Enos Benner (1799-1860)
Marlborough Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Teacher, author, editor, and printer, Benner issued German-language publications for the Pennsylvania German population from his print shop here. His newspaper, Der Bauern Freund (The Farmer's Friend), was circulated weekly from 1828 to 1858. Preserved in its entirety, it is a very significant source of information on the political and social conditions of the Jacksonian era. Benner and descendants maintained the shop for 100 years.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
From his print shop in Marlborough Township, Enos Benner served the region's large Pennsylvania German population as teacher, author, editor, and printer. His weekly newspaper, Der Bauern Freund (The Farmer's Friend), ran from 1828 to 1858 and survives complete—an unusually rich record of political and social life in the Jacksonian era as seen through German-speaking eyes. Benner and his descendants kept the shop running for a century.
Why it matters
Benner's press preserved the language and civic life of a major immigrant community, leaving historians a rare window into ordinary German-American life in the early republic.
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Related people
- · Enos Benner
Themes & tags
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