Explore Altenburg: A Southeast Missouri community with strong German roots

Some 30 miles north of Cape Girardeau, the village of Altenburg, Mo., has preserved the rich heritage of the German-American immigration of 1839. Though barely 300 people live in this town, it attracts visitors from near and far to its historic sites, legendary restaurants and annual fairs and festivals.

Perhaps most famous is Tower Rock, a majestic landmark made of limestone rock towering more than 90 feet above the Mississippi River bed. Visitors can walk on flat rocks near river level or climb a nearby bluff for better views, though the landmark itself is accessible by foot only during times of extremely low water. Adjacent Missouri land features a 32-acre forest and 10-mile hiking trail. Tower Rock is also a great place to spot eagles.

At nearby Tower Rock Vineyard and Winery, guests are invited to sip wine, lounge on the deck and enjoy a view of the pond and rolling green vineyards. The winery has a gift shop that sells wine gear, antiques and original art.

"It's very relaxing to sit and look at the water and hear the fountain in a country-quiet setting," says Nancy Hadler, who co-owns the winery with her son, Ben Tully. "The vineyard is only two or three miles east of the Mississppi River and historic Tower Rock, which in itself is very imposing."

The Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum of Altenburg is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with an exhibit of more than 100 historic hats. The museum will soon add a display of beautiful glassware made by a German-American glass company and will host an immigration history conference Oct. 28-30 with scholars from Germany and the United States.

The Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum of Altenburg

"Few historians have written about the 1839 immigration but it's an amazing story and very colorful," says Carla Jordan, director of the Perry County Lutheran Heritage Society. The museum also has a professional reading room, a genealogical research portal and collections related to the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, regional history and German and European history, and conducts tours of nearby churches and cabins dating back to the 1800s.

"It is so hard to find examples of authentic history," says Jordan. "Very little has changed here since the 1800s -- people are still speaking the same language and eating the same foods. There are very few microcultures left in America."

No trip to Altenburg would be complete without a meal at the Mississippi Mud Saloon, a German-style pub, or the Dip & Deli, a cafe best known for using sauerkraut as a pizza topping.

Just west of Altenburg is Frohna, home of the Saxon Lutheran Memorial. These 11 acres are dedicated to the Saxon immigrants who settled near Tower Rock in 1839 because it reminded them of their homeland. The grounds include several log cabins, a barn, blacksmith shop, bake oven and visitors center. The memorial hosts a Fall Festival each October, showcasing live entertainment and demonstrations, arts and crafts, horse and wagon rides, and homemade apple butter. This year's festival is set for Oct. 9.

Other can't-miss events are the Perry County Community Rodeo and the East Perry Community Fair, both held at the East Perry County Fairgrounds near Altenburg. The rodeo, usually the first weekend in June, features bull riding, barrel racing and live music, while the fair, held in late September, is most famous for its mule-jumping competition.