From The Dubois County Daily Herald
Saturday, December 18, 1954

HARK THE HERALD

Life in a German “ Dorf”
By A. T. Rumbach

It is about time for us to gad about a bit, to see what we can see in and around Reute.   No conveyance large enough to accommodate the gang being available for the first day after our arrival, we decided to make the home territory first, on foot.   This was one of those rare sunshiny, mild days of early October, just right for a hike.

Our first stop was at the old Rumbach home, called the Gems (Antelope) probably the oldest home in Reute, and very picturesque, with its spreading pear tree stretching its arms over the east wall.   This was the house in which Fred was born and where he spent the first six months of his life.   Virgil lined us up in front of the house to record the visit with his movie camera.   Across the narrow street stands the former bicycle work shop of Stephen, deceased husband of Oma Rumbach and father of Klara, Marie, and Agnes.   The bicycle business was sold to Herr Birkle, the present mayor of Reute, after Stephan’s death in 1949, and the building is now occupied as a store – ladies’ and gents’ furnishings – by Marie.

Yes, we had refreshments and an extra large “ kugel-hupf” (a cake baked in an angel-food pan with the hollow center) and coffee.   We then took off across the large, flat meadow, the green of the grass shining under the bright October sun, the “ Glotter” or Muehlebach (mill stream), a rather narrow but rapidly-flowing and crystal-clear stream, winding itself through the meadow.   The stream originates among the high peaks of the Glotter-tal, the highest of which, the Kandel-berg, is plainly visible on the horizon.   The Glotter-tal is a resort area in the Schwarzwald, with the quaint old tavern “ Zum Goldenen Engel” as a showplace.   We visited it some days later upon returning from a long trip to pilgrimage spots in Hoch-Schwarzwald, and enjoyed its specialty of fried “ forellen”   (mountain-brook trout) taken fresh daily from the Flotter as it tumbles down the mountainside, within a stone’s throw from the tavern.

We followed the wide footpath across the meadow from the “Gems” in Over- Reute to Unter-Reute, a distance of about one kilometer.   Our objective was the Old Church dating back over 500 years, which was in use by the Reute parish as a place of worship until about fifty years ago when the new church was built in Over- Reute.   The old church, with its high tower, is preserved as an historic monument and is still used as a chapel in which benediction services are occasionally held.   On top of the tower is a wagon wheel placed there as an invitation to the storks to build their nest.   The return of the storks from wherever storks go to spend the winter is a festive event each spring.

Half-way up on the face of the tower is the large old clock still in operation.   Tradition says that the church is built on the ruins of an old pagan temple.

We paused briefly at the village bakery as Klara stopped to pay her respects to “competitors”; the bakery has been operated for many years by the Kraner family, one of whom migrated to America, came to Jasper and became the wife of Andrew Houf ( Hopf) and mother of a large family.   Her children, most of them living in Jasper, are all highly respected citizens.

Half-way between Ober and Unter Reute is the parish cemetery called the “ Friedhof”, or Court of Peace, where we visited Stephan’s grave.   It is a rather small plot of ground, slightly elevated above the surrounding acres, and is enclosed by a brick and stone wall.   All graves are very well kept; the mounds are covered with blooming plants and some have artificial wreaths.   The names on the tombstones reflect the fact that many Dubois county families originated in Reute.   A few that came to mind are Beck, Birk, Birkle, Fehrenbach, Hettich, Rich, Rumbach Schlegel, Sutter.

It was late in the afternoon when we re-entered the streets of Over- Reute.   Everybody seemed to be busy cleaning up their premises as a final chore of the week, so that all would look neat on Sunday.   As we passed their houses, they would pause a moment to say “ Gruess Gott”, and some who have relatives in America asked about conditions there.

“How do the people in these German villages live?”   That is a question we are often asked.   Well, everyone knows these people to be very industrious.   Most of them own a few acres of land which they farm intensively…that is, they grow at least two crops on them annually.   Much of the work in the fields is done by the women, assisted by the men in their spare time.   Most men have a trade or business which they operate when their services are needed by fellow citizens.   We have already mentioned the bakery and bicycle business.   Then there are carpenters, blacksmiths, locksmiths, tinsmiths, basket makers, weavers, butchers, taverns and other occupations.

There is a cigar factory which employs mostly girls and buys the tobacco grown by local farmers.   Many of the men and youths and young women work at their trade in nearby cities, traveling on bicycles and motorcycles.

The principal crops are wheat, (grown mostly for green fodder), turnips, sugar beets, cabbage, tomatoes, cauliflower, endive and head lettuce.   There are many fruit trees – apples, pears, prunes and cherries.

There are few rich people among them but they are all very hospitable and charitable, being always ready to share their food and clothes with more unfortunate ones, such as the numerous escapees who have left their homes in Russian-controlled East Germany and other Communistic countries to seek freedom and make a living in the western zone.