New Holstein

"If I cannot be the citizen of free Germany,
then I would at least be a citizen of free America"
--Carl Schurz, German Revolutionary Leader, 1848

In 1848, a small group of immigrants from the Schleswig-Holstein area of Germany arrived here, then a remote wilderness, to found New Holstein. Seeking political freedom and economic opportunity, the group left Germany because of the failing struggle for democracy and opportunity in the new land. In 1847, Calumetville hotel owner and land agent Charles White along with William Ostenfeld traveled to the Schleswig-Holstein area. Their glowing description of Wisconsin convinced a number of people to emigrate to Wisconsin. In April of 1848, White, Ostenfeld and the immigrant group sailed from Hamburg on the ship Brarens and disembarked in New York, forty days later. Traveling by steamship, train, and ox-drawn wagon, the group arrived in Calumetville within the following two weeks. On May 29th Ostenfeld and seven men walked to this location and selected their land to build farms, homes and New Holstein.

Erected 1998