THE VIGILANT - Hermann Monument Society

The Vigilant Vol.1.3 (Dec 2012)
December 2012
Volume 1, Issue 3
T HE V IGILANT
Newsletter of The Hermann Monument Society
P.O. Box 643 10 Monument Street New Ulm, MN 546073 USA
http://www.hermannmonument.com/
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Recent Donations to the
HMS Archives
Recent Donations to HMS
By Keith C. Wessel
As the members of the HMS Board convened for their
November meeting, those in attendance were privileged and delighted to view new donations to the HMS
archives from Mr. Gordon Dey of New Ulm. These fine
specimens are truly treasures, and will, most likely,
find a permanent home in the monument’s Interpretive Center, located in the base of the Hermann monument.
The collection is delineated (with in the following
thank-you letter from Board member George Glotzbach to the donor:
25 Oktober 2012
1,3
Thusnelda: A Brief History
2
The Defenders: Memories of 1862
3
Notes and News
4
HMS Annual Meeting
Thursday January 24, 2012
TEMBER , 1897." ("Enthullung" translates to
"unveiled"; O.D.H.S. is the abbreviation for the Order of
Hermann’s Sons.)
2. Plate, ceramic, 6 1/4" in diameter, image of Hermann
Monument in color labeled "NATIONAL HERMANN'S MONUMENT, NEW ULM, MINN." on the obverse; on the reverse
labeled "Wheelock China, Made in Austria for Charles
Fiedler, New Ulm, Minn."
Lieber Gordon:
Vielen, vielen Dank for your generous gift of Hermann
memorabilia to the Hermann Monument Society. These are all historically important and valuable. They will be treasured, and undoubtedly put on
exhibit in the Monument's
Interpretive Center in for
years to come:
1. Ribbon, 9" long, 2 1/2"
wide black, red, gold cloth
with crossed American and
German flags, with golden
clasp and golden fringe, complete with original manufacturer's label, entitled
"HERMANNS DENKMAL ENTHULLUNG, O.D.H.S., NEW
ULM, MINNESOTA, 25, SEP-
(More photos and captions on page 3)
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The Vigilant Vol.1.3 (Dec 2012)
HMS Board of Directors
Executive Director
Chairman
Treasurer
Park & Rec Liaison
Members at Large
against Hermann. In league with Rome the father betrays the cause of liberty and hands his pregnant
daughter over to the Roman General Germanicus.
Wendy Enter
Tom Furth
The trio of principals in
the story suffers tragic
ends. Thusnelda is
dragged off to Rome, never to see Hermann again.
The captive princess is
put on display as a trophy
of war in a Roman victory
parade. In captivity she
bares Hermann’s child
and dies despondent in
Rome. The son becomes a
Roman gladiator and
meets a gladiator’s fate in
the arena. Up north, Hermann is caught in the
throes of inter-tribal warfare. His countrymen kill
the thirty-some year old
leader with a stab in the
back for allegedly seeking
to amass power.
Susan Fix
Tom Schmitz
Arlon Schmid
Terry Dempsey
Denny Warta
George Glotzbach
Konnie Bartels
Brian Filzen
Keith Wessel
Thusnelda
By A.J. Koelpin
Hermann and Thusnelda – the names already have the
ring of a real-life story, a heroic drama, an epic movie
of ethnic proportions. The story’s setting is huge and
auspicious. The Roman Empire is at an imperial
height. Rome controls the Mediterranean world and
West Europe from Spain to Britain. The shadow of the
Roman eagle is spreading over the Germanic tribes of
Central Europe.
Thusnelda
Statue of a Barbarian prisoner, socalled Thusnelda”. Marble, Roman
artwork of the period of Trajan or
Hadrian (2nd century CE) with
modern restorations. Found in
Rome; in the Capranica della Valle
Collection, 1541; at the Villa
Medicis in Rome, 1584; in
Florence since 1787, installed at
the Loggia dei Lanzi in 1789.
There, in the northern wilds, a German chieftain’s son
is caught in the whirl of political intrigue. Hermann the
Cheruscan follows his heart and chooses national loyalty over official duty. Trained as an auxiliary officer in
the Roman legions, he turncoats against Rome and
rallies a rag-tag German tribal army in defense of his
homeland. In a stunning victory Hermann routs three
elite Roman legions on German soil. The defeat of the
Roman superpower in 9 A.D. at the battle of Teutoburg
Forest signals a significant turning point in Europe’s
continental development. The Roman Caesar abruptly
abandons the conquest of Central Europe. Germanic
peoples now develop their lands and culture independent of Roman rule.
And Segestes? The
plotter flees the wrath of
his country folk and lives
out his life in obscurity, a
pensioner of the Roman
government.
Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen. Free
for public use without restrictions
via Wikimedia Commons.
We’re on the Web!
Visit us at:
www.hermannmonument.com
Did you know?
Back home, Hermann follows his heart and marries his
true love, Thusnelda, in defiance of her father’s wishes. But Hermann’s glory quickly fades. Family feuds
and tribal rivalries spell subsequent tragedy for the illfated couple. Thusnelda’s father, Segestes, himself a
tribal leader and Hermann’s rival, sides with Rome
The Hermann Monuement is the third largest copper statue in the United
States after the Statue of Liberty and the
"Portlandia" in Portland, Oregon.
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The Vigilant Vol.1.3 (Dec 2012)
(DONATIONS Continued from page 1)
Available for your donation:
Great Christmas gift idea!
3. Bowl, ceramic, 3
3/4" diameter and 2
1/4" deep, image of
Hermann Monument in color surrounded by gold,
labeled "HERMANN
MONUMENT, NEW
ULM, MINN.", and
on the bottom
"Made in Germany
FOR Crone Bros., New Ulm, Minn."
4. Tea Cup, ceramic, 3 3/4" diameter
bowl and 2 1/4 "
deep, image of Hermannn Monument
in color surrounded
by roses, labeled
"Hermann Monument, New Ulm,
Minn.", and on the
bottom
"WHEELOCK, Made
in Germany for CRONE BROS., New Ulm, Minn.".
The Defenders: Memories of 1862
5. Candy Dish, ceramic, heart shaped
with ribbon atop, 5
3/4" in diameter,
image of Hermann
Monument in
brown, labeled
"HERMANN
DENKMAL, New
Ulm, Minn., 1897",
unlabeled on the
bottom.
LIMITED number of additional copies now available:
$15.00 (add $3.25 for shipping outside of New Ulm)
To order, send donation check to:
Hermann Monument Society
P.O. Box 643
New Ulm, M 56073
[email protected]
“Here are family stories…” This collection of
family memories and oral histories was compiled in
connection with the city-wide commemoration of
the U.S.—Dakota War outbreak in 1862. The contributors are descendants of the original settlers
that defended New Ulm in August of that memorable year.
Again, our thanks to Gordon Dey for these rare
treasures! Also, if you have any items you believe to
be of historical value for the Hermann Monument
Society, and are willing to donate them, we will be
more than happy to serve as caretakers of such history for future generations.
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The Vigilant Vol.1.3 (Dec 2012)
The Hermann Monument Society
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
New Ulm, MN
Permit No. 78
10 Monument Street
P.O. Box 643
New Ulm, MN 56073 USA
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Development Director Doings (G. Glotzbach)
Notes and News

Monument Statistics 2012


The Hermann Monument is now closed for the year, and
attendance figures are in:

1. Paid: 10,664. Free: 1,298. TOTAL: 11,962. Ranks #4 in recent history.

2. Revenue: $21,328 attendance, $272 merchandise sales and
donations. Attendance revenue down 2.8% from last year's alltime high.
Gave a tour of Hermann Monument to Newwork New
Ulm (about 25 people)
Gave a tour of Monument to students from Bogata, Columbia (about 20 people)
Presented Hermann wooden nickels to Macalester History students, (about 10 people)
Voted HMS’ ballot at the 36th Annual Membership
Meeting of the German-American Heritage Foundation of
the USA in Washington D.C.
Publicity YTD: 31 articles in 15 publications
Upcoming

3. July was the biggest month at 2,882. Biggest day Oktober 6,
Oktoberfest and the Hermann Run, at 382.
4. Weather is always a big factor. Saturday and Sunday are
always the busiest days. The Indian Wars commemoration during the week in August did not seem to make a difference (HMS'
Defenders Picnic day was 97, a good day for a Thursday), nor did
Fathers Day, Memorial Day, County Fair, River Blast or Labor
Day.
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Cornerstone Laying 125th Anniversary June 2013 – July
150th Anniversary- Mayor Beussman will invite Herr Heller and his 40 member band from Germany to appear
with the Concord Singers for the celebration. Invitations
will also be sent to the Detmold Burgomeister and other
German dignitaries. Hermann, MO representatives are
excited and also planning an event and appearances
which will follow the New Ulm celebration. A fireworks
display over the Hermann Monument is also under consideration.