Saxon Lutheran Memorial (Frohna, Missouri) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Christian A. Bergt Farm
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 Location in Missouri
Location in the United States
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| Location | 296 Saxon Memorial Dr, Frohna, Missouri, 63748-9108, USA |
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| Area | 11.2 acres (4.5 ha) |
| Built | 1840 |
| Website | http://saxonlutheranmemorial.org/ |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002387 |
| Added to NRHP | January 10, 1980 |
The Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna, Missouri, is a special place. It remembers the German Lutheran migration that happened in 1838 and 1839. This memorial has many old log cabins and items from that time. It opened in 1962. In 1980, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is an important historical site.
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What is the Saxon Lutheran Memorial?
The Saxon Lutheran Memorial is like an outdoor history museum. It shows what life was like for German settlers in the 1800s. The museum is built on the old Bergt Farm. This farm was recognized in 2009 as a complete old home and farm. It shows how people lived and farmed in Perry County, Missouri, long ago.
The museum covers about 30 acres. Its main building is a log-cabin frame house. This was the home of brothers Wilhelm and Christian Adolf Bergt. The house has been fixed up and now holds old tools and furniture. This historic house changed a lot over the years.
- A porch was added to one side.
- Later, a lean-to was built for a kitchen and bedroom.
- In 1870, another room was added.
- The porch was later closed in to become a kitchen.
- A larger addition was built in 1913.
Today, the house is where the museum's curator lives.
What other buildings are at the Memorial?
The site has many other old buildings. There is a granary for storing grain. There is also a large timber frame barn. Inside this barn is an even older log barn. Two other log buildings are also there, but their first uses are not known. These buildings were built between the 1820s and the early 1900s.
The memorial also has a visitors' center. There is an outdoor museum for old farm equipment. The Saxon Lutheran Memorial was officially opened on October 31, 1964. This was 125 years after the Saxon Immigration.
In 1990, a machine shed was added. It is full of old farm machines. Other buildings have been moved to the site. These buildings belonged to families connected to the original Saxon settlers. They include:
- The Fenwick Cabin
- The Hamilton-Goehring Cabin
- The Schuppan Haus
- The 1904 Confirmation Room from Concordia Lutheran Church
New buildings have also been built to show how settlers lived. These include a bake oven, a blacksmith shop, and a woodworking shop.
Why did the Saxons come to America?
In the 1800s, some Lutherans in Germany were not happy. Their pastor, Martin Stephan, and his followers wanted to practice their faith freely. They followed the Lutheran confessions in the Book of Concord. About 700 Saxon Lutherans decided to leave Germany. They sailed to the United States in November 1838.
Their ships arrived in New Orleans on January 5, 1839. One ship was lost at sea. Most of the remaining 600 immigrants settled in Perry County, Missouri. Others settled in and around St. Louis.
Christian Adolph Bergt was one of these immigrants. He married Caroline Louise Voelker in 1841. In 1847, the Bergts bought land from an early settler named Thomas Twyman. The Bergt family owned this land until 1957. In 1961, the Concordia Historical Institute bought the property. It was fixed up and opened to the public in 1964. It was called a "walk-in History Book" of German immigrant life.
What happens at the Fall Festival?
The Saxon Lutheran Memorial has a Fall Festival every year. It takes place on the second Saturday in October. The festival shows how people did things in the mid-1800s. You can see demonstrations of:
- Blacksmithing (making things with metal)
- Quilting (making blankets)
- Cross-cut sawing (cutting wood)
- Cider-pressing (making apple cider)
- Bread-baking
- Butchering (preparing meat)
- Apple-butter-cooking
- Spinning (making thread)
- Making brooms, shingles, and soap
The festival also offers fun activities. There are horse-and-buggy rides. You can find a silent auction and watch skits. Live music and food are also part of the fun. Many handmade crafts are available too.
Gallery
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Saxon Lutheran Memorial
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Saxon Memorial
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Saxon Lutheran Memorial cabin
See also
- Concordia Log Cabin College (Altenburg, Missouri)
