben Society's Councils and Units were all dutifully assembled on 64th Street and ready to lead off the parade's Eighth Division in perfect order. Thank you to all who marched. The week after the New York parade, Steubenites will be marching in Philadelphia's Steuben Parade. I am happy to report that a growing number of New Yorkers are planning to join our brothers and sisters from the Pastorius Unit, No. 38, in that parade. On October 6th, the nation will be celebrating German American Day. Our partners in the German American Joint Action Committee have already sent in the proposed Presidential Proclamation to the White House and our National Public Affairs Chairman, Brother Herbert Hennings, has requested state proclamations from several governors. Because this is the 325th Anniversary of the Settlement of Germantown, Pennsylvania, our National Education Committee Co-Chairman, Brother Don Heinrich Tolzmann, has been asked to be a featured speaker for Philadelphia's German American Day Celebration. Wherever you may be in our great land, I hope your unit will observe German American Day in its own way. On October 12th, I will be traveling to Valley Forge to join Unit No. 38's Chairman, Brother Bill Hettel, and his members at their annual Steuben Day Recognition at the statue of von Steuben at the National Historic Site. After the ceremonies at the park, we will return to the Cannstatter Volksfest Verein in Philadelphia for some Gemuetlichkeit before I drive back to New York. Later in the month of October, Brother Tolzmann will be flying into New York from Ohio to assist in the research underway at our Executive Office pursuant to our plans to issue an official history of the Society in conjunction with next year's 90th Anniversary Celebration. Our membership should be glad to learn that, through the efforts of your Executive Board, the price of the 90th Founders Day Banquet which is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2009, on the grounds of the West Point Military Academy will again be held to $90.00 per person. The price is being held down to encourage maximum attendance at this landmark celebration. Mark your calendars now. It's not too early to start planning for the event. In closing, let me also remind you that the Annual Memorial Service for our departed members shall again be hosted by the New York State Council at the Wartburg Chapel on the first Saturday in November. The New York State Council will be sending out a notice shortly reminding Units to send in the list of members who passed away since last year. While this event is more solemn than most Steuben Society functions it is also one of great importance to a fraternal organization such as ours. What separates the Steuben Society from other organizations of our type is that we are more than just a club, we are a family. Fraternally yours,
GERMAN-AMERICAN DAY PROCLAMATION REQUEST The Honorable George W. Bush Dear President Bush, We the undersigned request that you designate this October 6 as German-American Day. This annual commemorative day was first established by a Joint Resolution of the United States Congress and approved by President Ronald Reagan in 1987. Alternatively, we would really appreciate it if you were to join several Governors' past Proclamations by declaring October German-American Month. We believe it is worthy to mention that in Philadelphia the Committee for German-American Day (www.GermanAmericanDay.org) has planned several days of activities around October 6. This year is the 325th Anniversary of the Philadelphia/Germantown, Pennsylvania settlement, and we hope to expand these celebrations to at least a couple weeks. Earlier this year, the German-American community celebrated 400 years of Germans in America at Jamestown, Virginia. It is only fitting that the more than 42,000,000 citizens who can claim German heritage be recognized. This will allow the German community to highlight the contributions and achievements of immigrants, as well as foster better understanding about Germans in the United States. Since the arrival of the first Germans in Jamestown in 1608, German-Americans have distinguished themselves through their cultural, economic, and political contributions to life in the United States. Through their participation in American society, German-Americans have demonstrated their loyalty to their new homeland and their strong support of our nation's democratic principles. We have enclosed the draft of a proposed proclamation as well as the proclamation you issued in 2007. Your support in proclaiming October 6 as German-American Day would be very much appreciated. Sincerely, German-American Friendship Garden Dear Mr. Grassl, Your efforts (Steuben News, July/August 2008) to clean up and promote the German American Friendship Garden are laudable. However, in my opinion if the National Park Service does not do their job, we should tell them to forget it. Even if the garden would be in top shape, I should hope the friendship between the two countries is much better than that. I consider that garden a disgrace. I used to be a tour guide for German tourists and only once took a group to the garden. As a German-American I was so embarrassed, I never went back there again. Why not do something similar at the Steuben statue on Lafayette Square? There we have a proper center of interest, rather than those miserable plaques hidden in the weeds. Sincerely, Albany-style Oktoberfest Saturday October 18, 2008, German-American Club of Albany, 32 Cherry Street, Albany, NY 12205, Live music by Big Wally. 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM. For further information please call (518) 265-6102
Dr. Gert Niers: German-American News Editor and Author I first came to know Gert Niers in the 1970s, when he was Editor of the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold and we corresponded regarding German-American history, literature, and culture. Thereafter, he invited me to serve as Ohio Editor of the newspaper and write about German-American events from the Ohio Valley region in a section entitled the "Ohio Seite" or "Ohio Page." This was a weekly page of the newspaper that covered news, events, interviews, reviews, etc., and which I edited for several years. In the course of time, I came to know him and his work well, and in this previously unpublished essay provide information about the important role he has played in the history of German-American press. In calling, or leaving a message on the telephone, he usually identifies himself as "Gert Niers from New Jersey," which therefore seems to be the appropriate title for the following. Gert Niers is a name synonymous with excellence in the German-American press. After coming to America in the 1970s, the German immigrant youth swiftly rose to chief editorial positions at the major German-language newspapers of the country: the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold and Aufbau. His high-quality journalism soon won him accolades on both sides of the Atlantic, including feature articles in the New York Times and the Frankfurter Rundschau. Werner Gert Niers, who has always gone by his middle name, was born in Dresden in 1943, a turning point year during World War II. Fortunately, his parents had seen the handwriting on the wall, and made the life-saving decision to move west to Oberhausen, his father's hometown. The family thereby escaped the dreadful fire-bombing of Dresden on February 14, 1945. At the time of the bombardment, Gert Niers, his mother, and grandmother stayed with family relatives in Wolfen, a town well out of reach of events. Another Glücksfall, or stroke of good fortune, would bring him to America. After growing up in Oberhausen, he went on to study at the University of Cologne, and then to the University of Freiburg where he met an American student, Thelma Lynn Hurley, his future wife. Like many immigrants who follow friends or relatives to the New World, Niers adopted this pattern of migration: he came to America in 1971 and married Thelma, now a teacher of German. They settled in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, where they raised a family. After learning the basics of production at an American newspaper in Lakewood, New Jersey, another fortunate turn in life took place when he per chance saw an issue of the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung und Herold at a newsstand, and applied for a job at the paper. Quickly sensing the newcomer's talents, the publisher of the nation's oldest German-language newspaper (established in 1834) hired Niers as News Editor in 1973. Soon the paper carried his articles, essays, reviews and interviews with German and German-American authors, which increasingly built the national readership of the Staats in the 1970s. His column "Deutschamerikanische Literaturnachrichten," or "German-American Literary News," was especially popular for its coverage of the latest publications by and about German-Americans. In 1978, he moved on to Aufbau, the newspaper founded by German Jewish exiles in 1934, where Niers rose to become Chief Editor. Here, he demonstrated the same excellence in journalism for which he had now established a national reputation, and wrote many articles about the German Jewish refugee generation, as well as about the many exile authors who had settled in New York City. Niers developed his own unique journalistic voice. He writes: "What I found most intriguing during my editorial work was the German-language discourse in this country: there was the 'old school' of sophisticated journalism as it had been practiced in Berlin and in Vienna, particularly in the coverage of the arts, and there was the new American influence, a much more subjective, less academic style, which encouraged the author to speak up as the narrative and as the biographic ego." Niers' work may therefore best be described as a German-American synthesis of journalistic styles from the Old and New world. His interest in the writings of German-American authors also led him to begin doctoral studies at Rutgers University, where he completed a dissertation on the topic that appeared in book form as Frauen schreiben im Exil, a pioneering study of German Jewish writers Margarete Kollisch, Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss, and Vera Lachmann. He accepted a fulltime teaching position for French and German at Ocean County College, New Jersey, in 1992, but continued to write as a freelance journalist and scholar. His multilingual talents serve him well, and readers of German Life no doubt have followed his bilingual columns on various topics. Aside from his German-American projects, he also reviews works of contemporary French literature. A German-language volume of prose and poetry by Gert Niers came out in 1992 under the title Wortgrund noch (Still Word Ground). A collection of his lyric texts has also been translated into English as: Landing Attempts: Selected Poems. Reviewing this collection, Jerry Glenn writes that "direct evidence that the author is a German-American is found with some regularity in the prose...The architecture of Germantown, Pennsylvania, is reminiscent of a German town; the absence of skyscrapers in Washington reminds the author of Europe," for example. Additionally, Niers edits a journal devoted to German and German-American culture, Schatzkammer der deutschen Sprache, Dichtung und Geschichte, published at the Foreign Language Department of the University of South Dakota. Since 2003, Niers also serves as Associate Editor of German Life. Perhaps it was not Schicksal, or fate, but rather Glück, or good fortune that ultimately brought Niers all the way from the Saxon Florence on the Elbe to America, but there is no question that it was his exceptional style of writing that acquired him the reputation as the foremost journalist and editor of today's German-language press, and a noteworthy author as well. A project now underway is his autobiography which no doubt will provide us with an inside view into the workings of the German-American newspaper business, as well as the life and work of one of the leading German-American journalist of our time. For a sampling of the writings of Gert Niers, see past issues of German Life, especially the three part series "Wanderings...Wonderings. An Immigrant Narrative," September 2000, April/May 2001, and August/September 2001. A German-American Tour of Washington, D.C. Georgetown The first Germans in what is today the Nation's Capital settled during colonial times in Georgetown, the Province of Maryland. The Old Stone House at 3051 M Street, N.W., was built by the German immigrant couple Christopher and Rachel Lehmann in 1766. It is the oldest building in the Nation's Capital and the only pre-Revolutionary structure still standing today. The Lutheran Church at Wisconsin Avenue and Volta Place, N.W., which was completed in 1769 in the form of a log structure, is the oldest German church in what later became the Nation's Capital; it is the second oldest religious congregation in what is today Washington, D.C. The bell of the original church may be seen in front of the present building, which dates from 1914. In the 19th Century, many German merchants maintained businesses along M Street in Georgetown. The Healy Building, the original building of Georgetown University at 37th and O Streets, N.W., was built beginning in 1877 by the German-American architects John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz. Established shortly after World War II, the Concord Club above the Old Europe restaurant at 2434 Wisconsin Avenue is the only remaining German clubhouse in Washington, D.C. Walter Camp, Sr., was instrumental in obtaining this building for the Concord Club. It is also the meeting site of the Association of German-American Societies of Greater Washington, D.C. (AGAS), Washington Sängerbund, the Schuhplattler- und Gebirgstrachtenverein "Washingtonia" and Schlaraffia Washingtonia. Earlier, the center for German Americans had been the Sängerbund Club House at 314 C Street, N.W. (1894-1930) and Arcadia Hall at 3134-14th Street, N.W. (14th and Park Road) (1935-42). White House Area
In 1768, the German immigrant Jakob Funck laid out lots along the Potomac River for a town he called Hamburg. Most of the lot owners were fellow Germans. It was staked out between what is today 18th Street, N.W., on the east, 23rd Street on the west, Constitution Avenue on the south and H Street on the north. Funck set aside a lot for a German Lutheran and a German Reformed church. In 1833, the Concordia German Evangelical Lutheran Church (today Die Vereinigte Kirche/The United Church) was established in Hamburg. In the 1835, this congregation completed a church on 20th and G Streets, N.W., on one of the sites reserved by Funck for this purpose. John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), whose mother was from Bavaria, was baptized here. The current building was begun in 1889. Members of this congregation founded three prominent German-American institutions still functioning today: The Washington Sängerbund, the German Orphan Home (today a foundation) and Prospect Hill Cemetery. This cemetery was established in 1858 at 2201 North Capitol Street, N.E., by the German Evangelical Church Society of the Concordia Church; it contains the burial sites of many prominent German-American families. Just east of this German-Protestant cemetery is the German Catholic cemetery St. Mary's; it was founded in 1869 at 2121 Lincoln Road, N.E. Low-relief bronze panels of the German scientists Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-94) and Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) are on the face of the National Academy of Sciences Building at 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. A memorial to Albert Einstein is located at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 22nd Street. Since 1988, the German-American Friendship Garden on the National Mall at 16th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., commemorates the enduring German-American contributions to our nation and the continuing friendship between the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. This Garden at the foot of the Washington Monument was designed by Wolfgang Oehme. The Steuben Statue at the northwest corner of Lafayette Park, which is just north of the White House, was dedicated on 7 December 1910 by President Howard Taft. Designed by Albert Jägers, it depicts Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-94) as he surveys troop maneuvers at Valley Forge. The German Hall was erected in 1846 by the German Benevolent Society on the west side of 11th Street, a short distance north of F Street, N.W. In the fall of 1846, a procession of two or three hundred members of the German Benevolent Society, headed by the German Band, passed through the streets of Washington to the new Hall, where they attended the exercise of dedication. The German Hall was located at 606 11th Street, N.W. Dupont Circle Area The Christian Heurich Mansion at 1307 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W., just south of Dupont Circle, was built for the German-American beer brewer Christian Heurich in 1894. It was constructed and decorated by German-American craftsmen; outstanding is the woodwork by August Grass and the metalwork by Amandus Joerss. This mansion houses today The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The Heurich Brewery stood where the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts stands today.
The Anderson House Museum at 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., houses the Society of the Cincinnati and an exhibit on Major General von Steuben, who presided over the first meeting of the Society. Row Houses on Q Street, between 17th and 18th Streets, N.W. These homes lining both sides of most of this block were built between 1889 and 1892 by Thomas F. Schneider; they typify the dominance of German-Americans in the building trades in 19th-century Washington, D.C. Built between 1871 and 1872, The Charles Sumner School and Museum at 17th and M Streets, N.W., was designed by Adolf Cluß/Cluss as the first school for African-American children in the District of Columbia. Cluss (1825-1905), who was the first to design multi-room schools in Washington, D.C., also built the international-prize winning Franklin School at 13th and K Streets, N.W., in 1868 with Josef Wildrich von Kammerhüber. Cluss built altogether ten schools; they won him high honors at World Expositions in Vienna, Philadelphia, Paris and New Orleans. The Dr. Samuel Hahnemann statue and memorial, east side of Scott Circle, near 16th and Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., was designed by Charles Henry Niehaus and erected in 1900. The words Die Milde Macht Ist Gross (gentle power is great) are carved on the memorial of this German physician who founded homeopathic medicine. In front of Luther Place Memorial Church at 1226 Vermont Avenue, N.W. (Thomas Circle) stands a statue of Martin Luther, a replica of the one in Worms, Germany. Seventh Street Area The 400 to 800 blocks of 7th Street, N.W., (D through I Streets) were occupied by many German-American businesses, especially Jewish ones. At 450-7th Street (near E) and extending to 8th Street was the Lansburgh Department Store; on 7th Street between E and F was the original Hecht Company Department Store. At 600 F Street (near 6th and F) stands the OBA (Oriental Building Association) Federal Savings & Loan Association that was founded in 1861 as a "German" bank; designed by Albert Goehner. It is now the oldest savings and loan association in the nation. (Goehner also designed the landmark-designated building at 423-425 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.) The west side of the 700 block of 7th Street (between G and H) is one of the last remaining late 19th century commercial streetscapes in Washington, D.C. These modest three and four-story structures bear witness to the importance of German-American (especially Jewish-German) businessmen in Washington's commercial development. Their trades varied from furniture to leather goods to groceries.
The east side of the 800 block of 7th Street (between H and I) also contains buildings once occupied by German-American businesses. Note especially the building at 819-827 7th Street that was designed by Julius Germuiller who was born in this neighborhood and became a prominent craftsman-builder active throughout Washington. (Germuiller's buildings are also in the 1000 block of 7th Street and on 3rd Street near H.) The Lillian and Albert Small Museum of Jewish History at 701 3rd Street, N.W., was dedicated in 1876 as the Adas Israel Synagogue, a Jewish German house of worship. (The building was moved to this site from a nearby location.) The Adas Israel Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, were many early Jewish German-Americans are buried, is located in Anacostia at 1400 Alabama Avenue, S.E. The Hebrew Congregation of Washington, D.C., the first German congregation, had its synagogue at 8th and I Streets, N.W., now a church. St. Mary Mother of God Catholic Church was established in 1846 at 5th and H Streets, N.W., as the first Roman Catholic church in the Nation's Capital. The first pastor was Rev. Mathias Alig, who was born in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The present building dates from 1890. Prayers in German may be seen carved on stone plaques in the vestibule. Calvary Baptist Church, at 8th and F Streets, N.W., was completed in 1866 by the German immigrant architect Adolf Cluss. The Masonic Temple at 9th and F Streets, N.W., which was often used for German festivities, was built by Cluss between 1868 and 1870. The Peterson House, known as The House Were Lincoln Died, is located on 10th Street across from Ford's Theater. Peterson, a tailor, was German as were two of his boarders, Henry and Julius Ulke, who were said to have assisted the doctors who attended the President. Julius Ulke was a portrait artist whose painting of Cluss' wife Rosa is now in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution. Sculptures of two horses restrained by men in front of the Federal Trade Commission at 6th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., were designed by Michael Lantz ca. 1938. The stonecutter was Jakob Schwalb, president of the Washington Sängerbund from 1936 to 1937 and 1946 to 1951. The interior of the U.S. Patent Office building was remodeled ca. 1879 by Cluss and Schulze after a fire. Located between 7th and 9th Streets and F and G Streets, N.W., it houses today the Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art and the National Portrait Gallery. The Arts and Industries Building (originally the U.S. National Museum) at 900 Jefferson Drive was completed by Cluss and Schulze in 1879. The original Smithsonian building, known as The Castle, was rebuilt and remodeled by Cluss and Schulze in 1884 after a fire. Other buildings by Cluss along the National Mall that are no longer standing today are the U.S. Army Medical Museum (on its site is the Hirschhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Headquarters (it stood along Jefferson Drive near the present USDA Headquarters) and Central Market (on its site is the National Archives). As the Engineering Member of the District of Columbia Board of Public Works, Cluss inaugurated a comprehensive plan for grading, paving and ornamenting streets, installing sewerage and laying out parks. He constructed a tunnel from Capitol Hill to the Potomac wide enough for a bus to drive through to put Tiber Creek underground after it had become an open sewer. The first newspaper in the German language in the District of Columbia was published by P. A. Sage and Company at 7th Street and Louisiana Avenue. This site is today near 7th and Independence Avenue, SW, the vicinity of the Air and Space Musem. The weekly National Zeitung was distributed for three years from about June 1843 to July 1846. Capitol Hill
The dome of the U.S. Capitol was designed by the German immigrant August Gottlieb Schönborn (1827-1902). The bronze doors of the Capitol were cast in Munich, Germany. In the Statuary Hall stands the statue of Major General John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746-1807), who fought in the American Revolutionary War and served in the U.S. Senate. Emanuel Leutze's painting Westward Ho is on the landing of the west stairway and Albert Bierstadt's paintings "The Discovery of the Hudson" and "The Landing at Monterey" are in the House lobby. Constructed between 1888 and 1897, the original structure of the Library of Congress, the Jefferson Building at Independence Avenue and First Street, S.E., was designed by John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz. Vaults throughout the Great Hall are covered by mosaics installed by German Americans. The national and state shields in the eight stained-glass windows above the Main Reading Room were created by Hermann Schladermundt; other mosaic panels are by Frederick Dielman. The Lutheran Church of the Reformation at 212 East Capitol Street, N.E., was organized in 1869 and combined in 1939 with the old St. John's German Lutheran Church of southwest Washington, D.C. Eastern Market, an operating farmers' market at 7th Street and North Carolina Avenue, S.E., on Capitol Hill, was built in 1873 by Adolf Cluss. St. Joseph's Catholic Church was built by a German congregation in 1868 at 313 2nd Street, N.E., two blocks north of the U.S. Supreme Court. In the vestibule are plaques commemorating the first German and Swiss-German pastors-Bernardine Florence Wiget, S.J., Johann Baptiste Kanzleiter, S.J., John P. M. Schleuter, SJ., and Valentine Florence Schmitt. The U.S. Government Printing Office building at the corner of North Capitol and G Streets, N.W., was built by Cluss in 1896. Other Locations: Caldwell Hall, the original building of The Catholic University of America, was designed by Cluss. This Romanesque stone structure on Harewood Road near Michigan Avenue and 4th Street, N.E., was built in 1888. The National Zoological Park at Connecticut Avenue and Hawthorne Street, N.W., features the sculpture The Giant Anteater by E. F. Springweiler (1938) at the Small Mammals Building and Wrestling Bears by Heinz Warneke (1935) at the main restaurant. Dedicated in 1985, The German-American Tricentennial Alcove in the Holly-Magnolia area of the National Arboretum at 3501 New York Avenue, N.E., contains a replica of the bench favored by Friedrich Schinkel, the great 19th century architect of Berlin. Part of the Washington Arsenal, today Fort Lesley J. McNair, in southwest Washington, D.C., was remodeled in 1869 by Cluss. A building still in use today at the Washington Navy Yard in southeast Washington was built by Cluss. Knobloch Hall on the grounds of the German Orphan Home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is used by the Washington Sängerbund as the site of its concerts and Oktoberfeste and as the site of the Heimatabende of the Schuhplattler- und Gebirgstrachtenverein "Washingtonia." Sculptures by Adolph A. Weinman (1870-1952) showing The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence is featured on the pediment of the Jefferson Memorial (1943); sculpture depicting Destiny is featured on the north pediment of the National Archives (1935); sculpture of three allegorical figures and other relief sculptures are featured at the Old Post Office Building, 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (1934); Oscar S. Strauss Memorial Fountain, 14th Street is found between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues (1947); and Sphinxes in front of Scottish Rite Freemason's Temple can be found at 16th and S Streets, N.W. Note: Most of the material in this article was taken from "A German-American Sites Tour of Washington, D.C.," by Nancy Pierce (1991). The help of Eda Offutt and Jean Crabill is also greatly appreciated. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Thurs. nite at the Bavarian Manor, Purling, NY Thurs. nites at the Plattdeutsche Park 6:00-9:00 pm 10/6 10:00 am German-American Friendship Garden 7:00 pm Wreath laying ceremony at the Pastorius 10/18 Oktoberfest, GA Club of Albany 518-265-6102 10/19 10:00 am Oktoberfest and Car Show, Skippack 11/1 12:00 pm Wartburg Memorial Service, $10 11/6 7:00 pm German Genealogy Group free lecture |
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St. Paul's Church, located in Mount Vernon, NY is an important historic site. It consists of an 18th century stone church that was used as a Revolutionary War hospital, a cemetery with burial stones dating to 1704 and the remnant of a Village Green that was the scene of the famous Election of 1733 which raised issues of Freedom of Religion and the Press. Upcoming events include:
