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Published Nov/Dec 2005 | ||||||
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Hermann, Mo., twinkles during the winter holidays with German tradition, history and award-winning wines.
By Patricia Treacy |
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 At the beginning of the 20th century, Hermann, Mo., was home to our country’s second-largest winery. After surviving Prohibition–which soured the wine industry for a time–Hermann became a charming town while embracing tourism and its German ethnicity. And during winter holidays, it is an especially delightful place to visit. Germans plant roots in 1837 George Bayer–a schoolmaster and musician who emigrated from Karlsruhe, Baden on the Rhine River–headed a scouting committee from the German Settlement Society of Philadelphia to select a site for resettlement. He chose an area bounded by hills, bluffs and the Missouri River, probably because of its similarity to the Rhine River region in Germany. In 1837, he bought 11,300 acres for $15,612. The town was named Hermann after Germany’s national hero who defeated the Roman legions in A.D. 9. The community was advertised throughout the eastern United States and Germany. By 1839, Hermann had 450 residents who built sturdy brick houses and created a town where German culture flourished. But the Missouri River Valley terrain was too steep to farm, so they planted vineyards on the hillsides. By the early 1900s, Hermann was producing more than 1 million gallons of wine a year. See the historic sites Many of the original buildings in Hermann have been restored. The town has more than 100 buildings on the National Register of Historic Sites, as well as dozens of bed-and-breakfast inns, many located in historic homes. Two 19th-century homes make up one special attraction in town. The Deutschheim (German Home) State Historic Site–located at 107 W. Second St.–consists of two houses dating back to the 1840s. The winery building has one of the few remaining German-carved wine casks in the United States. An arbor of grapevines planted more than 150 years ago runs the length of the back yard. Tours are given daily and admission is $2.50. Call ahead for winter hours. Holiday celebrations in town include Weihnachtfest, Dec. 3–4 and 10–11 at the Pommer-Gentner House. There is free admission to see German craftsmen, hear music and sample German Christmas cookies. The 1871 German School served as Hermann’s elementary school until 1955. It became a museum a year later. Notice the 1890 clock tower on the building at 312 Schiller St. Surprises await the visitor at almost every turn. A respite from antique shopping led to the Concert Hall Bar and Restaurant on First Street, where a large, worn map hangs on an exposed brick wall. It was drawn by the Department of Interior in 1904 and shows the Louisiana Purchase, the annexation of Texas and development in the West. Enjoying the fruit of the vine With seven area wineries, Hermann is best known for its wine. Stone Hill is the largest winery in Hermann producing 200,000 gallons–or 1 million bottles–a year. Dave Johnson, who holds a master’s degree in winemaking from Michigan State University, has been Stone Hill’s senior winemaker for 27 years and oversees production of the winery’s 19 varieties. Stone Hill Winery has won more than 2,700 awards since 1993. In 1965, Jim Held began crushing grapes at Stone Hill Winery. At that time, button mushrooms were grown in the arched, underground cellar. Held bought the winery in 1969. Prior to that time, he and his brother owned a pig farm. “The bouquet of wine is better than pigs,” said Held, who resembles Ernest Hemingway. The Adam Puchta Winery off state Highway 100 just outside of Hermann, is Missouri’s oldest continuously owned family farm winery. It dates back to 1839 when John Henry Puchta brought his winemaking skills to Hermann from Bavaria. In 1855, Puchta’s son, Adam, bought 40 acres of land from his father and began producing wine. In July, the winery celebrated its 150th anniversary. After Prohibition, the family maintained a small farm there for several generations. After replanting the vineyards and restoring the original buildings, the winery reopened in 1989. Area wineries that comprise the Hermann Wine Trail collaborate on events through the year. The Holiday Fare Wine Trail will be held Nov. 19 and 20. Guests can visit the wineries and sample their specialties. Tickets are $15 a person and must be purchased in advance. Other holiday happenings Candlelight house tours are scheduled for Dec. 3 from 2 to 7 p.m. The Kristkindl Markt is held the first two weekends in December, and on Dec. 3–4, exhibitors will sell crafts at Stone Hill’s Pavilion. The German Christmas Market moves to the Hermannhof Festhalle on First Street on Dec. 10 and 11. The Showboat Community Theater, formerly a movie house, hosts “A Christmas To Remember” at 3 p.m. on Nov. 26, 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 and at 3 p.m. on Dec. 3. Local singers and dancers will be featured in the production. The theater is on East Fourth Street. Hermann is about 70 miles from St. Louis and about 175 miles from Kansas City. It is accessible by car or Amtrak train and is a delight to visit any time of year. Patricia Treacy is a contributor from St. Louis, Mo. |
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