Upcoming events and calendar
INDIANA GERMAN HERITAGE SOCIETY CALENDAR
STAMMTISCH AND PROGRAMS - Check back for updates! We meet the second Wednesday of every month for in-person and/or virtual program. Please register in advance! 2024 Upcoming Programs Wednesday 14 February: 140 years - Lutheran Child & Family Services in Indianapolis Sven Schumacher, Executive Director of Lutheran Child & Family Services in Indianapolis, will present on the 150 years of this Lutheran institution. It was founded in 1883 as the Evangelische Lutherische Waisenhaus Gesellschaft. It followed the lead of the General German Protestant Orphans Association two decades before. The Lutheran orphanage was founded and supported initially by St. Paul and Trinity Lutheran Churches, both Missouri-Synod parishes in Indianapolis, The first facility was built at 3310 East Washington Street, but since the 1950s it has been on Ritter Avenue. Herr Schumacher is active with Indianapolis-Köln Committee and also serves as the honorable Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany. ZOOM LINK Wednesday 13 March: Apprenticeship with Endress & Hauser Derrik Muth will present on his apprenticeship with Endress & Hauser in its manufacturing facility in Greenwood. It is based in Basel, Switzerland and is a supplier of measurement and automation technology for process and laboratory. The firm was founded in 1953. ZOOM LINK Wednesday 10 April: The German Market Gardeners of Bluff Road Bluff Road, located on the south side of Indianapolis, became synonymous with German market gardening in the first half of the twentieth century. The success of the market gardening technique, introduced by German immigrants to Marion County in the mid-nineteenth century, is characterized by narrow tracts of land, often with greenhouses, farmed by generations of family residences. The success of these gardens eventually propelled Marion County to the top of the list of producers of vegetables in Indiana and placed the county among the top producers in the nation for greenhouse crops like tomatoes and lettuce. This presentation will examine the history of the Bluff Road Historic District, a collection of German market gardens, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on 1 September 2023. Many of the Bluff Road farmers were members of the Deutsche Gärtners Unterstützungs Verein von Indianapolis. Bethany Natali is a historian with Weintraut & Associates (W&A) and will be presenting “The German Market Gardeners of Bluff Road.” Since joining W&A in 2009, she has worked on local, state, and federally-sponsored projects in 56 of Indiana’s 92 counties. She has co-authored five National Register nominations and has also written and edited publications for the Indiana Supreme Court, Indiana Historical Society, and the Association for Documentary Editing. She received an M.A. in History from the IUPUI Public History program and her B.A. in History & Political Science from Anderson University. ZOOM LINK Wednesday 8 May: The History of Von Duprin Company of Indianapolis The story of how the Von Duprin Panic Bar hardware is quite interesting. It was invented in the wake of the catastrophic 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire in Chicago that claimed 602 lives. Carl Prinzler, the “prin” of Von Duprin, was an employee of Vonnegut Hardware Company (the “Von” of Von Duprin) was instrumental in the development of the panic bar. The Athenaeum is fitted with Von Duprin panic bars and while leading a tour of the building and noting the panic bars, Marcia met a retired employee of Von Duprin who provided valuable insights into the company and its famous product. Marcia Gascho will be presenting “The History of Von Duprin Company of Indianapolis” and is a native of South Dakota who has been an Indianapolis resident since 1980. She was awarded a B.A. in German by Uni Alabama Huntsville and has been giving tours at the Athenaeum and Christkindlmarkt for over 5 years. She is a IGHS board member and has immersed herself in the people and culture of Das Deutsche Haus. ZOOM LINK Wednesday 12 June: Wegweiser: German place Names in Indiana William L. Selm will present this topic on the German origins of towns and villages in the state which are named for places in German-speaking Europe such as Oldenburg in Franklin County, Berne in Adams County, and Vienna in Scott County. Many more towns and villages were founded by Germans (or German Swiss) such as Tell City and Ferdinand, but these place names are not on a map of Europe. William L. Selm is an Indianapolis historian with roots in Franklin County, IN. He is a co-founder of the IGHS. ZOOM LINK All Stammtisch programs are presented in English, are free of charge, open to the everyone, Programs begin at 7:30 PM. Please register in advance for each Zoom session, or just join us in person. Registration is required for all Zoom events. Use the links above to register in advance for each program. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. OTHER PROGRAMS: July 12 & 13 2024: Oldenburg Freudenfest
Celebrate the German heritage of the Village of Spires. Friday 12 July is the warm up party. Saturday at Noon the fest opens with music, games, Lauf, hike, etc. www.freudenfest.com. |