Three Groups One Story Trailer
Southeast South Dakota is the only place in the world where Low German Mennonites, Swiss Amish and Hutterites settled side-by-side in the 1870s. Together, these three distinct Germans from Russia sub-groups established a community on the Dakota Territory prairies -- a community known today as Freeman. Three local historians trace the roots of these groups to their very beginnings in 16th century Europe and follow their journeys as they moved across Europe, searching for a place to live peacefully in accordance with their Anabaptist beliefs. By the 1800s, all three groups lived in Russia, enjoying the freedoms and privileges given to German-speaking settlers by Catherine the Great. When their way of life was threatened in the 1870s, they and thousands of other Germans from Russia sought a new life in America. Thanks in part to the Homestead Act of 1862, our three groups of immigrants built a new life and a new community on the South Dakota prairie. They were and are three distinct groups... with one amazing story! To purchase a DVD please go to heritagehallmuseum.com
