Strehly Winery Exhibit at Deutschheim State Historic Site

In 1843 Carl Strehly, publisher of the Hermanner Wochenblatt weekly newspaper, along with his editor, Eduard Muehl, began to plan for the winery operation. They acquired land on one of the eastern hillsides in town, on which to plant a vineyard.

Unfortunately, Muehl did not live to see the winery established. He died in the cholera epidemic of 1854, the year the railroad reached Hermann.

Subsequently, Strehly sold the newspaper and began to construct the winery, attaching it to his existing house via a so-called dog trot. The winery building included a tavern and dancehall above the cellar and the pressroom. On its opening, ca.1857, it joined the 66 wineries established in Hermann by 1860.

The current winery exhibit in the pressroom offers a stunning forced perspective wall mural, in the form of full size photos of the extensive cellar below, lending the visitor an impression of gazing into the actual cellar. Also on display is a collection of cask and barrel making tools, antique winemaking equipment, and the Bacchus cask made for Franz Langendoerfer in 1875.