{"id":81,"ordinal":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:48:41","content_modified":"2026-04-17 19:48:41","featured":0,"title":"German Americans in Indianapolis Before WWI","creator":null,"description":"<p>The American Midwest was a magnet for many German-American immigrants as hundreds of thousands made their journey to the United States in the mid-1800s. Indianapolis was no exception. As more German families settled in the city, residents made efforts to found cultural institutions in their new home and cultivate a strong sense of “Deutschtum” -- Germanness. This included restaurants, stores, schools, religious communities, and societies dedicated to all sorts of topics and causes. Many of these groups drew direct inspiration from existing groups in their home country that residents might have previously participated in.\r\n\r\nWhen you look around the city today, many of these structures that played a significant role in community members’ lives remain, although some have also been removed. Multiple structures, like the Liederkranz and Zion Evangelical Church, still serve the same function as they did in the past. Others, like the Independent Turnverein and Pleasant Run Children's Home, now operate as something completely different. Additional examples of German-built structures also exist beyond the ones detailed in this tour.\r\n\r\nEven though most overtly German culture in Indianapolis has waned over time, in large part due to the effects of anti-German sentiment during World War I, German culture still contributes notably to the fabric of the city today.</p>","postscript_text":"","tour_img":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/d6f961983244ec2f2b491e67d9a5f3a3.jpg","items":[{"id":736,"title":"The Liederkranz Building","latitude":39.76650500000000221234586206264793872833251953125,"longitude":-86.13462509999999383580870926380157470703125,"thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/d6f961983244ec2f2b491e67d9a5f3a3.jpg","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/d6f961983244ec2f2b491e67d9a5f3a3.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":"1417 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":735,"title":"Telegraph und Tribüne","latitude":39.7697014999999964857124723494052886962890625,"longitude":-86.15224249999999983629095368087291717529296875,"thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/46d05720de34e6d3bc2d41892f556c27.jpg","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/46d05720de34e6d3bc2d41892f556c27.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":"309 E Ohio St, Indianapolis, Indiana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":737,"title":"Zion Evangelical Church","latitude":39.77548420000000106711013359017670154571533203125,"longitude":-86.1504101000000019894287106581032276153564453125,"thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/3f640348128322f0d210d7dcf5ae45b7.jpg","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/3f640348128322f0d210d7dcf5ae45b7.jpg","subtitle":"The Oldest German Congregation in Indianapolis","address":"603 N New Jersey Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":734,"title":"Independent Turnverein","latitude":39.77944579999999774599928059615194797515869140625,"longitude":-86.1581201000000049816662794910371303558349609375,"thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/6fb423582c654a3730bb511f37d8aa7a.jpg","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/6fb423582c654a3730bb511f37d8aa7a.jpg","subtitle":"Healthy Body and Mind","address":"902 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}},{"id":738,"title":"Pleasant Run Children's Home","latitude":39.7478198000000020329025574028491973876953125,"longitude":-86.1321606000000059566445997916162014007568359375,"thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/square_thumbnails/507f454774c0397204ce67c0868520e9.jpg","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org.curatescape7.reclaim.hosting/files/fullsize/507f454774c0397204ce67c0868520e9.jpg","subtitle":null,"address":"1404 South State Avenue, Indianapolis, Indiana","custom":{"subtitle":null,"text":null}}]}