The village of Halbstadt, founded in 1804 was thefirst village established in the Molotschna Colony. With time, it became the largest industrial and commercial centre in the Molotschna Colony, as well as the administrative centre of the Colony. By 1917, Mennonites were no longer the majority of the population and by 1925, only about one-third of the 1,455 residents were Mennonite. In 1943, the Mennonites in Halbstadt joined the trek to Germany. As the German army retreated many of the homes were torched and only the walls of many buildings remained. Eventually they were repaired and consequently there are still a significant number of former Mennonite buildings in use.
Here are a few:
The tall building is the former H H Willms flour mill - 7 storeys high and reputed to be the tallest mill constructed by Mennonites in Russia. It was in existence in 1910. The mill was run by a large steam-operated engine located in a separate power-house. Large steel rollers were used to crush the wheat. Each floor contained a separate operation. A balcony was located on the 6th floor, giving an excellent view of the surrounding countryside. The building was severely damaged by fire in 1943, with only the walls surviving. It was repaired and is now used to produce condensed and evaporated milk.
The white building (behind a fence) is the remaining building of the former Hermann Neufeld Brewery, established in 1832 and which produced mainly beer & vinegar. The firm also sold and repaired products from England, Germany and USA - stationary engines, sewing machines, cream separators & other household products. Most of the buildings were destroyed in 1918 by retreating German troops. Only the former beer hall remains.
The remaining photo is the former Credit Union Building in Halbstadt established to provide farmers with loans at reasonable interest rates, and banking services to local business owners. The building is now used as a gymnasium for the nearby school.
I believe my mother's Dick relatives lived in the Halbstadt area from about 1801 - about 1857....maybe some of them worked in either the flour mill or the brewery...whoops...some of the Dicks may have left for Fuerstenau, Petershagen, Mariawohl or Crimea by the time the flour mill started, which leaves the Hermann Neufeld Brewery as a place of possible employment for our relatives, or the Credit Union.
Of course there were other Mennonite businesses in Halbstadt as well, but this is a sample.
Your Comments are welcome.
Given the nature of our upbringing (that beer was something only the Englander consumed) isn't it interesting that the Mennonite colonies would have their own breweries. I recall Frank Epp telling the Menno History class that Catherine the Great had granted the Mennonites the privilege of breweries and that the other non-Mennonite villages in the area would be prevented from having breweries and distillaries. Who would have known from our own North American history that our ancestors had a monopoly on booze?
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