– Missouri has deep German roots throughout the state. Our German Heritage program focuses on preserving the history of German immigrants and settlements through archiving and digitizing records, and educating the public on German-Missourian history.
Our hope is to connect German-Missourians to the past while providing opportunities to preserve Missouri’s German heritage for future generations to come.
– Explore Missouri’s German Heritage
We have spent the last several years forming partnerships and developing programming dedicated to commemorating and interpreting Missouri’s rich German cultural heritage. In 2019, Missouri Humanities partnered with Missouri Life Publishing to create a “book-a-zine” exploring the many facets of “Germanness” in our state: Explore Missouri’s German Heritage. Authored by Dr. W. Arthur Mehrhoff, the publication serves as both a travel guide and coffee table book. Click the link below to watch the chapter discussions, listen to the podcast version, and/or purchase your copy of the book.
– Missouri 2021 Bicentennial: German Heritage Corridor Challenge
Missouri experienced one of the largest influxes of German immigrants in American history. For every census from 1850 to 1990, Germans were the leading immigrants to the state of Missouri, and to this day, German is the number one claimed ancestry in the state.
Click the link below to find the German Heritage Corridor Challenge that will take you throughout Missouri to explore and learn. A guide is provided for each challenge. Once you have completed a challenge, submit your photographs to receive your merit badge button. Share your photographs on social media using the hashtag #MOExplorers!
Upcoming Events
To view MO Humanities Calendar Events, including German Events, visit our calendar.