The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School College of the Liberal Arts GERMAN IN EVERY PARTICULAR? FROM HISTORIC SETTLEMENT TO THEME TOWNS: EXAMPLES OF “LITTLE GERMANIES” IN AMERICA A Thesis in German by Dirk Lehmann © 2007 Dirk Lehmann Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2007 The thesis of Dirk Lehmann was reviewed and approved* by the following: Francis G. Gentry Emeritus Professor of German Thesis Adviser Chair of Committee A. Gregg Roeber Professor of Early Modern History and Religious Studies B. Richard Page Associate Professor of German and Linguistics William Pencak Professor of American History Daniel L. Purdy Associate Professor of German Adrian J. Wanner Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature Head of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School. iii ABSTRACT Among America’s most successful cultural and heritage tourism destinations are towns with a distinct and identifiable German character or theme. These “Little Germanies” are popular tourist destinations because of their historic and architectural ambiance and the natural beauty of their location. They are “German in every particular,” just as their visitors demand it. A multitude of special events and celebrations add to their popularity and success. Although they have in common their cultural theme and character, they are all very different in regards to their location, history and purpose of their founding, efforts in historic preservation, community profiles, tourism programs, and in many other respects. These “Little Germanies” can be divided into three different categories: “Historic Settlement,” “Theme Town” and “Historic Settlement turned Theme Town.” In their efforts to market themselves as a viable destination to tourists seeking a German cultural experience, America’s “Little Germanies” employ differing approaches and unique characteristics in order to sell a similar product. Whereas the “Historic Settlements” emphasize the substance of their historical significance and German cultural heritage, the “Theme Towns” focus on the surface aspect, the carefully designed alpine- or Bavarian- themed appearance of their town. Frankenmuth, the sole “Historic Settlement turned Theme Town” of this study, although still drawing on its substance, far more emphasizes its surface, its Bavarian village architecture, in its tourist marketing efforts. In this study, Hermann, Missouri, was selected as a prominent example of a town with a distinct and identifiable authentic German heritage and ways. The towns of iv Leavenworth, Washington, and Helen, Georgia, will be included in this study as examples of perceived or assumed German culture. They will serve as examples in our discussion of the phenomenon of the creation of German “Theme Towns,” which do not have any actual German heritage at all, in different areas of the United States. These places are attractive because they give the appearance of German culture, since they adopted an alpine Bavarian architectural theme in the sixties and seventies. The fourth “Little Germany” included in this study is “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,” the town of Frankenmuth. Frankenmuth will serve as an example for a historic German settlement, which in the middle of the twentieth century decided to adopt a Bavarian- inspired alpine architectural theme for its business district in an effort to offer its visitors a more “authentic” German or Bavarian experience. There can be little doubt that the successful preservation and fostering of an ethnic heritage, a worthy endeavor in the eyes of most Americans today, very much depends on its commercial viability. This, on the other hand, brings with it a danger to over-accentuate certain stereotypical aspects of the heritage, which can sometimes even lead to distortion and actual falsification. We have to keep in mind, however, that we are not dealing with the actual culture of Germany proper, but with German culture in the United States. We also must remember that we are not talking about groups like the Amish and Mennonites, who to this day have maintained their unique way of life, separate from their “English” neighbors, ever since establishing their communities in North America. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ......……………………………………………………………….viii America’s “Little Germanies” ..………………………………………….viii Historic Settlements ..…………………………………………………...xi Theme Towns ..…………………………………………………………...xi Historic Settlement turned Theme Town ..…………………………………..xii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS …………………………………………………...xiv INTRODUCTION ......…………………………………………………………1 Organized German Settlement on the American Frontier ..……………………1 CHAPTER 1. HERMANN, MISSOURI ..…………………………………..14 Beginnings ………..…………………………………………………………..14 The German Settlement Society of Philadelphia ..…………………………..15 Searching for a New Home ..…………………………………………..19 On the Missouri Frontier ..…………………………………………………..21 The Early Days of Hermann ..…………………………………………..24 Initial Growth ..…………………………………………………………..28 Transfer of Power from Philadelphia to Hermann ……………………..……..30 Continued Growth and Development ...………………………………….35 Organization of City Government …..………………………………………..38 County Seat and County Courthouse ..…………………………………..39 Newspapers in Hermann ………………………………………………..…..40 Education in Hermann …………………………………………………....42 Clubs, Groups and Civic Organizations ………………………………..…..44 Religious Life ……………………………………………………………47 St. George Catholic Church ……………………………………………47 St. Paul United Church of Christ ……………………………………………48 Hermann United Methodist Church ……………………………………52 Business and Industry ……………………………………………………53 The Missouri River ……………………………………………………55 Viticulture ……………………………………………………………………58 Stone Hill and Hermannhof Wineries ……………………………………66 Architecture ……………………………………………………………69 Hermann Today ……………………………………………………………72 Deutschheim State Historic Site ……………………………………………74 CHAPTER 2. THEME TOWNS: LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON AND HELEN, GEORGIA ................................................................................78 Leavenworth,Washington ………………………………..…………………..79 Growth and Decline of a North-Western Railroad Town ……………………79 Timber and Saw Mills ……………………………………………………84 vi Fires ……………………………………………………………………87 Alpine Beginnings ……………………………………………………………88 Project L.I.F.E. ……………………………………………………………91 Leavenworth Goes Alpine ……………………………………………………94 Leavenworth Today …………………………………………………..105 Helen, Georgia …………………………………………………………..110 Beginnings …………………………………………………………………..110 Gold Mines, Saw Mills and the Railroad …………………………………..110 Economic Decline and Rebirth …………………………………………..117 Helen Goes Alpine …………………………………………………………..118 Helen Today …………………………………………………………..123 CHAPTER 3. FRANKENMUTH, MICHIGAN …………………………..128 Beginnings …………………………………………………………………..128 Lutheran Missionary Efforts in the Midwest …………………………..129 Frankenmuth – The Idea of a Missionary Settlement is born …………..133 Aboard the “Caroline” – A Test of the Courage of the Franconians …..137 New York to Michigan …………………………………………………..140 Michigan at the Time of the Colonists’ Arrival …………………………..144 The Chippewa Indians …………………………………………………..146 Arrival in the Wilderness – The Founding of Frankenmuth …………..147 More Colonists Arrive …………………………………………………..151 The Colony Continues to Grow …………………………………………..155 Business, Industry, and Infrastructure …………………………………..157 Mills in Frankenmuth …………………………………………………..160 Frankenmuth’s Breweries …………………………………………………..163 Cheese Making in Frankenmuth …………………………………………..166 Sausage Making in Frankenmuth …………………………………………..166 Frankenmuth’s Houses of Worship …………………………………..168 St. Lorenz Lutheran Church …………………………………………..168 St. John’s Lutheran Church …………………………………………..170 United Methodist Church …………………………………………………..173 Blessed Trinity Catholic Church …………………………………………..173 Frankenmuth Bible Church …………………………………………..175 Frankenmuth’s Lutheran Indian Mission ………………………………..…175 Education in Frankenmuth ………………………………………………..…177 Frankenmuth’s Bavarian Architectural Makeover …………………………..182 Frankenmuth Today ……………………………………………..……184 CHAPTER 4. AMERICA’S “LITTLE GERMANIES” AND THE TOURISM INDUSTRY …………..………………………………………188 Williamsburg and Santa Fe: The Creation of a Heritage Tourism Location ………………………………………………..…………………191 Why is the Past so Attractive? ………………………………………..…200 Deutschlandbild – The Image of Germany and German Cultural Identity ………………………………………………………………......204 vii Bavaria to the Rescue …………………………………………………. 211 The Hyperreality of German “Theme Towns” …………………………..215 German in Every Particular …………………………………………..219 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..…………………………………………………………226 Printed Materials …………………………………………………………..226 Online Materials …………………………………………………………..230 Photographs …………………………………………………………..232 APPENDIX ..…………………………………………………………………233 Hermann, Missouri …………………………………………………..233 Leavenworth, Washington …………………………………………………..236 Helen, Georgia …………………………………………………………..238 Frankenmuth, Michigan …………………………………………………..240 viii PREFACE America’s “Little Germanies” One segment of the American heritage tourism market promotes and capitalizes on America’s German heritage. Innumerable towns and areas owe their existence to German settlers. Many of these places are merely identifiable by their name, while others still manage to preserve remnants and traces of their German founders in form of architectural features or historic celebrations. The vast majority of these German towns in America have since become American towns of German origin. Only