Historic Downtown New Ulm

About this original series

Walking Tour Pod Casts. Produced by the Heritage Preservation Commission with support of the Minnesota Historical Society

  • # Episodes

    16 episodes

  • Rating

    TV-G

Episodes of Historic Downtown New Ulm

    • Play Introduction to New Ulm - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Introduction to New Ulm

      New Ulm is a city of charm and tradition. New Ulm has a well-earned reputation as a "German" town, confirmed by the 2000 census. It reported that sixty-six percent of the city's residents claimed at least some German ancestry-the highest percentage of ethnic identification for any city in the country of more than 5,000 residents.

      • Release date
        Feb 2, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:54
    • Play Glockenspiel - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Glockenspiel

      The New Ulm Glockenspiel was dedicated on May 25, 1980. The thirty-seven bronze bells-including one donated by the City of Ulm, Germany-were cast in Holland by Royal Eijsbouts. The Glockenspiel's twelve animated figures illustrate significant facets of the community's rich heritage. There are performances at noon, 3, and 5 p.m. all year round.

      • Release date
        Jan 30, 2009
      • Runtime
        04:18
    • Play Kiesling House - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Kiesling House

      The frame house erected in 1861 by Friedrich Kiesling was an important defense post during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. Born in Germany, Kiesling settled in New Ulm in 1860, where he worked as a blacksmith. In August 1862, the house stood inside the barricades placed around the city to defend against two attacks by Dakota Indians. It is the oldest frame building in the city remaining in its original location. For many years, the house sat in relative obscurity behind commercial buildings on Mi...

      • Release date
        Jan 29, 2009
      • Runtime
        04:36
    • Play Grand Hotel - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Grand Hotel

      In 1856, Phillipp Gross opened a hotel in a wood-frame building called the Minnesota Haus, which became the Union Hotel in 1860. The hotel was a focal point of activity in New Ulm and served as a hospital during the Dakota Conflict. In July 1875, it was destroyed by fire. Gross immediately built a new two-story brick hotel, designed by Julius Berndt, later the architect of the Hermann Monument. Gross operated the hotel until retiring in 1885. In 1899 Peter Manderfeld, a new owner, added a thir...

      • Release date
        Jan 26, 2009
      • Runtime
        04:00
    • Play Schell's Hall - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Schell's Hall

      This two-and-a-half story brick commercial block was constructed in 1894. The building was known as Schell's Hall after its first owner, brewer Otto Schell, and designed by Henry Gerlach, a prominent Mankato architect. Its second floor hall space proved highly popular, hosting meetings for bands, labor unions, the German American Alliance, and the local socialist organization.

      • Release date
        Jan 25, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:58
    • Play Erd Building - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Erd Building

      Built in 1861 by Francis Erd, the basement was used as a refuge for women and children during the Dakota War. Originally, the structure was two stories high. In 1870, Erd completed a substantial addition, raising a third floor. Willibald Eibner bought the building in 1883 to use as a restaurant.

      • Release date
        Jan 24, 2009
      • Runtime
        04:05
    • Play Pioneer Drug Store - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Pioneer Drug Store

      The Pioneer Drug Store opened in 1868 by Dr. Carl Weschcke, a druggist, physician, and longtime mayor of New Ulm. He tended to the wounded during the Dakota Conflict, working alongside Dr. William Mayo. In 1881, a cyclone ripped through the downtown, seriously damaging the building. The current storefront reflects the reconstruction following that event.

      • Release date
        Jan 23, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:53
    • Play Fritsche Block - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Fritsche Block

      Dr. Louis Fritsche was a promient physician, historian, and community leader. Trained at the University of Berlin, he received the first official medical license in the state of Minnesota. He was actively involved in polities, serving four terms as mayor. In 1917, he was removed from office by Governor Burnquist for pro-German sympathies, subsequently winning vindication with reelection in 1920. In 1925, he expanded his medical office with the construction of this office building.

      • Release date
        Jan 22, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:53
    • Play Arbeiter Hall - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Arbeiter Hall

      Originally built for the Arbeiter Verein, or Workingmen's Assocation, this building served as the home of the Union Opera House for many years.

      • Release date
        Jan 21, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:36
    • Play Amann's Saloon - Historic Downtown New Ulm on Blip Historic Downtown New Ulm episodes on Blip

      Amann's Saloon

      Andrew Amann built this two-story barick building in 1894-one of more than two dozen saloons in the city. In 1909, temperance crusader Carry Nation visited the establishment, but kept her famous hatchet in her purse.

      • Release date
        Jan 20, 2009
      • Runtime
        03:37
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