New-York tribune., 1901-09-01
4 TOWN or WOODEN SHOES
a CURIOUS OLD WORLD COMMUNITY IN
WISCONSIN,
From The milwaukee, Sentinel.

From The Milwaukee Sentinel.
one Of the most interesting places in the
State OF Y IscOnsin j. the little village Of New
Munster. in thu western part OF this county
which. hidden away amidst dozen little hills
presents picture Of a bit of ancient Europe
transported To American soil. but tasting none
Of the benefits Of American civilization or Gus
toms Munster, a. II was originally calleG, vas
founded away back in the '3Os. but while other
towns have grown 10 cities, the village with
great natural resources still remains Munster
with a few hundred inhabitants
It IS a typical German village. such as could
have been seen along the banks Of the Rhine
seVenty-hve years ago. It's pavements Tesouud
with the rampins of wooden shoes, and nearly
every one Of its inha bit&nts still carries out
the old traditions handed down by the German
ancestry Ancient Roman Catholic customs
are rgidly adhered 10 in the smallest detail.
The inha bitants Of the town, almost without
exception are deyout uorshiTpers at the
customs are carried out. When the spring
comes the people assemble ar the church and
the priest leads them through the fields bless
ing the field and praying God for bounuful
yield Of grain ON Corpus Christi sunday the
entire town turns out. and. dressed in white
robes, the priest and people bear the blessed
sacrament through the streets in the ancient
custom known Making the way of the
cross Children in white ali along the way
scattering flowers in the way OF the procession
and all along the route shrines have been built
among the trees at which the marchers stop
10 worship.
1t is thought that Munster is the only place
in the United States where the old custom of
erecting the shrine5 is now adhered TO, and for
this reason many deYout people visit Munster
to attend the celebration Of Corpus Christi
Sunday. 4 stranger is seldom in the
town except on this day and for the rest of the
year Munster is closed 10 the public far
her people concerned The town has
railway telegraph. and mail reaches il only
occasionally, but the inhabitants of the village
never complain and are seemingly content TO
live apart from the world There is no regard
paid to existing fashions in dress, and the
men and women alike still adhere 10 the old
custom OF wearing wooden shoes. The wooden
shoe factory is Of the quaintest places in
the little town and here the shoes are made to
fit feet which have never worn any other kind
OF covering Few changes have been made in
the village. Many of the old houses which
were built in the early iOs have been closed
for lack OF tenants. No one ever moves 10
New Munster and the houses often vacant
Day 10y day OF them are closing and
their former owners are slipping away to their
narrow homes in the cemetery the hillside
The younger people are not in touch with these
customs, and many Of them are leaving the
village to seek homes in the larger cities in the
state and in a few years more New-Munster
Will be simply a village OF old men and women
The Catholic Church in New-Munster is the
pride Of the village. When the German farm
ers first came to Kenosha County in 1889 the
I church built. From the first crop of wheat
raised the farmers begged sufficient wheat To
secure money to build the building. and every
log was cut by hand and each farmer contrib
uted his share of the work until the edifice
was completed This church was torn down in
1917, and a modern temple erected which is one
Of the finest in Southern Wisconsin. Munster
is rich in historic tradition for the student of
Catholic history. and many of the best known
in the Church in Wisconsin have guided
the efforts Of the little parish. The Rev. Father
Saleman who the founder Of the Mil
waukee Catholic seminary, the founder
Of the parish at New Munster and presided
the church for many years. Largely to
his action is due the simple faith of the people
Of the village, and it is in keeping with his
rigid discipline that New-Munster remains to-
day the example of the pure Catholic faith
ia the United States.