Tending Deutschen Traditions

Tending Deutschen Traditions

Polka music rolls over the crowded pews of St. Joseph Catholic Church, reverberating off the sandstone walls and columns as parishioners celebrate 168 years of faith and German heritage in Jasper, Ind. (pop. 12,100).

At the altar, decorated with red, yellow and black ribbons—the colors of the German and Jasper flags—accordionist Gerhard Albinus leads the choir in song. When the music stops, the Rev. Wilfred Englert leads the congregation in prayer, sometimes speaking in German, during a special Sunday service last August honoring the community’s ethnic and religious roots.

"There is still a large base of German-Catholics here," says Dave Buehler, 65, whose great-great-grandfather Lawrence Buehler helped found the parish in 1837. "Whatever nationality you are, you usually are proud of it."

Buehler, whose ancestors were among the first German immigrants to settle in Jasper, has been instrumental in preserving the town’s history and ethnic heritage. Inspired by a visit to Europe in 1978, Buehler returned to help launch the community’s annual Strassenfest (Street Festival) and form the Jasper Deutscherverein (German Club) in 1979.

More recently, the grocery store chain owner spearheaded a project to build a three-quarter-size replica of the century-old Jasper Train Depot and a full-size replica of a 1870s water-powered gristmill, in its original location, along the Patoka River to honor the town’s founders and early industries.

Jasper’s earliest settlers were Scotch-Irish pioneers from Kentucky. Attracted by the region’s hardwood forests and fertile farmland, they platted the town in 1830 and named it for a precious stone mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Revelations.

Within a few years, Jasper swelled with German immigrants, drawn by advertisements placed in Catholic German-language newspapers by the Rev. Joseph Kundek, a frontier priest. The devout Catholics brought their language and music, farming and woodworking skills, and religion.

"The church was the center of community life," says Giles Hoyt, president of the Indiana German Heritage Society, explaining how a strong, cohesive faith helped townspeople retain their culture.

Despite two world wars with Germany, which pressured German-Americans to abandon the language of their forefathers, many in Jasper maintained their cultural identity and traditions, in part because the town was rural and isolated from other ethnic groups.

Jasper celebrates its German heritage each August during Strassenfest, a four-day festival featuring a parade, German music, dance contests, beer gardens, polka masses, and food such as bratwurst and apple strudel. This year’s event is scheduled Aug. 4 to 7.

August isn’t the only time that German fare is available in Jasper. Wiener schnitzel (batter-fried veal), sauerbraten (marinated beef), sauerkraut balls, potato pancakes, and German chocolate pie are among the menu items served year-round at the Schnitzelbank restaurant.

Owned by Larry and Betty Hanselman since 1961, the landmark restaurant, known for its authentic atmosphere and tasty cuisine, features an outdoor clock tower with a glockenspiel (a percussion instrument), which plays German folk songs.

"We get a lot of people from Germany in here who say our recipes are more original than what they have over there," says Alan Hanselman, 42, the restaurant’s manager. "They Americanize (food) over there."

Food, music and festivals are a big part of German culture. In Jasper, the Deutscherverein, a social and cultural club, preserves these traditions by organizing trips to other German festivals, sponsoring beer and wine judging competitions, and offering college scholarships to high school students who study the German language. The club also supports a student exchange program with Jasper’s Sister City, Pfaffenweiler, Germany, and helps host the annual Strassenfest.

"We want to maintain and promote our German heritage, but we also want to have fun," says Dan Gutgsell, the club’s past president, who wore traditional lederhosen (leather shorts) and an alpine hat during last year’s ceremonial tapping of the festival’s first beer keg. "We’re not shy about having fun."

Fun, certainly, and also faithful, when it comes to Sunday services. During the polka mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Gutgsell delivered the bread, wine and water to the altar with his wife, Kathy, and 7-year-old son Andy, illustrating the strong relationship between one of Jasper’s German-American families and its faith.

For more information on Jasper’s German heritage, call the Jasper Chamber of Commerce at (812) 482-6866, or log on to www.jaspergermanclub.org or www.jasperstrassenfest.org.

Stuart Englert is a Senior Editor at American Profile.

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