Near Apple Creek in Wayne County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Sonnenberg Settlement 1819

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 4, 2019

1. Sonnenberg Settlement 1819 Marker

Inscription. In the summer of 1819 settlers from Sonnenberg in the Jura Mountains of Canton Bern, Switzerland, arrived in Wayne County, Ohio. They fled the religious persecution they endured because of their Anabaptist Mennonite beliefs, including adult baptism and the separation of church and state. Ulrich Lehman, Johannes Amstutz, and the families of Peter and Barbara (Bogli) Lehman, David and Barbara (Thuller) Kirchhofer, Isaac and Katharina (Lehman) Sommer purchased 320 acres about two miles northeast of Kidron, centered near the Intersection of Zuercher and Hackett roads, and began new lives. Their families and their faith continue to flourish int he Kidron-Sonnenberg area.

Erected 2018 by Kidron Community Historical Society and The Ohio History Connection. (Marker Number 7-85.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1819.

Location. 40° 45.335′ N, 81° 44.401′ W. Marker is near Apple Creek, Ohio, in Wayne County. It is on Hackett Road east of Kidron Road (County Route 52), on the right when traveling

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east. It is at the entrance to Sonnenberg Village. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 13526 Hackett Rd, Apple Creek OH 44606, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Amish Country

and in Greater Cleveland.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Paint Township Veterans (approx. 4.8 miles away); Mount Eaton (approx. 4.9 miles away); Pvt. William J. Knight (approx. 5 miles away); Stone from Grotto at Lourdes, France (approx. 6½ miles away); Calmoutier (approx. 6½ miles away); Wilmot Civil War Memorial (approx. 8½ miles away); History of of Greenlawn Cemetery (approx. 8½ miles away); Barnhart Rice Homestead / Frederick Rice (approx. 9.6 miles away).

Also see . . . Sonnenberg Village. “The Sonnenberg Village is a 5-acre campus located on the outskirts of Kidron, Ohio. It is located at located at 13497 Hackett Road, but has an Apple Creek mailing address. Here we maintain and preserve historical buildings and implement sustainable living methods that feature the use of green building technology and sustainable gardening and landscaping techniques. The campus currently has five permanent buildings in place with an additional nine buildings waiting to be installed on their respective sites.” (Submitted on April 12, 2019.)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 4, 2019

2. Sonnenberg Settlement 1819 Marker

Sonnenberg Settlement Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 4, 2019

3. Sonnenberg Settlement Marker

F.R. Saurer, Horseshoeing and General Repairing image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 4, 2019

4. F.R. Saurer, Horseshoeing and General Repairing

Sonnenberg Church, 1907 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, April 4, 2019

5. Sonnenberg Church, 1907

Credits. This page was last revised on April 12, 2019. It was originally submitted on April 11, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,540 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 11, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4, 5. submitted on April 12, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.