Welcome to our Blog!
This blog is the product of a Spring 2022 course at the University of Missouri on the history of German Immigration to the state and the Midwest, taught by Professors of German Dr. Sean Franzel and Dr. Kristin Kopp. Students did archival work at the State Historical Society of Misssouri (SHSMO) and explored archival objects and nineteenth- and twentieth-century newspapers.
The blog posts featured on this website are organized around specific counties in Missouri that witnessed a large amount of historic immigration from Germany (you can click on the tabs on the home page to go to the county-specific research areas). Students researched specific cultural objects and what they reveal about the cultural history of immigration; we especially liked exploring the SHSMO online photo collection and their digital newspaper collection! Their blog posts are designed to share their findings with the public and what they reveal about the cultural history of immigration.
In learning about Missouri history and its ties to global immigration patterns, we have drawn on the research of Missouri-based scholars, including the recent book by Dr. Arthur Mehrhoff titled Explore Missouri’s German Heritage sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council, and the books of Dr. Petra DeWitt, Professor of History at Missouri S&T and Professor Kristen Anderson, Professor of History at Webster University, Saint Louis. We are also grateful for consultation with Caitlin Yaeger at the Missouri Humanities Council.
We have also had some great class visitors, including Steve Holle, founder of KC Bier Co., a brewery in Kansas City specializing in authentic German-style beers!
We hope to teach this course again in SP 22, with future students adding to the amazing research showcased by this blog!
