2014 Heritage Day Events Succesful
This year’s Heritage Day events included celebrating the 280 th anniversary of our landing in Georgia at 11:00 AM in the Jerusalem church sanctuary. The speaker this year was Dr. Thomas Mueller-Bahlke, (currently working on the letters of Johann Ernst Bergmann, the last pastor to Ebenezer from Germany). We also had Euchee (Yuchi) Indians present and many entrants in the Poster Contest. The Market Platz and Museum were enjoyed by many, along with the Loest Research Library that was open for viewing. We had a Membership tent located next to the museum for sign-in before the meeting and a table to help those wishing to join the GSS with their application. Membership dues were also collected at that time from those wishing to pay their outstanding 2014 dues. Various activities for the children were available, as usual on the grounds. We were strongly integrated this year with the Jerusalem WELCA organization in hosting arts and crafts as they relate to our history. And, the “lemonade barrel” with freshly hand-squeezed lemons was available to foster memories in our children as we fondly remember.
Dr. Thomas Mueller-Bahlke
Heritage Day Speaker
Dr. Thomas Müller-Bahlke, born in 1959, is since 2003 director of the Francke Foundations in Halle. Studies of Medieval and Modern History in Göttingen, 1991 PhD on “The founding of the Lutheran Church in North America in the 18th century.” From 1992 to 2003 he was as an archivist at the Francke Foundations, since 1993, Acting Curator of Art and Natural History chamber.
Dr. Thomas Mueller-Bahlke, Director of the Francke Foundations in Halle, Germany, was our main speaker this Labor Day at Ebenezer. Dr. Mueller-Bahlke heads the three hundred year old historic Pietist foundation with which the Georgia Salzburgers have had an on going relationship of 280 years since the first transport came to Georgia. It was at that time—1733-34—that Pastors Boltzius and Gronau came from the foundations to become the pastors of the Salzburgers traveling to Georgia. During the early years, the Salzburgers and other Germans at Ebenezer received assistance from the Francke Foundations in the form of Bibles, hymnbooks, medicine, clothing and other supplies. Many letters were sent from Ebenezer to leaders of the Foundations and today there are over 1,000 original documents in the Georgia file of the Foundations’ archives. Dr. Mueller-Bahlke, a long-time friend of Georgia Salzburgers, has welcomed and given tours of the foundations to a number of visitors and travel groups from Georgia. He has spearheaded and collaborated with our Society in three major translating and publishing projects: 1) Salzburg – Halle – North America (1999), 2) The Letters of Johann Martin Boltzius (2009), and 3) the current project, the letters of Johann Ernst Bergmann, the last pastor to come to Ebenezer from Germany. Dr. Mueller-Bahlke proposed in 2002 that Savannah and Halle become sister cities, and after ten years of intermittent activity in pursue of this goal, the sister city connection of Savannah and Halle finally became a reality. In our celebration of the 280th anniversary of the arrival of the first Salzburgers in Georgia, we were most honored to have Dr. Thomas Mueller-Bahlke as our main speaker.
The Euchees (Yuchi) were here
This year’s special event celebrating the 280th landing anniversary include honored guests from the Euchee (Yuchi) Indians from Oklahoma. There were many Euchees’ attending our Heritage Day celebration since we share much history in this region. Everyone enjoyed their demonstrations…including the dance whom a few were
brave enough to join them in their dance.
