Hermann

Sister cities

• Bad Arolsen

History

The city was founded by the Deutsche Ansiedlungs-Gesellschaft zu Philadelphia (German Settlement Society of Philadelphia) in 1837. It was promoted by 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). In November 1837, an early group of settlers was led by George Bayer, who bought the land on the behalf of the society. George was waylaid in Pittsburgh, though, 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 valley land it had purchased. The society had almost utopian 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 9 CE. In 2009, Hermann celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the battle, in which the Germanic warrior Hermann defeated three Roman legions. A bronze statue of the city's namesake was dedicated in the Hermann Park. Hermann was the nearest town to 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, 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…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  347
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  340
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  321
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  282
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  268
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  263
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  231
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  177