Ste. Genevieve Museum Learning Center presents an encore presentation of New Offenburg , The Last Badeners in the USA. On August 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Orris Theater. This film and program were presented earlier this year to a packed house.
New Offenburg got its name from Offenburg, a city in Germany located between the Black Forest and the Rhine River.
Today, there are descendants of those early German immigrants who still speak a special German dialect from the Baden region, along with American English. People in nearby places like Weingarten and Zell also speak this Baden dialect.
German documentary filmmaker Johannes Suhm shot this documentary that explores the lives of these residents and their connection to their German heritage.
Bob Mueller, Ste. Genevieve’s local historian, will be the presenter and you won’t want to miss his slide show—-bring your camera as he has a slide that illustrates when families arrived in this area from Germany — OKENFUSS’S, WEILER’S, GEGG’S, NAEGER’S, TRAUTMAN’S—some surprises on who was here first. Great presentation that will help you understand where our ancestors lived in Germany, what gave them incentive to come to America and WHY Ste. Genevieve, Zell, Weingarten, New Offenburg.
The program is sponsored by Parmer Refinishes and Sand Blasting, and is free to museum members, otherwise, admission will apply.