Look What Hitler Missed

Many of you have driven past an old stone building in Camp Dennison on the way to Milford. Ever wonder what it is and the history behind it? Come listen to the three-part history of the Christian Waldschmidt Homestead and be prepared to be enthralled. In 1794, Christian Waldschmidt, a veteran of the American Revolution, moved his family to a site on the Little Miami River and built a new community called New Germany.

In 1804, he built his home, which included a store. Waldschmidt was a businessman and encouraged new settlement, staffing a church and helping to find a school, and beginning industries vital to the survival of his new home, such as Ohio’s first paper mill, a cooperative distillery, woolen mill, sawmill, and a blacksmith shop. During the Civil War, the house and surrounding grounds were part of Camp Dennison, used primarily as a general training center, recruiting depot, and hospital post, and named in honor of Governor William Dennison. The main house, now known as Waldschmidt House, served as the headquarters for General Joshua Bates.
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The ‘amazing story’ of Lisa Mac Vittie and her family’s plight to flee Europe in 1939. Lisa will recount her own personal journey taking you to Germany where it began, life for the family before Hitler’s reign against the Jewish people, life for the extended family that left and those who didn’t, and the barriers they faced escaping to China only to arrive just after the Sino-Japanese War. When the family embarked from the ship in China Lisa’s mother said to her father “what have we gotten ourselves in to”.

Living in China for ten years before immigrating to the United States was much like life in Europe when they fled except for the threat of being sent to a concentration camp. Her younger sister and brother were born in China, her sister Marion died at the age of 2 of diphtheria.
Lisa’s father was always optimistic about their future only to be murdered just before the family was close to making their final journey to the United States. How fortunate for America that Hitler missed Lisa and her family resulting in many descendants that can call the United States home. Lisa is now 90 years young and still going strong.

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