Germania, Wisconsin | |
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  Germania, Wisconsin  Germania, Wisconsin | |
| Coordinates:43°53′26″N89°15′25″W / 43.89056°N 89.25694°W /43.89056; -89.25694 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Marquette |
| Elevation | 791 ft (241 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Postal code | 54960 |
| Area code | 920 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1565491[1] |
Germania is anunincorporated community located in the town ofShields,Marquette County,Wisconsin, United States.[1]
The land which would become Germania was ceded by the indigenousMenominee to the American government in 1848, and it was opened for settlement in 1849.[2]
The Germania Colony was founded in 1860 by followers of Benjamin Hall, a Massachusetts businessman and preacher inspired byWilliam Miller's teachings. Hall, fromGroton, Massachusetts, had left the Groton Congregational Church due to hisabolitionist views in 1839.[3] In the 1840s, a group ofMillerites under Hall's leadership, who called themselves "The Community", founded a commune in Groton and prepared for theSecond Coming. Nearby to The Community in Groton were several other similar communes:Fruitlands,Brook Farm, andHopedale, as well asShakers. Following theGreat Disappointment in 1844, Hall's followers continued to believe in the imminent return of Jesus; they lived communally and advocated against slavery and exploitation of workers.[4] In 1857, Hall married Henrietta Peirce, a prominent member of The Community who owned land in Germania.[5] Desiring physical separation from society, they migrated west and established a new commune on Peirce's land.[6]
Benjamin Hall bought more land in Germania and established the "Germania Company", which came to be called "The Colony".[7] The Community built a large central building (the "Big House") for worship and to house unmarried community members, as well as a school, roads, and farmsteads. They worshipped together daily, but did not seek new members or align with any other Christian group. A more formal church was built in 1875, probably served by anitinerant preacher.[5] Hall died in 1879, and the commune declined, but existed into the 1890s.[4][8]
Municipalities and communities ofMarquette County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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