Institute to Host Muhlenberg Exhibit

Concordia Historical Institute, in cooperation with Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, Missouri, will host a traveling exhibit April 26 through May 16, 2011, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of colonial American Lutheranism. The exhibit was produced by the Francke Foundation of Halle, Germany, from which Muhlenberg was called to serve as a Lutheran pastor in America.

A special set of lectures and a reception will open the exhibit on Tuesday, April 26, beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Fuerbringer Library at Concordia Seminary. Dr. Robert Kolb of the seminary faculty will speak on “‘So Much Began in Halle’: The Mission Program That Sent Muhlenberg to America.” Dr. Gerhard Bode, also of the seminary faculty, will speak on “Man on a Mission: Henry Melchior Muhlenberg and the Lutherans in America.” A reception will follow the lectures in the Institute’s facilities across the street from the seminary library at 804 Seminary Place, Clayton, Missouri.

The exhibit, which consists of 20 full-color panels, celebrates the importance of Muhlenberg’s legacy to the American colonies and his place as patriarch and pillar of Lutheranism in North America.

Born September 6, 1711, in the town of Einbeck, then a part of the Duchy of Hanover, Muhlenberg is widely recognized as the most influential German-American cultural figure in 18th century America, spending 43 years in a vigorous engagement with life in colonial America, actively participating in community affairs throughout the colonies, closely observing all aspects of the world around him, and recording his daily activities in precise detail in journals and correspondence to friends in the colonies and Europe.

He officially served as pastor to congregations in Pennsylvania and New York, but even more importantly worked as an adviser to hundreds of small Lutheran settlements scattered across the colonial landscape. He traveled frequently, journeying by horseback, wooden sailboat and canoe to meet with settlers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia. His descriptions of his travels and his work at these locations offer an unparalleled glimpse into the urban and rural landscapes, as well as the concerns of German settlers in 18th century colonial America.

The exhibit will be open Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. in the Institute’s museum, 804 Seminary Place, Clayton. There is a $3.00 admission charge. Also on display are two series of 16th century woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer from the Institute’s own collection.