New Bremen Historic Association
A brief
history of New Bremen Ohio
In 1832, two scouts, F. H. Schroeder and A. F. Windeler were sent by a company of 33 investors, gathered in Cincinnati, to select a suitable place to build a new settlement. The scouts thoroughly explored Ohio, and parts of Indiana, before agreeing on a site.
The site was quite desirable, on the
south edge of the fertile Great Black Swamp, atop the Loramie Summit, a dividing ridge that separates water drainage to
the Ohio River in the south, and Lake Erie to the north. The Native Americans had long used the area
for camping, on a portage route between the rivers of present day Piqua (The
Miami) and St. Marys (The St Marys River and the Auglaize River). There may have been knowledge of a great
canal being built, linking Cincinnati and Toledo. The scouts had their site surveyed into a 10 acre purchase, at a
dollar an acre, and divided into 102 lots measuring 66 X 300 feet. After each of the original company selected
their lots, the remainder were sold at $25 apiece. the plat was recorded in St. Marys, Mercer County, Ohio, on June
11, 1833.
Schroeder stayed at the site, and
Windeler returned to the Bremen Company in Cincinnati to give a report. Six families returned to “Bremen” with
Windeler, taking two weeks to travel the 120 miles. When they arrived, Schroeder had built a 12’ X 14’ cabin, where
they stayed until they had erected their own shelters. Other families soon followed. Early arrivals bought farms outside of town
from the government at $1.25 an acre.
By 1835, the government established a Post Office, and the name was
changed to “New Bremen”, in deference to an earlier Ohio settlement named
“Bremen”. Public buildings, churches,
schools, meeting rooms and homes were constructed. The settlement prospered
with work on the canal and agriculture.
On March 23, 1837, New Bremen was incorporated as a village.
The significance of the Miami Erie Canal’s influence has been well documented. The engineering feat accomplished what only railroads could replace- a reliable efficient way to transport goods and encourage commerce. The canal connected Toledo at Lake Erie to Cincinnati at the Ohio River and shortened the trip from the five weeks needed to travel over land through discouraging woods and swamps, to a quick five days on a canal boat.
In 1849, cholera claimed 40% of the
town, and St. Paul, the grandmother of New Bremen churches, buried 122
people. A community south of New
Bremen, Amsterdam, was decimated, and never rebuilt. (for more on Cholera in1849 click here)
Names
Associated with early New Bremen settlers
from
the New Bremen Centennial Book,
Published
in 1933 in an eloquent essay by C. A. Shrage.
Braun
Maurer
Paul
Boesel
Bruns
Bakhaus
Finke
Grothaus
Gilberg
Huenke
Havemann
Kuenning
Kuenzel
Langhorst
Lanfersieck
Rabe
Speckman
Schmidt
Schulenberg
Wiemeyer