COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Bartholomew County Historical Society (BCHS) has announced the second event in their Evelyn Seward Speaker Series. Rev. Arthur Schwenk, Jr. discusses some of our county’s first residents, German immigrants, on Thursday, July 27, at 6 p.m. at BCHS, 524 Third Street. Admission is free.
The foremost historian on German immigration to Bartholomew County will speak on where local German ancestors came from, why they left, what the voyage to the New World was like in the 19th/20th centuries, and how they ended up in Bartholomew County. He will also talk about his integral work in establishing Columbus’ Sister City relationship with Löhne, Germany, for which he has received accolades from the U.S. and Germany.
Five generations of Art Schwenk, Jr.’s family have lived in Bartholomew County since the 19th century. His great-great-grandparents were immigrants from Germany and settled near Ogilville in the late 1800s. He has lived here since 1970.
A graduate of Ball State University and Concordia Theological Seminary, Schwenk was a Fulbright Scholar and lived and studied in Germany.
He has been the recipient of the Hoosier German- American Award by the Indiana German Heritage Society, the German-American Friendship Award by the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Medal of Honor by the city of Löhne. He was also recognized by the U.S. Congress for his work in establishing the Sister City relationship with Löhne. Schwenk has made numerous presentations throughout the Midwest related to German immigration to the United States.
Schwenk. Courtesy – BCHS.
