Location: Gnadenhutten, Clay Township, Tuscarawas, Ohio, United States
Surnames/tags: One_Place_Studies Ohio United_States
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Gnadenhutten, Ohio One Place Study
Name
Gnadenhutten is derived from the German name Gnadenhütten (German: [ˈgnaːdn̩hʏtn̩]),[16] meaning literally "huts of grace" and figuratively "log tabernacle."[1]
Geography
- Continent: North America
- Country: United States of America
- State/Province: Ohio
- County: Tuscarawas
- GPS Coordinates: 40.360833, -81.431667
- Elevation: 837 ft (255 m)
History
In eastern Pennsylvania, there was the German Moravian Brethren's mission station "Gnadenhütten" founded in 1746. It was established as a mission to the Lenape by Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. During the French and Indian Wars (Seven Years' War), Native allies of the French killed 11 missionaries and Lenape (Delaware) converted Christians at Gnadenhutten on 24 November 1755. They destroyed the mission village, and only four of the fifteen residents escaped.[2]
Gnadenhutten, Ohio, originally Gnadenhütten, was founded in October 1772 as the second settlement of German Americans and Lenape Indians affiliated with the Moravian Church, in the Northwest Territory (later Ohio). Tribes of Christian Lenni Lenape people had settled at Schoenbrunn nearby, founded months earlier by missionary David Zeisberger. This community, originally led by the Christian Mohican chieftain Joshua (who died August 1 of the following year), had grown to about 200 persons by 1775.[3] Christian Indians had abandoned Schoenbrunn in 1776.
In 1781, British authorities ordered the Christian Delaware to abandon their current villages and relocate in northern Ohio along the Sandusky River. Arriving at their new villages in the late fall, too late to plant crops, the Moravians and the Christian Delaware faced serious food shortages during the winter of 1781-1782. Hoping to alleviate their suffering, Zeisberger sent a group back to Gnadenhutten in March 1782, to harvest whatever crops remained in the fields. Mistakenly believing that these peaceful American Indians were responsible for recent raids in nearby Pennsylvania, militiamen attacked the village, captured the inhabitants, and then brutally murdered them. This gruesome event is known as the Gnadenhutten Massacre. After the incident, the Moravians never rebuilt the village.[4]
After the massacre, John Heckewelder returned to the village and again organized the town but this time with basically a white Moravian population. Today there is still a Moravian Church in Gnadenhutten called the John Heckewelder Memorial Moravian Church established in 1803. Due to his early persistence in establishing the village, Gnadenhutten still exists today.[5]
Although three 4,000 acre tracts were reserved for Indians as an "act of indemnity", John Ettwein petitioned Congress in 1783 and the area was then opened to European American settlers. John Heckewelder from Pennsylvania built the first house in 1798, and Moravians remain in the town today...
Gnadenhutten was on a major wagon road crossing the Tuscarawas River. The first Ohio Canal was dug nearby in 1825-1830, providing access to markets as well as further immigrants via Cleveland. A railroad linked to the area in 1853, further improving market access and allowing industrial development...
Gnadenhutten erected a monument to the martyrs of the March 8, 1782 massacre during the centennial (1872) of its founding, and in 1963 established a museum interpreting it and other aspects of the town's history...
The Moravians rebuilt their church in 1903 and dedicated it as a memorial to John Heckewelder.[6]
Events
Present day Gnadenhutten is known for its Fourth of July celebration, featuring horse-drawn carriages and fireworks. It also celebrates its Pioneer Days in August and an Apple Butter festival in October. Its Native American heritage continues to be marked with its "Indian Valley" moniker and a Christian Indian Christmas Drive-Thru Display Thanksgiving through December.[7]
On the cusp of Gnadenhutten, Ohio, a sign greets visitors: “Welcome to Historic Gnadenhutten.” Yet it isn’t immediately clear what makes the village, located 40 miles south of Canton, so historic. It’s beautiful, no doubt. The streets, surprisingly bustling for a town of just over 1,200, offer no shortage of quaint homes and inviting local businesses. A red-brick Moravian church stands sturdy and proud. And a few steps away winds the tranquil Tuscarawas River. But it isn’t until you reach the end of West Indian Street that the history of Gnadenhutten begins to unfold. There, the Gnadenhutten Historical Park and Museum tells the story of the town’s Indigenous founders. It’s one of unthinkable injustice and unlikely community.[8]
Population
The original settlement grew to 200 persons by 1775.
In 2010 the population was 1,288. The racial makeup of the village was 99.1% white.[9]
Notables
- David Zeisberger (1721-1808) Moravian Pastor and Missionary.
- Eldon Miller
- John Gottlieb Ernestus Heckewelder (1743-1823) Re-founded town in 1798.
- Christopher Frederick Post
- Christian Mohican chieftain Joshua: Tassawachaman "JOSHUA" Nanhum (1720-1775)
- David Williamson (1751-1830) Commander of record of the Pennsylvania Militia.
Other Residents or Persons of Note
Who were the men, from western Pennsylvania, who murdered the Moravian Indians in that infamous event of 8 March, 1782? Lists vary from 57 to estimates of up to 400 men. One study was done by George C. Williston in 2000. (https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~gwilli824/genealogy/moravian.html | accessed on 4 Jun 2024)
Sources
- ↑ WikiPedia.org, [1], Name.
- ↑ WikiPedia.org, [2], History.
- ↑ WikiPedia.org, [3], History.
- ↑ OhioHistoryCentral.org, [4], 1782.
- ↑ TheDailyJeff.com, [5], Gypsy Road Trip.
- ↑ WikiPedia.org, [6], History.
- ↑ WikiPedia.org, [7], Events.
- ↑ MidStory.org, [8], Founding Massacre.
- ↑ Census.gov, [9], 2010.
See Also
- Hurt, R. Douglas. The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1996.
- Tolzmann, Don Heinrich. The First Description of Cincinnati and Other Ohio Settlements: The Travel Report of Johann Heckewelder (1792). Lanham: MD: University Press of America, 1988.
- Wallace, Paul A.W. Thirty Thousand Miles with John Heckewelder: The Travels of John Heckewelder in Frontier America. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985.
- Zeisberger, David. Schoenbrunn Story: Excerpts from the Diary of the Reverend David Zeisberger, 1772-1777, at Schoenbrunn in the Ohio Country. Columbus: Ohio History Connection, 1972.
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