Hermann is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Gasconade County,
Missouri
Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It has been the county seat since 1842. It is near the center of the
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. Dutzow, the first permanent German settle ...
and south of the
Missouri River. The population was 2,185 at the
2020 census.
The city is the commercial center of the
Hermann American Viticultural Area, whose seven wineries produce about one-third of the state's wine. Designated in 1983, it is one of the first federally recognized
American Viticultural Area
An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...
s. The designation recognized the renaissance of an area of vineyards and wineries established by
German immigrants during the mid-19th century. Shut down by
Prohibition
Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...
, it began to revive in the 1960s.
Hermann holds a ''
Maifest
Maifest (or Mayfest in English) is the traditional German celebration of the arrival of spring. Maifest is still celebrated throughout Germany with the ''maibaum'' (maypole) decorated to show off the history and crafts of the town.
Maifest, simil ...
'' during the third weekend in May and an ''
Oktoberfest
The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...
'' the first four weekends in October. Hermann also calls itself the sausage-making capital of Missouri.
Hermann High School holds the state record for the most girls high school volleyball championships in Missouri.
History
The city was founded by the Deutsche Ansiedlungs-Gesellschaft zu
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
(German Settlement Society of Philadelphia) in 1837. It was promoted by
Gottfried Duden Gottfried Duden (May 19, 1789 – October 29, 1856) was a German emigration writer of the early 19th century. His famous book ''Bericht über eine Reise nach den westlichen Staaten Nordamerikas und einen mehrjährigen Aufenthalt am Missouri in d ...
, 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''). In November 1837, an early group of settlers was led by
George Bayer
George Bayer (September 15, 1925 – March 16, 2003) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.
Bayer was born in Bremerton, Washington. He attended the University of Washington and was a member ...
, who bought the land on the behalf of the Society. However, George was waylaid in Pittsburgh due to illness and arrived in Hermann in the spring of 1838 leading another group of families. The town was platted after the society sold shares in the of
Gasconade River
The Gasconade River is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 and is located in central and south-central Missouri.
The Gasconade River begins in the Oz ...
valley land it had purchased.
The society had almost
utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...
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
The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster () by Ancient Rome, Roman historians, took place at modern Kalkriese in AD 9, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius ...
in the year 9 AD. In 2009, Hermann celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the battle, in which the Germanic warrior Hermann defeated three
Roman legion
The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...
s.
A bronze statue of the city's namesake was dedicated in the Hermann Park.
Hermann was the nearest town after the
Gasconade Bridge train disaster, November 1, 1855. The Leimer Hotel in Hermann was used as a temporary hospital to treat the wounded.
In the 1960s, people began to rebuild the wine industry in the Hermann area.
Today, the vineyards and wineries contribute to the agricultural and heritage tourism economies, with winery tours and wine tastings.
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. Established by German immigrants in 1847, it is the largest winery in the state.Brett Duf ...
, the largest winemaking business in the state and Hermannhof Winery are in the town. 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 east near
Berger
Berger is a surname in both German and French, although there is no etymological connection between the names in the two languages. The French surname is an occupational name for a shepherd, from Old French ''bergier'' (Late Latin ''berbicarius'', ...
on Missouri Highway 100. Also included in the Hermann AVA are Oakglenn Vineyards and Winery, east of Hermann; Bommarito Estate Almond Tree Winery; and Röbbler Vineyards and Winery near
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
.
The
Katy Trail Katy Trail may refer to the following places in the United States:
* Katy Trail (Dallas)
The Katy Trail is a jogging, walking, inline skating, and bicycling path that runs through the Uptown and Oak Lawn areas of Dallas, Texas (USA), following ...
, a -long bike path, passes through
McKittrick, a town on the northern side of the Missouri River across from Hermann.
The
Hermann Historic District,
Kotthoff-Weeks Farm Complex,
Old Stone Hill Historic District,
William Poeschel House,
The Rotunda, and
Vallet-Danuser House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 2,431 people, 1,047 households, and 614 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 1,291 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.6%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.1%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.5% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.4% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.6% of the population.
There were 1,047 households, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were
married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.4% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.93.
The median age in the city was 44.9 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 2,674 people, 1,149 households, and 698 families residing in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,161.5 people per square mile (448.9/km
2). There were 1,285 housing units at an average density of 558.2 per square mile (215.7/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.80%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.22%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.07%
Native American, 0.07%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.30% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.52% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
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
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $19,428. About 5.0% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Public education in Hermann is administered by Gasconade County R-I School District, which operates two elementary schools, one middle school and
Hermann High School.
Hermann has a lending library, a branch of the Scenic Regional Library system.
Notable people
*
Brock Olivo, former
Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, protected Columbia fro ...
and
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
football player
*
Ken Boyer
Kenton Lloyd "Ken" Boyer (May 20, 1931 – September 7, 1982) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman, coach and manager who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers for 15 ...
, former
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
third baseman and manager
*
Richard Honeck
Richard Honeck (January 5, 1879December 28, 1976) was an American murderer who served one of the longest custodial sentences ever to terminate in a prisoner's release in American criminal history. Jailed in November 1899 for the murder of a forme ...
, arsonist and murderer, was paroled after serving 64 years
*
Joe Hoerner
Joseph Walter Hoerner (November 12, 1936 – October 4, 1996) was an American professional baseball relief pitcher, who played 14 years in Major League Baseball (MLB), for seven different teams.
A native of Dubuque, Iowa he grew up in nearby Key ...
, former Major League Baseball pitcher
*
Charles Radtke, furniture designer
*
Nathaniel Rateliff
Nathaniel David Rateliff (born October 7, 1978) is an American singer and songwriter based in Denver, Colorado, whose influences are described as folk, Americana and vintage rhythm & blues. Rateliff has performed with a backing band called the ...
, singer and songwriter, Nathaniel Rateliff and the NightSweats
See also
*
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. Dutzow, the first permanent German settle ...
*
Deutschheim State Historic Site
*
Loutre River
The Loutre River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 tributary of the Missouri River in the United States. The Loutre River begins in Audrain County. It ...
*''
Hermanner Volksblatt
The was a weekly German language, German newspaper published in Hermann, Missouri from around 1856 until 1928. In the early 1870s, the paper briefly changed publishers and was known as the and the , before returning to its original name where it ...
''
References
External links
Official City Government WebsiteOfficial Visitors WebsiteHermann Area Chamber of CommerceSchool districtHermann ''Advertiser-Courier'' (newspaper)* Historic maps of Hermann in th
Sanborn Maps of Missouri Collectionat the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...
Digital Library
{{authority control
German-American history
Cities in Gasconade County, Missouri
Cities in Missouri
Missouri Rhineland
County seats in Missouri
Missouri populated places on the Missouri River
German-American culture in Missouri
Populated places established in 1837
1837 establishments in Missouri