Hermann Hill Three Mile Walk
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Cross Market Street and walk east on E. 1st Street to the courthouse.
E
The Gasconade County Courthouse was constructed from 1896-1898.
It is thought to be the only courthouse in the United States
erected by private funds. Charles D. Eitzen, the city's
benefactor, willed the sum of $50,000 to the county government
for the building. It was constructed of 400,000 bricks fired in
the Vallet brickyard just east of Hermann. To give it a fine
gloss and uniform color, the bricks were brushed with beer that
was produced in the former Kropp Brewery (now Hermannhof
Winery). Good vinegar would have served the same purpose, but as
long as beer was cheaper, and readily available, the latter was
used. While the courthouse was being treated, no workmen were
permitted to indulge in the beer. Fire damaged the building in
1905. The present dome was reconstructed to somewhat different
specifications than the original. (Take a few minutes to visit
the courthouse, and view the lovely paintings and mural by local
artists.)
The cannon on the front lawn of the courthouse played an
important role in the history of Hermann. On the afternoon of
Oct. 4, 1864, Confederate General Marmaduke's army made an
appearance on the hills on the east side of town. A small
militia company used the cannon to ward off Marmaduke's advance.
Our gunners first fired on the intruders from the riverfront as
they entered town around the bluff to the east. They then pulled
the cannon to the hill where St. George Catholic Church stands
and fired at the Confederates on the opposite hill, and from
there they went into the vineyards at Stone Hill Winery and kept
shooting until their ammunition ran out. The Confederates
assumed that all of the western hills in town were fortified and
checked their advance for more than an hour. Marmaduke sent
several of his men out on horseback to find their attackers.
What they discovered were a group of old men firing a beat up
cannon. They threw the cannon into the river, but it was later
retrieved by several local citizens.
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History of Hermann - How Hermann Got Its Name
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