2020
Wednesday, January 8: No Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program.
Wednesday, February 12: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Unearthly Nostalgia' for an American Childhood: Memory and Identity in the Art of Lyonel Feininger presented by Janice Miller. As a young man, German-American artist Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956) explored the streets of his native New York City, the ports along the Hudson River and the city’s towering skyline. Though he left to study in Hamburg, Germany in 1887, the scenes from his childhood continued to influence Feininger’s iconography and thematic investigations of urban life throughout his career. Today, Feininger is recognized primarily for his involvement in twentieth-century German avant-garde movements such as Expressionism and the Bauhaus School, as well as for his early work as a cartoonist for the Chicago Sunday Tribune. This presentation will examine Feininger’s American upbringing and its influence on his iconography and unique stylistic development as a German artist. It will also analyze the artist’s deeply problematic dual identities as German and American in an era of fervent anti-German sentiment in the United States. Janice Miller works at IUPUI, where she divides her time between the Max Kade German-American Center and teaching advanced courses on modern European art at the Herron School of Art and Design.
Wednesday, March 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: D.A. Bohlen & Son: Influential Architecture in Indianapolis & Saint Mary-of -the-Woods Historic District presented by James A. Glass, PhD. James Glass will review the four generations of Indianapolis architectural firm D.A. Bohlen & Son, in both Indianapolis and the campus of the Sisters of Providence in Vigo County. The firm was founded by immigrant Diedrich A. Bohlen from the Kingdom of Hannover. He arrived in Indianapolis a decade before the Civil War and was instrumental in transforming Indianapolis from a town into a thriving railroad city. Some Indianapolis Bohlen buildings include the Deutsche Allgemeine Waisen Haus, St. John Catholic Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, City Market, and the Murat Shrine, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Dr James A. Glass has been studying the work of the Bohlen firm since 1976, when he served as the first staff historian to the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. After earning his Ph.D. in architectural history and historic preservation, he served as director of the State Historic Preservation Office and as director of the Ball State University Historic Preservation Program.
Wednesday, April 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Travis Jerde on German Park, German American Klub, and The Indianapolis Federations of German Societies. Travis Jerde and others will educate the audience on the origins of German Park and the organizations that own and operate the famous site on South Meridian Street.
Note: The April meeting of the IGHS Board of Directors, dinner, and the Stammtisch will take place at German American Klub, German Park, 8600 S. Meridian Street, Indianapolis.
1 May - Julia Whitehead
Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library
At the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library 543 Indiana Ave
10 June - Don Flick
The Germantowns of Indiana
No meeting in July
12 August - Jeff Westfal
The Liederkranz Brass Band
9 Sept - Kaylee Crowell
Half Year in Heilbronn
Kaylee Crowell is an inspired IUPUI student. She is a double major in German and Biomedical Engineering. Kaylee spent an eventful half year in Heilbronn, the famous Swabian city in Baden-Württemberg, working in an internship through IUPUI. She was able to travel throughout Germany.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJckce6orTkpH9dTJH6Rca4wqVh1Jcu-lv7T
14 Oct - Giles Hoyt
German Roots of the "Kentucky" Rifle
One of the most important developments in American firearms is the so-called Kentucky Rifle. Its origins are actually in Pennsylvania, and Swiss and German immigrant gunsmiths were involved.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqcuyvqzIrHNBAY54myTsCPNe6vRJS3l7Y
11 Nov - Allison DePrey Singleton
Finding Your German Family History
Have you wanted to get started with your German family history and didn't know where to start? Join us on November 11th to learn the basics on working with your German family history research.
Allison DePrey Singleton, MA, MLS, is a librarian at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a part of her position at The Genealogy Center, Allison was a Co-Chair of the 2018 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference. She is also a Northeast Regional Co-Coordinator for the National History Day in Indiana. In addition to her employment activities, Allison is also on the board of the Indiana Genealogical Society and Indiana German Heritage Society.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvcOmppj8rHNAN10ifqVDsv1GQWt6kKIvb
9 Dec - Wilhelm Laut
Weihnachtsliederkranz
Brought back by popular demand, William Laut will lead and accompany us singing the BEST Christmas songs ever. Bring a wrapped Christmas ornament valued $5-10 in the basket and draw a different one to take home. German Refreshments will be served.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually (no gift exchange):
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuc-uurTIvG9Nm8XQydLbjNpzHCHcolLSX
2019
Wednesday, March 13:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The History & Rehabilitation of the South Side Turnverein Hall presented by Architect Benjamin Ross of RATIO Architects.
The presentation will provide an overview of the history and significance of the South Side Turnverein Hall and information on the building’s comprehensive 2017-2018 rehabilitation for a preservation-minded new owner.”
Benjamin Ross has degrees in architecture, with a focus on historic preservation and sustainable design, and has been a historic preservation specialist with RATIO for the last 11 years. Ben works with a wide range of clients on projects to maintain and revitalize historic buildings and communities. Ben’s experience includes scholarly research, planning, design, and implementation for restoration, revitalization, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects. He has many German-American ancestors, the earliest coming from Thuringia in 1738 and the most recent from Baden in 1880.”
Wednesday, April 10:
Stammtisch and Program: German Cities, Jewish Spaces: Belonging, Sociability, & Cultural Transformation in the early 19th Century by Dr. Simone Lässig, Director, German Historical Institute, Washington DC.
Dr. Simone Lässig is the director of the German Historical Institute Washington, DC and a cultural and social historian of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She obtained her PhD from the Pedagogical University of Dresden for her thesis on "Military Political action of social democracy in Eastern Saxony". In 2003 she completed a study on the "gentrification of Jews in Germany" and received the 2004 Habilitation prize of the German Historians Association.
The April program will be held in the IUPUI Campus Center, Room 305, starting at 6 pm.
Details on the time and place of the April board meeting will be sent out by email following the annual meeting.
Wednesday, May 8:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The History and Restoration of St. Mary Catholic Church in Lockerbie by Jim Kienle and Jim Divita.
St. Mary's Catholic Church (St. Marienkirche) is a Roman Catholic Church situated in historic Lockerbie Square, which in its early years was known as Germantown, due to the numerous German immigrants living in the district starting in 1849. The German-speaking parish built their first church in 1858 to serve the city's growing German Catholic population. The present church at the corner of New Jersey and Vermont streets was completed in 1912. Designed by German-born architect Hermann J. Gaul in the late Gothic Revival style, it follows a cruciform plan modeled after the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently undergoing restoration.
Preservation Architecture Consultant, James Kienle, has spent the majority of his more than 45 year architectural career specializing in preservation design; bringing new life to historic structures, campuses and urban environments. In 2016, he retired from Moody Nolan Inc., where he served as the Director of the Historic Preservation Studio. In recognition of his work in Preservation Design, he was elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ esteemed College of Fellows and Governor Frank O’Bannon awarded him the Sagamore of the Wabash for his pioneering work in Indiana Historic Preservation. He lives in an 1872 house that he restored in 1976 in Lockerbie Square.
James Divita, professor emeritus of history at Marian University in Indianapolis, has been an IGHS member since the mid-1980s and is presently an IGHS board member. His mother’s ancestors originated in West Preussen and settled in Chicago in the 1880s. He earned the Ph.D. in modern European history at the University of Chicago and taught at Marian for over 40 years. His research interest is in local ethnic and religious history. He has written a dozen Catholic congregational histories, and many journal, newspaper, and newsletter articles over the years. His most recent articles are on the origins of German religion in Indianapolis: the Catholic one stresses the development of St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes, the Protestant one on the beginnings of Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ and the two Missouri Synod Lutheran churches, St. Paul’s on Indianapolis’ southside and Zion Evangelical Lutheran in Hancock County.
Wednesday, June 8:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Germans in the New World of Indiana presented by William Selm.
The Germans arrived in the Indiana as pioneers and confronted the conditions of the wilderness. In the case of the Harmonists/Rappites, they carved out a religious communal colony in the wilds of Posey County on the banks of the Wabash. Soon after in the 1830s Indiana was flooded with land-hungry Germans seeking farmland and creating their own villages and towns such as Oldenburg and Ferdinand where they found opportunities working as craftsmen and merchants in these communities. Throughout the state growing rural communities founded more towns such as Hessen Cassel, Bingen, Darmstadt, Berne, and Hamburg.
William Selm is a co-founder of IGHS and the Athenaeum Foundation, the last historian of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, adjunct faculty member for IUPUI, free-lance historian and tour guide. He has authored the Wegweiser: A self-guided tour of German-American sites in Indianapolis and Vonnegut's Walking tour of Indianapolis, as well as entries in The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis.
No July Meeting
Wednesday, August 14:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program, the Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band, led by Jeff Westfall.
IGHS welcomes an encore performance of the Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band, led by Jeff Westfall. The Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band was founded in 2014 with the mission to share our German musical heritage. Bring your friends to this delightful concert on the Auditorium Room.
Wednesday, September 11:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Lessons from Learning Abroad.
Each year, IGHS provides several scholarships to Indiana high school students participating in an approved study abroad program. Students participating in these programs will join us to talk about their experiences abroad and the lessons they learned. Please join us to hear about their adventures abroad. For questions contact Dr. Claudia Grossmann, (317) 274-3943, [email protected].
Wednesday, October 9:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The African Reich: Germans in Southern Africa presented by Nico Selm.
While often overshadowed by the exploits of the Britain, Spain, and France, Germany built a colonial empire of its own at the end of the 19th century. In the decades following unification, thousands of Germans settled in far-flung parts of Africa and brought with them institutions, ideas, and architecture from the Vaterland. They also brought with them high hopes and fabulous plans. Plans that, sadly, did not include the original inhabitants of their new colonies. The clash of cultures was brutal and cruel, and, at times, beautiful. Over a century after the dissolution of the German Empire, however, its legacy lives on in Southern Africa.
Nico Selm is a life-long participant in the Indianapolis German-American community, where he worked as a primary school teacher. In 2017, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa to teach and learn. During his two years in South Africa, he participated in and documented a vibrant German community in South Africa and Namibia.
Wednesday, November 13:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Stille Nacht — The Original presented by Stephen Scull, IGHS Board Member and retired German teacher from the Mount Pleasant Area School District in Pennsylvania.
The November Stammtisch presentation will be on the 200 Year Jubiläum of Stille Nacht (Silent Night) on Christmas Eve 2018 in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. This will include historical background on life in Oberndorf in 1818, the lyricist Joseph Mohr and composer Franz Xaver Gruber, and photos and videos from the observance.
Wednesday, December 11:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Weihnachtsliederkranz und Christbaumschmuckaustausch
2018
Wednesday, May 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The German language newspapers in Indiana presented by Mariam Aziz, President of the IUPUI German Club and Steven J. Schmidt, retired librarian from IUPUI and the Indiana State Library.
Wednesday, June 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Geoffrey Lapin will talk about the musical Schellschmidt family and its contribution to the culture of Indianapolis
July: no meeting
August: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Liederkranz Brass Band concert in the Athenaeum Biergarten
September: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: student presentations
October: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The advanced German class of Hamilton South Eastern High School will present their prepared paper on the beginning of the Turner movement, the Turners in Indianapolis leading up to the construction of Das Deutsche Haus, and the glorious years of Das Deutsche Haus until WWI.
November: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: program by Prof. Sondhaus of the University of Indianapolis on the centenary of the WWI armistice
December: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Advent program
2017
Wednesday, February 8: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Cologne and Indianapolis: Unlocking Opportunities for All presented by Mary Agnes Hylton. She will be explaining the programs and services that both library systems provide for their respective city’s immigrant and refugee populations. Ms. Hylton learned of Cologne’s response to this issue via the Stadtbibliothek Köln (Cologne City Library). In September/October 2016 she participated in the exchange program of the Indianapolis-Köln Sister City (Partnerstadt) program. With Germany in the news every day because of the Syrian refugee crisis, this is a very timely topic.
Mary Agnes Hylton is the Manager of the Indianapolis Public Library Eagle Branch, which serves a diverse immigrant population on the city’s west side. She hold degrees from Marietta College in her native Ohio and a Master’s of Library Science from Indiana University. She has been a librarian in the IPL system for thirty years and was preceded in the Köln program by Nicole James in 2012, who now works for SBK. This exchange is one of the benefits of the Partnerschaft relationship cultivated since the 1980s.
Wednesday, March 8: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Indiana Veneers Corporation, A German Indiana Story will be presented by Peter Georg Lorenz. Indiana Veneers is an Indiana company founded in 1892, but since the 1970s has been owned by the Lorenz family. The speaker’s father, a native of Silesia, learned woodworking in Frankfurt and eventually all aspects of the craft/industry. The IVC plant is a modern plant producing veneers for the world market. The machinery slices and peels logs into paper-thin sheets to be used on furniture and paneling. Many of the oak, walnut, cherry, maple, and hickory logs come from southern Indiana.
The speaker, Herr Lorenz is a graduate of Marian College. As vice president of IVC, he travels the world buying trees and selling veneers. He generously hosts field trips from schools, FFA conventions, and IUPUI.
Wednesday, April 12: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Readings by the Indiana Poets Laureate. Current Indiana Poet Laureate Shari Wagner and former Laureate (and IGHS Member) Norbert Krapf will give readings of their poems dealing with their Indiana German family history and German roots, followed by a question and answer period and book signing.
Norbert Krapf grew up in German Catholic Dubois Country and has traced his family roots back to villages in Lower Franconia. His mother's family immigrated to Dubois County in 1840 and his father's family in 1846. Norbert, an emeritus prof of English at Long Island Univ., served as Fulbright prof of American Poetry at the Universities of Freiburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg. His German roots figure in his many poetry collections such as “Somewhere in Southern Indiana," "Blue-eyed Grass: Poems of Germany," and "Bloodroot: Indiana Poems," his translations of Franconian legends in ""Beneath the Cherry Sapling," and "Finding the Grain: Pioneer German Journals and Letters from Dubois County, Indiana."
Shari Miller Wagner was born in Goshen, Indiana, and comes from a Swiss German Mennonite heritage. Her mother and father were born into the Mennonite community of LaGrange County, and some of her ancestors trace back to the Palatinate and Hesse regions of Germany. Shari includes poems about her Mennonite family background in her books, Evening Chore and The Harmonist at Nightfall: Poems of Indiana. Her poems have appeared in The Writer's Almanac, American Life in Poetry, and The Christian Century. She teaches poetry and memoir writing for the Indiana Writers Center.
Wednesday, May 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Dr. Karen Roesch will be presenting on Pastor Wyneken. More information to come.
Wednesday, June 21: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Monika Herzig and the Indiana Jazz Exchange with Cologne. Monika Herzig holds a Doctorate in Music Education with a focus on Jazz Studies from Indiana University where she is a Senior Lecturer in Arts Administration. She teaches courses on the Music Industry, Programming, and Arts Entrepreneurship. Her research focus is on jazz as a model for creativity and entrepreneurship with recent publication of her grant-supported project “The Jazz Jam Session Model for Group Creativity and Entrepreneurship” in the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Journal (MEIEA). She is also the author of David Baker – A Legacy in Music, published in 2011 by IU Press. Forthcoming is Experiencing Chick Corea with Rowan & Littlefield, 2017.
As a touring jazz artist, she has performed at many prestigious jazz clubs and festivals, such as the Indy Jazz Fest, Cleveland’s Nighttown, Louisville’s Jazz Factory, the W.C. Handy Festival, Jazz in July in Bloomington and Cincinnati, Columbus’ Jazz & Rib Fest, to name just a few. Awards include a 1994 Down Beat Magazine Award for Best Original Song, a Jazz Journalist Association Hero 2015 award, as well as grants from the NEA, the Indiana Arts Commission, MEIEA, among others. Her newest project “The Whole World in Her Hands” features the world’s leading female jazz instrumentalists. More info and sound samples at www.monikaherzig.com
Wednesday, September 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The German Pen Pal Exchange
7th and 8th grade students from the School for Community Learning, a small independent school dedicated to socially engaged education, began pen pal relationships with students from the Bayreuth Germany Real Schule in November of 2016. The students have been learning about German language and culture in extra-curricular activities for quite some time . In the summer of 2017 they traveled, with the financial help of IGHS, to Bayreuth to stay and travel with their pen pals for 10 days. It was a trip that shifted perspectives, enlivened history, enriched friendships, and created global citizens. Presenting students are : Marcela Harms - Rosales, Isabel Cloyd Annarino, Una Dunigan and Layth Abdulbari.
Wednesday, October 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Reformation, Luther, and Germans - James J. Divita, professor emeritus of history at Marian College (now University) in Indianapolis, has been an IGHS member since the mid-1980s and is presently an IGHS board member. Dr. Divita's presentation will entail marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation which traditionally begins with Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the castle chapel door in Wittenberg, Saxony, on 31 October 1517.
Wednesday, December 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The IGHS Advent Social will be held at popular request. The evening will include German seasonal refreshments of Gluhwein, Coffee, and baked treats. The program will consist of singing beloved Weihnachtslieder with accompaniment. Please bring a wrapped tree ornament (c. $5.00 value) and participate in the Christbaumschmuck exchange. This is an evening of fellowship and learn Weihnachtslieder. Warning: THERE WILL BE NO FROSTY DER SCHNEEMANN OR WHITE CHRISTMAS. THIS IS THE REAL STUFF!
For questions contact Ron Flick, [email protected]. As always, the programs are held at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. They are in English--free of charge and open to the public. Optional dinner and conversation at 6:30 p.m. with the program at 7:30 p.m. Dinner costs $15.00 per person (tax, non-alcoholic beverage, and gratuity included). Please respond with your plans for attendance to [email protected].
Other Programs:
Friday and Saturday March 17-18: the IGHS Annual Meeting at the Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati
Saturday, April 8: The Spring Meeting of the Indiana Chapter, Palatines to America at the Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio Street in Indianapolis. Dr. Roger Minert, internationally renowned genealogist and professor of religious education at Brigham Young University will be our speaker. He is widely recognized as one of the preeminent authorities in Germanic genealogy in the United States and this is only the second time that he has given presentations in Indiana in his career. He will be available to answer personal research questions. The order of registrations received will be used to determine the order for asking those questions. For registration information, please go to www.palam.org . If you have questions for Dr. Minert, send an e-mail to [email protected]
Friday, April 14, 10 a.m. German Good Friday Service at the Zion Church in Indianapolis. Zion Church is located at 603 North New Jersey Street, one block from the Athenaeum. For Info: 317-639-5411.
Saturday, April 22: St. Benno Fest
St. Benno and Herr Bock now welcome children to the festivities!!
http://www.athenaeumfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/15086_10202651820769931_1586331663_n.jpg
July Freudenfest
2016
Wednesday, February 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Martin Krause will speak about: “Gustave Baumann, German Craftsman-American Artist,” which is also the title of the exhibition I organized here at the IMA that runs through February 14. The presentation will trace Baumann’s career from his training as a woodblock printmaker in Munich, to his emergence into national prominence during his years in Brown County to his eminence as America’s foremost color woodblock printmaker after his move to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1918.
Martin Krause is the editor of the new publication, The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann and has been the Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the IMA for 38 years.
Wednesday, March 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Don Flick will speak about "Tracking Down the Yellow Brick Road: The Hidden Meaning Behind L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz". L. Frank Baum was an American author of German heritage, whose Wizard of Oz children's books have delighted generations. But was Baum's original intent of the story a political allegory about a Presidential election, one in which Midwestern German farmers played a pivotal role? Come see what a landmark 1964 journal essay by a New York high school history teacher suggested was the hidden meaning behind the story, and take part in the debate that it has caused ever since
Don Flick is a native of Jasper, Indiana where he grew up immersed in his German heritage. He is an architect and has been active in several historical organizations. He lives in the historic community of Irvington on the Eastside of Indianapolis where he is president of the local historical society.
Wednesday, April 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Nicholas K. Johnson will give a presentation on "Memorials and Memory: Reflections on Berlin's Contested pasts." His presentation explores a series of memorials in Berlin and how each of them exemplifies a particular aspect of how history is confronted in Berlin's public space. This includes both artistic and historical memorials to the Holocaust, victims of the Berlin Wall, and the soon-to-be-reconstructed Stadtschloss.
Nicholas K. Johnson is a third-year graduate student in IUPUI’s public history program. He recently spent a year with the Free University of Berlin’s public history program, where he worked on the SA Prison Papestrasse Memorial’s special exhibit “Traces of Violence.” Nick graduated from IUPUI in 2012 with a BA in History and German.
Wednesday, May 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
"Bohlen Architectural Firm Records Collection of the Indiana Historical Society". Jordan Ryan will discuss her newly processed Indiana Historical Society collection, the D.A. Bohlen Architectural Firm Records, ca. 1867-1978. This exciting collection spans four generations of the Bohlen family and 111 years of architectural records. The phrase, "A Bohlen on every block," referring to their popularity in Indianapolis, is reflected in the sheer scope of the collection, which encompasses roughly 175 individual buildings and multi-building campus projects. Known for designing such iconic Indianapolis buildings such as the City Market, Majestic Building, and Murat Temple, the firm also designed many educational, religious, and residential structures, both throughout the state of Indiana, as well as in Michigan and Illinois. Come listen to Ms. Ryan discuss the rewards and difficulties encountered in processing the collection, along with an overview of material available for research.
Jordan Ryan is completing her master's degree in IUPUI's public history program. Her thesis investigates Indianapolis demolition patterns of structures built between 1909 and 1924. She is currently working at the Indiana Historical Society in the library & collections department, processing architectural collections. Ms. Ryan has previously worked at the Department of Natural Resources-Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology under Special Initiatives and at Indiana Landmarks for the Central Regional Office's Preservation Services Division and the Heritage Information and Library Department.
Wednesday, June 8: Board Meeting, followed by a Tour of the Indiana Medical History Museum, 3045 West Vermont Street , Indianapolis, IN 46222
Come and join the Indiana German Heritage Society for a Summer evening cookout and tour of the Indiana Medical History Museum. The museum is located on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital on the near west side of Indianapolis. The museum is housed in the Old Pathology Building, the oldest surviving pathology facility in the nation. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The tour will begin at 7:30 and last approximately one hour. IGHS members and guests are welcome to attend the cookout featuring beer-basted bratwurst, sides, and soft drinks at 6:30 p.m. prior to the tour. Goodwill donations will be accepted to offset the cost of the dinner and tour. Parking is free. Contact Ron Flick at [email protected] for more information and directions to the museum.
Wednesday, August 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Kent Robinson will give a presentation about “Mein Jahr in Deutschland.” He will focus on highlights of the 9½ months in 2014 when he lived in ten different towns in Germany. They included towns of various sizes and he lived in most for a period of three to four weeks. The presentation will include information about preparing to leave home, planning the route and finding places to live, activities, experiences and photos of the various places he visited along the way.
Kent Robinson is an IGHS board member and a retired pharmacist. He had traveled to Germany six times over the years prior to this trip. He is also the past-president of the Indiana Chapter, Palatines to America which is a genealogical society researching German-speaking ancestors. He is currently writing a book about research he has done on his maternal grandfather’s German ancestry.
Wednesday, September 14 : Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Advancing Language and Cross-Cultural Skills: Lessons Learned Abroad: a presentation and panel discussion featuring participants including students from area high schools who received a scholarship from IGHS in support of their program abroad (GAPP High School Exchange in Germany, I.U. Honors Program in Graz, Austria), as well as college students from IUPUI and Marian University who participated in a study abroad program. The discussion will address the importance of intercultural learning, both here and abroad, with emphasis on global learning and civic engagement.
Wednesday, October 12: Board Meeting (No Stammtisch). Members are encouraged to attend German-American Day at Germanfest!
Wednesday, November 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Linda Frank will present German Christmas Wax Traditions. For a number of years she has set up her booth at the mini Christkindl Markt with the Nikolaus Fest. She has made herself a student of the German folk craft of molding wax ornaments. She makes the molds, melts the wax molds the wax and hand-paints the ornaments to perfection. Most of her finished products are tree ornaments, but some are wall plaques. Come and hear and see how she makes these exquisite authentic hand-crafted folk items.
Wednesday, December 14: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The IGHS Advent Social will be held at popular request. The evening will include German seasonal refreshments of Gluhwein, Coffee, and baked treats. The program will consist of singing beloved Weihnachtslieder with accompaniment. Please bring a wrapped tree ornament (c. $5.00 value) and participate in the Christbaumschmuck exchange. This is an evening of fellowship and learn Weihnachtslieder. Warning: THERE WILL BE NO FROSTY DER SCHNEEMANN OR WHITE CHRISTMAS. THIS IS THE REAL STUFF!
For questions contact Dr. Claudia Grossmann, (317) 274-3943, [email protected].
As always, the programs are held at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. They are in English--free of charge and open to the public. Optional dinner and conversation at 6:30 p.m. with the program at 7:30 p.m. Dinner costs $15.00 per person (tax, non-alcoholic beverage, and gratuity included). Please respond with your plans for attendance to secre[email protected].
OTHER PROGRAMS
Saturday, October 1, 2016: 10th Annual Taste the Difference / Indianapolis Sister Cities Festival. Why travel around the world, when you can sample dishes from at least five different continents at this year’s festival. This is the 10th year for the Taste the Difference Festival, and the first year in partnership with the Indianapolis Sister Cities. The festival will be held from 10:00 – 3:00 on Saturday, October 1st at Wineskins Ministry on West 38th Street. Parking is limited. Admission: General Public - $15; $5 for 3 – 12 years old; under 3 free.
October 2-8: German-American Week Film and lecture Series (See pages 14-15)
Saturday, October 8, 12-8 p.m. German-American Day at Germanfest at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan Street, Indianapolis - Wiener Dog races, Durstig Games, Bavarian Stone Lifting, Kinderland for Kids, Geman Food, Music & Beer and more. Get discount tickets online www.atfound.org Adults $8 - $10 at the door; Kids under 12 $2, $3 at the door.
Saturday, October 15: Palatines to America Fall Meeting at the Indiana Historical Society (See Page 13). For a flyer and registration information, go to www.palam.org
Saturday & Sunday, November 19th & 20th: Christkindlmarkt Ferdinand features over 200 lavishly decorated booths spilling over with quality hand-created items, antiques, art, Christmas wares, delicious regional food and wine, live entertainment, free concerts, free tours and so much more. For Info: http://www.ferdinandchristkindlmarkt.com/
November 10-12. The 40th Indianapolis International Festival will be held at the Blue Ribbon Pavilion, Indiana State Fairground, Indianapolis. (See Page 14) Purchase your tickets Online:
http://www.nationalitiescouncil.org/indy-international-festival
November 10-12 VonnegutFest: During the three day festival the city of Indianapolis embraces all things Vonnegut. (See Page 17) Info: www.vonnegutlibrary.org/events/vonnegutfest/.
Saturday, December 3, 9:40 a.m.: 8th Annual St. Nikolauslauf (5K run/walk) at the Athenaeum. For registration go to http://fun-races.com/calendar/ or https://secure.getmeregistered.com/ or contact Brian Griesemer at [email protected]
Sunday, September 4, 12-4 p.m.: St. Nikolaus Festival. Crafts, Gingerbread house making, singing, dancing, Adzooks Puppet Show, Court of St. Nikolaus. $8 Kids/ Adults free! Info and tickets: www.athfound.org
November 18 to December 24: 20th Annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. Inspired by the Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Christkindlmarkt Chicago brings a cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local charm to Chicago. This largest outdoor market in the Chicago Loop has become so popular and loved, it is no longer just a German tradition, it has become a Chicago institution. The unique shopping experience, typical German food and drinks, as well as diverse holiday entertainment, make the Christkindlmarkt Chicago a preferred and popular destination. Admission is FREE. For info: http://www.christkindlmarket.com/
Sunday, December 11, 3 p.m.: German Advent Service at Zion Church in Indianapolis - German language with easy to follow translation. Reception to follow! Zion Church is located at 603 North New Jersey Street, one block from the Athenaeum. Info: 317-639-5411
Wednesday, January 8: No Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program.
Wednesday, February 12: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Unearthly Nostalgia' for an American Childhood: Memory and Identity in the Art of Lyonel Feininger presented by Janice Miller. As a young man, German-American artist Lyonel Feininger (1871-1956) explored the streets of his native New York City, the ports along the Hudson River and the city’s towering skyline. Though he left to study in Hamburg, Germany in 1887, the scenes from his childhood continued to influence Feininger’s iconography and thematic investigations of urban life throughout his career. Today, Feininger is recognized primarily for his involvement in twentieth-century German avant-garde movements such as Expressionism and the Bauhaus School, as well as for his early work as a cartoonist for the Chicago Sunday Tribune. This presentation will examine Feininger’s American upbringing and its influence on his iconography and unique stylistic development as a German artist. It will also analyze the artist’s deeply problematic dual identities as German and American in an era of fervent anti-German sentiment in the United States. Janice Miller works at IUPUI, where she divides her time between the Max Kade German-American Center and teaching advanced courses on modern European art at the Herron School of Art and Design.
Wednesday, March 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: D.A. Bohlen & Son: Influential Architecture in Indianapolis & Saint Mary-of -the-Woods Historic District presented by James A. Glass, PhD. James Glass will review the four generations of Indianapolis architectural firm D.A. Bohlen & Son, in both Indianapolis and the campus of the Sisters of Providence in Vigo County. The firm was founded by immigrant Diedrich A. Bohlen from the Kingdom of Hannover. He arrived in Indianapolis a decade before the Civil War and was instrumental in transforming Indianapolis from a town into a thriving railroad city. Some Indianapolis Bohlen buildings include the Deutsche Allgemeine Waisen Haus, St. John Catholic Church, St. Joseph Catholic Church, City Market, and the Murat Shrine, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Dr James A. Glass has been studying the work of the Bohlen firm since 1976, when he served as the first staff historian to the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. After earning his Ph.D. in architectural history and historic preservation, he served as director of the State Historic Preservation Office and as director of the Ball State University Historic Preservation Program.
Wednesday, April 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Travis Jerde on German Park, German American Klub, and The Indianapolis Federations of German Societies. Travis Jerde and others will educate the audience on the origins of German Park and the organizations that own and operate the famous site on South Meridian Street.
Note: The April meeting of the IGHS Board of Directors, dinner, and the Stammtisch will take place at German American Klub, German Park, 8600 S. Meridian Street, Indianapolis.
1 May - Julia Whitehead
Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library
At the Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library 543 Indiana Ave
10 June - Don Flick
The Germantowns of Indiana
No meeting in July
12 August - Jeff Westfal
The Liederkranz Brass Band
9 Sept - Kaylee Crowell
Half Year in Heilbronn
Kaylee Crowell is an inspired IUPUI student. She is a double major in German and Biomedical Engineering. Kaylee spent an eventful half year in Heilbronn, the famous Swabian city in Baden-Württemberg, working in an internship through IUPUI. She was able to travel throughout Germany.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJckce6orTkpH9dTJH6Rca4wqVh1Jcu-lv7T
14 Oct - Giles Hoyt
German Roots of the "Kentucky" Rifle
One of the most important developments in American firearms is the so-called Kentucky Rifle. Its origins are actually in Pennsylvania, and Swiss and German immigrant gunsmiths were involved.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqcuyvqzIrHNBAY54myTsCPNe6vRJS3l7Y
11 Nov - Allison DePrey Singleton
Finding Your German Family History
Have you wanted to get started with your German family history and didn't know where to start? Join us on November 11th to learn the basics on working with your German family history research.
Allison DePrey Singleton, MA, MLS, is a librarian at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. As a part of her position at The Genealogy Center, Allison was a Co-Chair of the 2018 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference. She is also a Northeast Regional Co-Coordinator for the National History Day in Indiana. In addition to her employment activities, Allison is also on the board of the Indiana Genealogical Society and Indiana German Heritage Society.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvcOmppj8rHNAN10ifqVDsv1GQWt6kKIvb
9 Dec - Wilhelm Laut
Weihnachtsliederkranz
Brought back by popular demand, William Laut will lead and accompany us singing the BEST Christmas songs ever. Bring a wrapped Christmas ornament valued $5-10 in the basket and draw a different one to take home. German Refreshments will be served.
Please register in advance if you are going to attend virtually (no gift exchange):
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuc-uurTIvG9Nm8XQydLbjNpzHCHcolLSX
2019
Wednesday, March 13:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The History & Rehabilitation of the South Side Turnverein Hall presented by Architect Benjamin Ross of RATIO Architects.
The presentation will provide an overview of the history and significance of the South Side Turnverein Hall and information on the building’s comprehensive 2017-2018 rehabilitation for a preservation-minded new owner.”
Benjamin Ross has degrees in architecture, with a focus on historic preservation and sustainable design, and has been a historic preservation specialist with RATIO for the last 11 years. Ben works with a wide range of clients on projects to maintain and revitalize historic buildings and communities. Ben’s experience includes scholarly research, planning, design, and implementation for restoration, revitalization, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse projects. He has many German-American ancestors, the earliest coming from Thuringia in 1738 and the most recent from Baden in 1880.”
Wednesday, April 10:
Stammtisch and Program: German Cities, Jewish Spaces: Belonging, Sociability, & Cultural Transformation in the early 19th Century by Dr. Simone Lässig, Director, German Historical Institute, Washington DC.
Dr. Simone Lässig is the director of the German Historical Institute Washington, DC and a cultural and social historian of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She obtained her PhD from the Pedagogical University of Dresden for her thesis on "Military Political action of social democracy in Eastern Saxony". In 2003 she completed a study on the "gentrification of Jews in Germany" and received the 2004 Habilitation prize of the German Historians Association.
The April program will be held in the IUPUI Campus Center, Room 305, starting at 6 pm.
Details on the time and place of the April board meeting will be sent out by email following the annual meeting.
Wednesday, May 8:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The History and Restoration of St. Mary Catholic Church in Lockerbie by Jim Kienle and Jim Divita.
St. Mary's Catholic Church (St. Marienkirche) is a Roman Catholic Church situated in historic Lockerbie Square, which in its early years was known as Germantown, due to the numerous German immigrants living in the district starting in 1849. The German-speaking parish built their first church in 1858 to serve the city's growing German Catholic population. The present church at the corner of New Jersey and Vermont streets was completed in 1912. Designed by German-born architect Hermann J. Gaul in the late Gothic Revival style, it follows a cruciform plan modeled after the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently undergoing restoration.
Preservation Architecture Consultant, James Kienle, has spent the majority of his more than 45 year architectural career specializing in preservation design; bringing new life to historic structures, campuses and urban environments. In 2016, he retired from Moody Nolan Inc., where he served as the Director of the Historic Preservation Studio. In recognition of his work in Preservation Design, he was elevated to the American Institute of Architects’ esteemed College of Fellows and Governor Frank O’Bannon awarded him the Sagamore of the Wabash for his pioneering work in Indiana Historic Preservation. He lives in an 1872 house that he restored in 1976 in Lockerbie Square.
James Divita, professor emeritus of history at Marian University in Indianapolis, has been an IGHS member since the mid-1980s and is presently an IGHS board member. His mother’s ancestors originated in West Preussen and settled in Chicago in the 1880s. He earned the Ph.D. in modern European history at the University of Chicago and taught at Marian for over 40 years. His research interest is in local ethnic and religious history. He has written a dozen Catholic congregational histories, and many journal, newspaper, and newsletter articles over the years. His most recent articles are on the origins of German religion in Indianapolis: the Catholic one stresses the development of St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes, the Protestant one on the beginnings of Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ and the two Missouri Synod Lutheran churches, St. Paul’s on Indianapolis’ southside and Zion Evangelical Lutheran in Hancock County.
Wednesday, June 8:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Germans in the New World of Indiana presented by William Selm.
The Germans arrived in the Indiana as pioneers and confronted the conditions of the wilderness. In the case of the Harmonists/Rappites, they carved out a religious communal colony in the wilds of Posey County on the banks of the Wabash. Soon after in the 1830s Indiana was flooded with land-hungry Germans seeking farmland and creating their own villages and towns such as Oldenburg and Ferdinand where they found opportunities working as craftsmen and merchants in these communities. Throughout the state growing rural communities founded more towns such as Hessen Cassel, Bingen, Darmstadt, Berne, and Hamburg.
William Selm is a co-founder of IGHS and the Athenaeum Foundation, the last historian of the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission, adjunct faculty member for IUPUI, free-lance historian and tour guide. He has authored the Wegweiser: A self-guided tour of German-American sites in Indianapolis and Vonnegut's Walking tour of Indianapolis, as well as entries in The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis.
No July Meeting
Wednesday, August 14:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program, the Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band, led by Jeff Westfall.
IGHS welcomes an encore performance of the Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band, led by Jeff Westfall. The Indianapolis Liederkranz Brass Band was founded in 2014 with the mission to share our German musical heritage. Bring your friends to this delightful concert on the Auditorium Room.
Wednesday, September 11:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Lessons from Learning Abroad.
Each year, IGHS provides several scholarships to Indiana high school students participating in an approved study abroad program. Students participating in these programs will join us to talk about their experiences abroad and the lessons they learned. Please join us to hear about their adventures abroad. For questions contact Dr. Claudia Grossmann, (317) 274-3943, [email protected].
Wednesday, October 9:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The African Reich: Germans in Southern Africa presented by Nico Selm.
While often overshadowed by the exploits of the Britain, Spain, and France, Germany built a colonial empire of its own at the end of the 19th century. In the decades following unification, thousands of Germans settled in far-flung parts of Africa and brought with them institutions, ideas, and architecture from the Vaterland. They also brought with them high hopes and fabulous plans. Plans that, sadly, did not include the original inhabitants of their new colonies. The clash of cultures was brutal and cruel, and, at times, beautiful. Over a century after the dissolution of the German Empire, however, its legacy lives on in Southern Africa.
Nico Selm is a life-long participant in the Indianapolis German-American community, where he worked as a primary school teacher. In 2017, he moved to Cape Town, South Africa to teach and learn. During his two years in South Africa, he participated in and documented a vibrant German community in South Africa and Namibia.
Wednesday, November 13:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Stille Nacht — The Original presented by Stephen Scull, IGHS Board Member and retired German teacher from the Mount Pleasant Area School District in Pennsylvania.
The November Stammtisch presentation will be on the 200 Year Jubiläum of Stille Nacht (Silent Night) on Christmas Eve 2018 in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. This will include historical background on life in Oberndorf in 1818, the lyricist Joseph Mohr and composer Franz Xaver Gruber, and photos and videos from the observance.
Wednesday, December 11:
Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Weihnachtsliederkranz und Christbaumschmuckaustausch
2018
Wednesday, May 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The German language newspapers in Indiana presented by Mariam Aziz, President of the IUPUI German Club and Steven J. Schmidt, retired librarian from IUPUI and the Indiana State Library.
Wednesday, June 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Geoffrey Lapin will talk about the musical Schellschmidt family and its contribution to the culture of Indianapolis
July: no meeting
August: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Liederkranz Brass Band concert in the Athenaeum Biergarten
September: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: student presentations
October: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The advanced German class of Hamilton South Eastern High School will present their prepared paper on the beginning of the Turner movement, the Turners in Indianapolis leading up to the construction of Das Deutsche Haus, and the glorious years of Das Deutsche Haus until WWI.
November: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: program by Prof. Sondhaus of the University of Indianapolis on the centenary of the WWI armistice
December: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Advent program
2017
Wednesday, February 8: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Cologne and Indianapolis: Unlocking Opportunities for All presented by Mary Agnes Hylton. She will be explaining the programs and services that both library systems provide for their respective city’s immigrant and refugee populations. Ms. Hylton learned of Cologne’s response to this issue via the Stadtbibliothek Köln (Cologne City Library). In September/October 2016 she participated in the exchange program of the Indianapolis-Köln Sister City (Partnerstadt) program. With Germany in the news every day because of the Syrian refugee crisis, this is a very timely topic.
Mary Agnes Hylton is the Manager of the Indianapolis Public Library Eagle Branch, which serves a diverse immigrant population on the city’s west side. She hold degrees from Marietta College in her native Ohio and a Master’s of Library Science from Indiana University. She has been a librarian in the IPL system for thirty years and was preceded in the Köln program by Nicole James in 2012, who now works for SBK. This exchange is one of the benefits of the Partnerschaft relationship cultivated since the 1980s.
Wednesday, March 8: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Indiana Veneers Corporation, A German Indiana Story will be presented by Peter Georg Lorenz. Indiana Veneers is an Indiana company founded in 1892, but since the 1970s has been owned by the Lorenz family. The speaker’s father, a native of Silesia, learned woodworking in Frankfurt and eventually all aspects of the craft/industry. The IVC plant is a modern plant producing veneers for the world market. The machinery slices and peels logs into paper-thin sheets to be used on furniture and paneling. Many of the oak, walnut, cherry, maple, and hickory logs come from southern Indiana.
The speaker, Herr Lorenz is a graduate of Marian College. As vice president of IVC, he travels the world buying trees and selling veneers. He generously hosts field trips from schools, FFA conventions, and IUPUI.
Wednesday, April 12: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Readings by the Indiana Poets Laureate. Current Indiana Poet Laureate Shari Wagner and former Laureate (and IGHS Member) Norbert Krapf will give readings of their poems dealing with their Indiana German family history and German roots, followed by a question and answer period and book signing.
Norbert Krapf grew up in German Catholic Dubois Country and has traced his family roots back to villages in Lower Franconia. His mother's family immigrated to Dubois County in 1840 and his father's family in 1846. Norbert, an emeritus prof of English at Long Island Univ., served as Fulbright prof of American Poetry at the Universities of Freiburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg. His German roots figure in his many poetry collections such as “Somewhere in Southern Indiana," "Blue-eyed Grass: Poems of Germany," and "Bloodroot: Indiana Poems," his translations of Franconian legends in ""Beneath the Cherry Sapling," and "Finding the Grain: Pioneer German Journals and Letters from Dubois County, Indiana."
Shari Miller Wagner was born in Goshen, Indiana, and comes from a Swiss German Mennonite heritage. Her mother and father were born into the Mennonite community of LaGrange County, and some of her ancestors trace back to the Palatinate and Hesse regions of Germany. Shari includes poems about her Mennonite family background in her books, Evening Chore and The Harmonist at Nightfall: Poems of Indiana. Her poems have appeared in The Writer's Almanac, American Life in Poetry, and The Christian Century. She teaches poetry and memoir writing for the Indiana Writers Center.
Wednesday, May 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Dr. Karen Roesch will be presenting on Pastor Wyneken. More information to come.
Wednesday, June 21: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Monika Herzig and the Indiana Jazz Exchange with Cologne. Monika Herzig holds a Doctorate in Music Education with a focus on Jazz Studies from Indiana University where she is a Senior Lecturer in Arts Administration. She teaches courses on the Music Industry, Programming, and Arts Entrepreneurship. Her research focus is on jazz as a model for creativity and entrepreneurship with recent publication of her grant-supported project “The Jazz Jam Session Model for Group Creativity and Entrepreneurship” in the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Journal (MEIEA). She is also the author of David Baker – A Legacy in Music, published in 2011 by IU Press. Forthcoming is Experiencing Chick Corea with Rowan & Littlefield, 2017.
As a touring jazz artist, she has performed at many prestigious jazz clubs and festivals, such as the Indy Jazz Fest, Cleveland’s Nighttown, Louisville’s Jazz Factory, the W.C. Handy Festival, Jazz in July in Bloomington and Cincinnati, Columbus’ Jazz & Rib Fest, to name just a few. Awards include a 1994 Down Beat Magazine Award for Best Original Song, a Jazz Journalist Association Hero 2015 award, as well as grants from the NEA, the Indiana Arts Commission, MEIEA, among others. Her newest project “The Whole World in Her Hands” features the world’s leading female jazz instrumentalists. More info and sound samples at www.monikaherzig.com
Wednesday, September 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The German Pen Pal Exchange
7th and 8th grade students from the School for Community Learning, a small independent school dedicated to socially engaged education, began pen pal relationships with students from the Bayreuth Germany Real Schule in November of 2016. The students have been learning about German language and culture in extra-curricular activities for quite some time . In the summer of 2017 they traveled, with the financial help of IGHS, to Bayreuth to stay and travel with their pen pals for 10 days. It was a trip that shifted perspectives, enlivened history, enriched friendships, and created global citizens. Presenting students are : Marcela Harms - Rosales, Isabel Cloyd Annarino, Una Dunigan and Layth Abdulbari.
Wednesday, October 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Reformation, Luther, and Germans - James J. Divita, professor emeritus of history at Marian College (now University) in Indianapolis, has been an IGHS member since the mid-1980s and is presently an IGHS board member. Dr. Divita's presentation will entail marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation which traditionally begins with Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses on the castle chapel door in Wittenberg, Saxony, on 31 October 1517.
Wednesday, December 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The IGHS Advent Social will be held at popular request. The evening will include German seasonal refreshments of Gluhwein, Coffee, and baked treats. The program will consist of singing beloved Weihnachtslieder with accompaniment. Please bring a wrapped tree ornament (c. $5.00 value) and participate in the Christbaumschmuck exchange. This is an evening of fellowship and learn Weihnachtslieder. Warning: THERE WILL BE NO FROSTY DER SCHNEEMANN OR WHITE CHRISTMAS. THIS IS THE REAL STUFF!
For questions contact Ron Flick, [email protected]. As always, the programs are held at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. They are in English--free of charge and open to the public. Optional dinner and conversation at 6:30 p.m. with the program at 7:30 p.m. Dinner costs $15.00 per person (tax, non-alcoholic beverage, and gratuity included). Please respond with your plans for attendance to [email protected].
Other Programs:
Friday and Saturday March 17-18: the IGHS Annual Meeting at the Mecklenburg Gardens in Cincinnati
Saturday, April 8: The Spring Meeting of the Indiana Chapter, Palatines to America at the Indiana Historical Society, 450 W. Ohio Street in Indianapolis. Dr. Roger Minert, internationally renowned genealogist and professor of religious education at Brigham Young University will be our speaker. He is widely recognized as one of the preeminent authorities in Germanic genealogy in the United States and this is only the second time that he has given presentations in Indiana in his career. He will be available to answer personal research questions. The order of registrations received will be used to determine the order for asking those questions. For registration information, please go to www.palam.org . If you have questions for Dr. Minert, send an e-mail to [email protected]
Friday, April 14, 10 a.m. German Good Friday Service at the Zion Church in Indianapolis. Zion Church is located at 603 North New Jersey Street, one block from the Athenaeum. For Info: 317-639-5411.
Saturday, April 22: St. Benno Fest
St. Benno and Herr Bock now welcome children to the festivities!!
http://www.athenaeumfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/15086_10202651820769931_1586331663_n.jpg
July Freudenfest
2016
Wednesday, February 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Martin Krause will speak about: “Gustave Baumann, German Craftsman-American Artist,” which is also the title of the exhibition I organized here at the IMA that runs through February 14. The presentation will trace Baumann’s career from his training as a woodblock printmaker in Munich, to his emergence into national prominence during his years in Brown County to his eminence as America’s foremost color woodblock printmaker after his move to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1918.
Martin Krause is the editor of the new publication, The Autobiography of Gustave Baumann and has been the Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the IMA for 38 years.
Wednesday, March 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Don Flick will speak about "Tracking Down the Yellow Brick Road: The Hidden Meaning Behind L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz". L. Frank Baum was an American author of German heritage, whose Wizard of Oz children's books have delighted generations. But was Baum's original intent of the story a political allegory about a Presidential election, one in which Midwestern German farmers played a pivotal role? Come see what a landmark 1964 journal essay by a New York high school history teacher suggested was the hidden meaning behind the story, and take part in the debate that it has caused ever since
Don Flick is a native of Jasper, Indiana where he grew up immersed in his German heritage. He is an architect and has been active in several historical organizations. He lives in the historic community of Irvington on the Eastside of Indianapolis where he is president of the local historical society.
Wednesday, April 13: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Nicholas K. Johnson will give a presentation on "Memorials and Memory: Reflections on Berlin's Contested pasts." His presentation explores a series of memorials in Berlin and how each of them exemplifies a particular aspect of how history is confronted in Berlin's public space. This includes both artistic and historical memorials to the Holocaust, victims of the Berlin Wall, and the soon-to-be-reconstructed Stadtschloss.
Nicholas K. Johnson is a third-year graduate student in IUPUI’s public history program. He recently spent a year with the Free University of Berlin’s public history program, where he worked on the SA Prison Papestrasse Memorial’s special exhibit “Traces of Violence.” Nick graduated from IUPUI in 2012 with a BA in History and German.
Wednesday, May 11: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
"Bohlen Architectural Firm Records Collection of the Indiana Historical Society". Jordan Ryan will discuss her newly processed Indiana Historical Society collection, the D.A. Bohlen Architectural Firm Records, ca. 1867-1978. This exciting collection spans four generations of the Bohlen family and 111 years of architectural records. The phrase, "A Bohlen on every block," referring to their popularity in Indianapolis, is reflected in the sheer scope of the collection, which encompasses roughly 175 individual buildings and multi-building campus projects. Known for designing such iconic Indianapolis buildings such as the City Market, Majestic Building, and Murat Temple, the firm also designed many educational, religious, and residential structures, both throughout the state of Indiana, as well as in Michigan and Illinois. Come listen to Ms. Ryan discuss the rewards and difficulties encountered in processing the collection, along with an overview of material available for research.
Jordan Ryan is completing her master's degree in IUPUI's public history program. Her thesis investigates Indianapolis demolition patterns of structures built between 1909 and 1924. She is currently working at the Indiana Historical Society in the library & collections department, processing architectural collections. Ms. Ryan has previously worked at the Department of Natural Resources-Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology under Special Initiatives and at Indiana Landmarks for the Central Regional Office's Preservation Services Division and the Heritage Information and Library Department.
Wednesday, June 8: Board Meeting, followed by a Tour of the Indiana Medical History Museum, 3045 West Vermont Street , Indianapolis, IN 46222
Come and join the Indiana German Heritage Society for a Summer evening cookout and tour of the Indiana Medical History Museum. The museum is located on the grounds of the former Central State Hospital on the near west side of Indianapolis. The museum is housed in the Old Pathology Building, the oldest surviving pathology facility in the nation. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The tour will begin at 7:30 and last approximately one hour. IGHS members and guests are welcome to attend the cookout featuring beer-basted bratwurst, sides, and soft drinks at 6:30 p.m. prior to the tour. Goodwill donations will be accepted to offset the cost of the dinner and tour. Parking is free. Contact Ron Flick at [email protected] for more information and directions to the museum.
Wednesday, August 10: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Kent Robinson will give a presentation about “Mein Jahr in Deutschland.” He will focus on highlights of the 9½ months in 2014 when he lived in ten different towns in Germany. They included towns of various sizes and he lived in most for a period of three to four weeks. The presentation will include information about preparing to leave home, planning the route and finding places to live, activities, experiences and photos of the various places he visited along the way.
Kent Robinson is an IGHS board member and a retired pharmacist. He had traveled to Germany six times over the years prior to this trip. He is also the past-president of the Indiana Chapter, Palatines to America which is a genealogical society researching German-speaking ancestors. He is currently writing a book about research he has done on his maternal grandfather’s German ancestry.
Wednesday, September 14 : Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program
Advancing Language and Cross-Cultural Skills: Lessons Learned Abroad: a presentation and panel discussion featuring participants including students from area high schools who received a scholarship from IGHS in support of their program abroad (GAPP High School Exchange in Germany, I.U. Honors Program in Graz, Austria), as well as college students from IUPUI and Marian University who participated in a study abroad program. The discussion will address the importance of intercultural learning, both here and abroad, with emphasis on global learning and civic engagement.
Wednesday, October 12: Board Meeting (No Stammtisch). Members are encouraged to attend German-American Day at Germanfest!
Wednesday, November 9: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: Linda Frank will present German Christmas Wax Traditions. For a number of years she has set up her booth at the mini Christkindl Markt with the Nikolaus Fest. She has made herself a student of the German folk craft of molding wax ornaments. She makes the molds, melts the wax molds the wax and hand-paints the ornaments to perfection. Most of her finished products are tree ornaments, but some are wall plaques. Come and hear and see how she makes these exquisite authentic hand-crafted folk items.
Wednesday, December 14: Board Meeting, Stammtisch and Program: The IGHS Advent Social will be held at popular request. The evening will include German seasonal refreshments of Gluhwein, Coffee, and baked treats. The program will consist of singing beloved Weihnachtslieder with accompaniment. Please bring a wrapped tree ornament (c. $5.00 value) and participate in the Christbaumschmuck exchange. This is an evening of fellowship and learn Weihnachtslieder. Warning: THERE WILL BE NO FROSTY DER SCHNEEMANN OR WHITE CHRISTMAS. THIS IS THE REAL STUFF!
For questions contact Dr. Claudia Grossmann, (317) 274-3943, [email protected].
As always, the programs are held at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis. They are in English--free of charge and open to the public. Optional dinner and conversation at 6:30 p.m. with the program at 7:30 p.m. Dinner costs $15.00 per person (tax, non-alcoholic beverage, and gratuity included). Please respond with your plans for attendance to secre[email protected].
OTHER PROGRAMS
Saturday, October 1, 2016: 10th Annual Taste the Difference / Indianapolis Sister Cities Festival. Why travel around the world, when you can sample dishes from at least five different continents at this year’s festival. This is the 10th year for the Taste the Difference Festival, and the first year in partnership with the Indianapolis Sister Cities. The festival will be held from 10:00 – 3:00 on Saturday, October 1st at Wineskins Ministry on West 38th Street. Parking is limited. Admission: General Public - $15; $5 for 3 – 12 years old; under 3 free.
October 2-8: German-American Week Film and lecture Series (See pages 14-15)
Saturday, October 8, 12-8 p.m. German-American Day at Germanfest at the Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan Street, Indianapolis - Wiener Dog races, Durstig Games, Bavarian Stone Lifting, Kinderland for Kids, Geman Food, Music & Beer and more. Get discount tickets online www.atfound.org Adults $8 - $10 at the door; Kids under 12 $2, $3 at the door.
Saturday, October 15: Palatines to America Fall Meeting at the Indiana Historical Society (See Page 13). For a flyer and registration information, go to www.palam.org
Saturday & Sunday, November 19th & 20th: Christkindlmarkt Ferdinand features over 200 lavishly decorated booths spilling over with quality hand-created items, antiques, art, Christmas wares, delicious regional food and wine, live entertainment, free concerts, free tours and so much more. For Info: http://www.ferdinandchristkindlmarkt.com/
November 10-12. The 40th Indianapolis International Festival will be held at the Blue Ribbon Pavilion, Indiana State Fairground, Indianapolis. (See Page 14) Purchase your tickets Online:
http://www.nationalitiescouncil.org/indy-international-festival
November 10-12 VonnegutFest: During the three day festival the city of Indianapolis embraces all things Vonnegut. (See Page 17) Info: www.vonnegutlibrary.org/events/vonnegutfest/.
Saturday, December 3, 9:40 a.m.: 8th Annual St. Nikolauslauf (5K run/walk) at the Athenaeum. For registration go to http://fun-races.com/calendar/ or https://secure.getmeregistered.com/ or contact Brian Griesemer at [email protected]
Sunday, September 4, 12-4 p.m.: St. Nikolaus Festival. Crafts, Gingerbread house making, singing, dancing, Adzooks Puppet Show, Court of St. Nikolaus. $8 Kids/ Adults free! Info and tickets: www.athfound.org
November 18 to December 24: 20th Annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. Inspired by the Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany, which began in 1545, the Christkindlmarkt Chicago brings a cherished German and European tradition with international flair and local charm to Chicago. This largest outdoor market in the Chicago Loop has become so popular and loved, it is no longer just a German tradition, it has become a Chicago institution. The unique shopping experience, typical German food and drinks, as well as diverse holiday entertainment, make the Christkindlmarkt Chicago a preferred and popular destination. Admission is FREE. For info: http://www.christkindlmarket.com/
Sunday, December 11, 3 p.m.: German Advent Service at Zion Church in Indianapolis - German language with easy to follow translation. Reception to follow! Zion Church is located at 603 North New Jersey Street, one block from the Athenaeum. Info: 317-639-5411