Hermann, Missouri
Encyclopedia
Hermann is a city designated in 1842 as the county seat
of Gasconade County
, Missouri
, United States
. It is near the center of the Missouri Rhineland
and south of the Missouri River
. The population was 2,674 at the 2000 census
.
This was an area of vineyards and wineries established by German immigrants during the mid-19th century. After Prohibition shut down the industry, it was not until the 1960s that it began to be revived. Officially designated in 1983, the Hermann AVA
(American Viticultural Area
) was one of the earliest recognized by the federal government. The seven wineries in the AVA produce one-third of the state's annual total of wine.
Hermann holds a Maifest during the third weekend in May and an Oktoberfest
the first four weekends in October. In addition to its wine industry, Hermann is called the sausage-making capital of Missouri.
(German Settlement Society of Philadelphia) in the 1830s. It was promoted by the enthusiasm of Gottfried Duden
, who wrote about the area in his Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nord Amerikas (Report of a Journey to the Western States of Northern America). An early party of settlers was led by George Bayer and Edward Hermann, who bought the land and is considered by many to be the founder of the town. The town was platted after the society sold shares in the 11300 acres (4,573 ha) of Gasconade River
valley land it had purchased.
The society had almost utopia
n goals of a "heart of German-America" where it could perpetuate traditional German
culture and establish a self-supporting colony built around farming, commerce, and industry. The town is named after Hermann der Cherusker
, a Germanic leader who defeated the Romans in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
in the year 9. In 2009, the City of Hermann celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the battle, in which the Germanic warrior Hermann defeated three Roman legion
s and changed the course of history. A bronze statue of the city's namesake was dedicated, and has been standing since September 2009 in the Hermann Park.
In the 1960s people began to rebuild the wine industry in the Hermann area. The vineyards and wineries contribute both to the agricultural and heritage tourism economies, with wine tastings and visits related to the wineries increasingly popular.
The Hermann area is known for wineries: Stone Hill Winery
, the largest winemaking business in the state, and Hermannhof Winery are in the town. Two miles south of town off Missouri Highway 100 West is Adam Puchta Winery, the oldest continuously family-owned winery in the nation, under direct family ownership since 1855. Bias Vineyards is less than eight miles (13 km) east near Berger
on Missouri Highway 100. Also included in the Hermann AVA are Oakglenn Vineyards and Winery, 2½ miles east of Hermann; Bommarito Estate Almond Tree Winery; and Röbller Vineyards and Winery near New Haven
.
The Katy Trail
, a 225 miles (362.1 km)-long bike path, passes through McKittrick, a town on the northern side of the Missouri River across from Hermann.
Hermann is located at 38°41′57"N 91°26′21"W (38.699226, -91.439046), on the south side of the Missouri River
and in the Gasconade River valley. Missouri Route 19 crosses the Missouri over the newly opened Senator Christopher S. Bond Bridge
. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²). 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (6.88%) is water.
of 2000, there were 2,674 people, 1,149 households, and 698 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,161.5 people per square mile (448.9/km²). There were 1,285 housing units at an average density of 558.2 per square mile (215.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.80% White, 0.22% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,149 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,634, and the median income for a family was $44,621. Males had a median income of $27,426 versus $20,372 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,428. About 5.0% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Gasconade County
Gasconade County, Missouri
Gasconade County is a county in the U.S. state of Missouri located on the south side of the Missouri River, which once served as the chief route of transportation in the state. Located in the area called the Missouri Rhineland, the county had a population of 15,342 as of the 2000 U.S. Census. A...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is near the center of the Missouri Rhineland
Missouri Rhineland
The Missouri Rhineland is a geographical area of Missouri that extends from west of St. Louis to slightly east of Jefferson City, located mostly in the Missouri River Valley on both sides of the river...
and south of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The population was 2,674 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
This was an area of vineyards and wineries established by German immigrants during the mid-19th century. After Prohibition shut down the industry, it was not until the 1960s that it began to be revived. Officially designated in 1983, the Hermann AVA
Hermann AVA
The Hermann AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Gasconade County, Missouri, and entirely contained within the larger Ozark Mountain AVA. The wine appellation is located on the southern side of the Missouri River near the town of Hermann, about halfway between St. Louis and Jefferson City...
(American Viticultural Area
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with boundaries defined by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau , United States Department of the Treasury....
) was one of the earliest recognized by the federal government. The seven wineries in the AVA produce one-third of the state's annual total of wine.
Hermann holds a Maifest during the third weekend in May and an Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
the first four weekends in October. In addition to its wine industry, Hermann is called the sausage-making capital of Missouri.
History
The city was founded by the Deutsche Ansiedlungs-Gesellschaft zu PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
(German Settlement Society of Philadelphia) in the 1830s. It was promoted by the enthusiasm of Gottfried Duden
Gottfried Duden
Gottfried Duden was a German emigration writer of the early 19th century. His famous book Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerika's gave romantic and glowing descriptions of the Missouri River valley between St. Louis and Hermann, Missouri...
, who wrote about the area in his Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nord Amerikas (Report of a Journey to the Western States of Northern America). An early party of settlers was led by George Bayer and Edward Hermann, who bought the land and is considered by many to be the founder of the town. The town was platted after the society sold shares in the 11300 acres (4,573 ha) of Gasconade River
Gasconade River
The Gasconade River is about long and is located in central and south-central Missouri in the United States.The Gasconade River begins in the Ozarks southeast of Hartville in Wright County and flows generally north-northeastwardly through Wright, Laclede, Pulaski, Phelps, Maries, Osage and...
valley land it had purchased.
The society had almost utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n goals of a "heart of German-America" where it could perpetuate traditional German
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
culture and establish a self-supporting colony built around farming, commerce, and industry. The town is named after Hermann der Cherusker
Arminius
Arminius , also known as Armin or Hermann was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci who defeated a Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest...
, a Germanic leader who defeated the Romans in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place in 9 CE, when an alliance of Germanic tribes led by Arminius of the Cherusci ambushed and decisively destroyed three Roman legions, along with their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius Varus.Despite numerous successful campaigns and raids by the...
in the year 9. In 2009, the City of Hermann celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the battle, in which the Germanic warrior Hermann defeated three Roman legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
s and changed the course of history. A bronze statue of the city's namesake was dedicated, and has been standing since September 2009 in the Hermann Park.
In the 1960s people began to rebuild the wine industry in the Hermann area. The vineyards and wineries contribute both to the agricultural and heritage tourism economies, with wine tastings and visits related to the wineries increasingly popular.
The Hermann area is known for wineries: Stone Hill Winery
Stone Hill Winery
Stone Hill Winery is a Missouri winery located in Hermann, Missouri, along the Missouri River, in what is called the Missouri Rhineland of the Hermann AVA. It has additional facilities in Branson and New Florence...
, the largest winemaking business in the state, and Hermannhof Winery are in the town. Two miles south of town off Missouri Highway 100 West is Adam Puchta Winery, the oldest continuously family-owned winery in the nation, under direct family ownership since 1855. Bias Vineyards is less than eight miles (13 km) east near Berger
Berger
- People :Berger is a relatively common last name. It means mountaineer in German, and shepherd in French. The pronunciation of the English name is . Notable people by that name include:-Politics:*James S. Berger , U.S...
on Missouri Highway 100. Also included in the Hermann AVA are Oakglenn Vineyards and Winery, 2½ miles east of Hermann; Bommarito Estate Almond Tree Winery; and Röbller Vineyards and Winery near New Haven
New Haven, Missouri
New Haven is a city in Franklin County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,867 at the 2000 census. The city was founded in 1856. It was originally called Miller's Landing after Philip Miller, an early settler....
.
The Katy Trail
Katy Trail State Park
The Katy Trail State Park is a recreation rail trail that runs in the right-of-way of the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad. The nickname "Katy" comes from the phonetic pronunciation of 'KT' in the railroad's abbreviated name, MKT. The trail, widely known as the Katy Trail, is a Missouri...
, a 225 miles (362.1 km)-long bike path, passes through McKittrick, a town on the northern side of the Missouri River across from Hermann.
Geography
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
and in the Gasconade River valley. Missouri Route 19 crosses the Missouri over the newly opened Senator Christopher S. Bond Bridge
Senator Christopher S. Bond Bridge
The Christopher S. Bond Bridge is a highway bridge crossing the Missouri River at Hermann, Missouri. The bridge was opened to vehicle traffic on July 23, 2007, replacing an adjacent span opened in 1930...
. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.4 km² (2.5 mi²). 2.3 square miles (6.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (6.88%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,674 people, 1,149 households, and 698 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,161.5 people per square mile (448.9/km²). There were 1,285 housing units at an average density of 558.2 per square mile (215.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.80% White, 0.22% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,149 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,634, and the median income for a family was $44,621. Males had a median income of $27,426 versus $20,372 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,428. About 5.0% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable natives and residents
- Brock OlivoBrock OlivoJames Brockman Olivo is a former American football running back in the National Football League who played for the Detroit Lions .-High school career:Raised in Hermann, Missouri, Brock Olivo attended St...
, Former Missouri TigersMissouri TigersThe Missouri Tigers athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of the University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, United States...
and Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
football player. 2008 Republican candidate for Missouri 9th congressional district. - Ken BoyerKen BoyerKenton Lloyd Boyer was an American Major League Baseball third baseman and manager. During a 15-year baseball career, he played for 1955-1969 for four different teams, playing primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals...
, Former St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
third baseman and manager. - Richard HoneckRichard HoneckRichard Honeck , an American murderer, served one of the longest custodial sentences ever to terminate in a prisoner's release in American criminal history...
, arsonist and murderer, was paroled after serving 64 years of his life sentence. He had served the longest jail term that terminated in the prisoner's release. - William(Bill) Wenzel, Former President and CEO of the Wenzel Company, alongside of his brothers, now part of the Kellwood Company.
- Charles D. Eitzen, Former MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Hermann and member of the town board. - Brandon Hartin, current student at the University of Houston and aspiring Physical Therapist.