New Bremen ( ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Auglaize County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. The population was 3,034 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. The village is adjacent to Minster to the south. The village was founded by German immigrants in 1833 and is named after Bremen. It is home to the Bicycle Museum of America. New Bremen is also the world headquarters of Crown Equipment Corporation.

History

The town was first a farming community started by Bavarians and Hanoverians, following a route from Bremen, Germany to America, through

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

and along the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

. Once Cincinnati was reached the founders formed a group called the City of Bremen Society, which drew up a charter among its 33 members. This charter authorized the purchase of 80 acres of Ohio land to build a town. Land within German Township was first established as a farming community in 1832, and by 1833 the plat of Bremen was recorded with 102 shares of land to be given away by lottery. A village was established, but growth had been stunted by lack of accessible markets, and

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. Transportation through swampy terrain was slow and expensive compared to other areas. This all would change with the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal. There were so few in the town that subcontractors had to rely on "jiggers" or 2oz bottles of whiskey to attract workers. The Canal was soon finished and opened. When opened, the Canal brought new markets to New Bremen, lowering transportation costs thus adding value to agricultural products that before the canal had little cash value. Increased potential profitability also lowered the risks of additional investments. The town became a busy place very quickly, with hundreds of freight boats moving frequently, along with dozens of passenger boats filled with people making the trip from Cincinnati. The locks from the Canal have been restored, along with the addition of a lock keeper's house and can be seen in New Bremen's downtown area.

Geography

The southern edge of New Bremen is the most southern point of the St. Lawrence River Basin which covers an area of 519,000 sq. miles. This feat is achieved by being the headwaters of the St. Mary's River, which is a tributary of the Maumee River. The Maumee River and basin (8316 sq miles) is the largest and most southern tributary of Lake Erie and any of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,978 people, 1,145 households, and 841 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,266 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 1,145 households, of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the village was 38.2 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,909 people, 1,073 households, and 792 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,131 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.28%

, 0.03%

, 0.38% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population. There were 1,073 households, out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.26. In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $51,643, and the median income for a family was $61,011. Males had a median income of $37,324 versus $24,979 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $20,401. About 0.8% of families and 1.4% 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 ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The New Bremen Local Schools system consists of a high school, middle school, and elementary school. New Bremen has a public library, a branch of the Auglaize County Public Library.

Notable people

* Edward Conradi, President Florida State College for Women (1909-1941; now

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

). * Whitey Guese, baseball player. * Al Huenke, baseball player. * Jim Melchert, ceramicist, sculptor, director of the Visual Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, director of the American Academy in Rome. * William Silvers, painter and illustrator

References

External links

Village website

New Bremen Local Schools

Bicycle Museum of America

Southwestern Auglaize Chamber of Commerce

Bremenfest

New Bremen Historic Association
{{Authority control Villages in Auglaize County, Ohio Populated places established in 1833 German-American history German-American culture in Ohio 1833 establishments in Ohio Villages in Ohio