Hello Hessians, I just received this mail from the President of the Seventh Township Historical Society in Ameliasburg, Ontario, the one which is holding my research material and is continuing with the Hessian research. I am really stunned at these developments. I believe we should all write to the officials in charge at the Prince Edward County, Ontario. John Helmut Merz. The following is the letter that appeared in the County Weekly News in Picton on Friday June 3 2005. I will e-mail a list of the Mayor and council and their e-mail addresses tomorrow or Tuesday. Ian CLOSE THE ROSE HOUSE MUSEUM? The Rose House Museum holds a distinct place in our County's history. It commemorates the German, Hessian soldiers who came here to live in Prince Edward County in 1784 after the end of the American Revolution. These men fought side-by-side with our Loyalists and stayed behind in this blessed land when their regiment returned home to Hanau, Germany. Peter Rose was among those soldiers and it is very appropriate that this property be the location of this museum. To move it elsewhere is to rob it of its significance. Its present location is appropriate, if not perfect. The Story of the Hessians of North Marysburgh has only recently begun to receive the attention it deserves. Much of this is through the work of historian, John Merz of Hamilton, Ontario who was born Johannes Helmut Merz and was raised in Hanau, Germany, the very place these Hessian Soldiers came from. After coming to Canada he had a successful businesss career. Later, when he retired, he began day-tripping ! in Ontario. One of these excursions was to Prince Edward County. During that trip he happened to drive by the Rose House Museum. As he read the plaque outside he realized that these settlers had been soldiers sent from the very place he had livied in Germany, to help the British cause in North America. As he visited the cemetary and drove down the road he recognized the names on tombstones and mailboxes as being anglicized versions of common family names in the area around his hometown in Germany. That visit started a 20 year research project into these Hessian soldiers and John Merz is now one of the leading authorities on this subject today. Matching records for these soldiers were found in German records in the area of Hesse, Germany (Which is how the Hessians got their name) The project grew to a larger than life status. A plaque was designed and cast. One was donated with great ceremony to the Kurpark in Hanau, Germany. A matching plaque was donated to the Rose House Museum, by John Merz, last year. Hanau, Germany was the home of the Hessian Regiment and they were loaned to King George III of England by his cousin Wilhelm the Erbprinz of Hanau (Erb refers to inheritance and prinz is prince) Hanau has recently begun to celebrate this German /Canadian connection from the 1700s. In 2003 a huge weekend was organized and the Hessian Soldier's history honoured, culminating in the presentation of the commemorative plaque mentioned above. It was no small deal. I have a copy of the newspaper article about it here in my home. Even the American Army from its present day base in Hanau, Germany sent troops to honour these soldiers who in reality fought against their country during the American Revolution. In two weeks, in Hanau, they have arranged another celebration to honour these soldiers and this history. John Merz has been invited there for what he suspects will be his last trip back to Hanau due to failing health. The plans are laid out in the Hanau Anzeiger Wochende Magazin (Hanau Newspaper Weekend Magazine). The Sunday, May 7th edition describes in great detail the research John Merz has done, and how it developed. In an article by writer Werner Kurz it tells the story of his discovery of the museum and the graveyard directly across the road from which his research sprang. They plan a big celebration there and he is meeting with the Archivist for the Hanau history (Geschictesvererin) and presenting her with copies several items to remember the occasion. Several city officials will be there to honour him and the memory of these Hessians. The Landrat (A German term for their higher up district official) is scheduled to meet him and to honour the memory of some of the very people and their comrades our Rose House Museum represents. All that and we want to close the Museum that started it all? We must have missed something here. Just when the people half a world away are waking up to our history we want to shut it down and move it elsewhere into certain oblivion. Maybe we should promote it. With ads in the Hanau Anzeiger inviting folks to come here and visit the home of Peter Rose, former Hanauer Soldaten. Europeans and German people in particular are fascinated by Canadian pioneer life and heaven knows with the high value of the Euro they can afford to come. All they need is a good reason. I realize the motivation for this move may have appeared sound on the surface but not everything of value can be measured in dollars and cents. Some things we are just stewards of and it is our job to preserve them for future generations. The Arts and History are two that definitely fall into that catagory. To ignore them is to lose our inner selves. Perhaps a better way can be found to look after this Museum. It is an important historic place and North Maryburgh should keep it there. I know there are some out there who think it is just an old house with some pioneer and German stuff in it. It makes no difference where it is. What does it matter anyway? Well it matters to me and the hundreds of other German family descendants who still live here today. And if your name is Rose, Bongard, Dainard, Minaker, Casper, Hineman, Hay, Keller, Lott, Miller, Smith, Snider, Gerbig,(all modern day Prince Edward County versions of names of these Hessian Soldier's families) not mention Switzer, Embury, Hick, Dulmage, Miller, Detlor, Huffman and Teskey, (all anglicized names of German families that came here by way of Rathkeale, Ireland) then it should matter to you . It should matter a lot. This is our heritage that is being dis-serviced. I trust a reasonable solution would be found to keep this historic home open for many years. Maybe through a reduced schedule or a specific number of special events days such as the German Heritage Day held last year. Perhaps more volunteers are needed. It is too important a museum to close. Don K Dulmage Director of Hessian and German Family Studies 7th Town Historical Society MAGRC Ameliasburgh.