Koerner Illinois Baseball Cup

Trivia Night 2013 raised $1598

Got Gold? Raised $350

Cornice Club (paint campaign) 2012 raised $15,280 href=”http://gustavekoerner.org/cornice.jpg”>/a>      


Bier-Tasting and Silent Auction 2011 raised $6460 href=”http://gustavekoerner.org/biergardenflyer.pdf”>/a>


Civil War Descendant Project 2003-2011 raised $1250.
Read synopses of these soldiers’ pension files:
Henry Briesacher     Christian Briesacher     Friedrich Henry    George Kerber    Herman Schmenk    Nicolaus Schmidt    Henry Scheuermann.

Trivia Night 2011 raised $6321

200th Birthday Celebration 2009 raised $20,000 Read about it

November 20-21, 2009, we observed Gustave Koerner’s 200th birthday. It was also a family reunion for Koerner-Engelmann descendants. Koerner Rombauer, founder of Rombauer Vineyards of St. Helena, California, and his family attended the dinner at Bellecourt Place in downtown Belleville. A special Koerner House cake was one of the highlights of the evening.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Sam Adams came from Boston and presented a silver plated tray to Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert, a strong supporter of Koerner House. The tray was a gift from the Queen of Spain, acknowledging Gustave Koerner’s service as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, the formal title for Ambassador to Spain, 1862-64.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Gustave Koerner’s fencing sword from his university days was displayed by Andrew Cooperman.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


Part of the entertainment was a fencing demonstration put on by members of the Boy Scouts of America.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


Wolfgang Stueken, at right, a German researcher who provided exhaustive background on Koerner’s years in his native land, took the birthday party as an occasion to present a special gift to the Koerner House Committee. It was an original copy of a letter from a leading German politician to Gustave Koerner which Wolfgang found in a New York bookstore.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Speakers presented vignettes of Gustave Koerner’s career. Wolf Fuhrig of Jacksonville, Illinois, center, a retired history professor, spoke about Koerner’s connection to Lincoln.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Professor Steven Rowan of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, lower right, who provided research on Koerner’s early years in Illinois, also spoke at the dinner.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


Mary Armstrong of Michigan, a contributor to Koerner family research also attended. Irma Rombauer, who married a grandson of Augusta Koerner, Gustave and Sophie’s daughter, wrote the “Joy of Cooking” cookbook. A Rombauer Vineyards wine bottle, a cookbook and the Koerner House cake made a nice memory of the birthday dinner.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


The next day the descendants visited Walnut Hill Cemetery to plant a tree at the Koerner family plot. Thanks to all descendants and presenters at the dinner for making it a memorable evening. Here the Koerner Rombauer family poses after planting a memorial tree at the Koerner family burial plot on November 21, 2009.

Window Campaign 2009 raised $37,500.00

Sophie’s Tea 2008 raised $1200.00 Visions of Old Belleville Art Auction and Sale 2007 raised $11,527.00 Trivia Night 2007 raised $4100.00

Sophie’s Tea 2006 raised $2000.00


Trivia Night 2006 raised $3500.00

Civil War Era Band Concert and Benefit Dinner 2005 raised $7714.00 Belle of the Milkmaid Contest 2005 raised $22,000 >

Sophie’s Tea 2005 raised $2000.00


Old Belleville Day 2005 – An Awareness Event

Gov. Koerner Birthday Gala 2003 raised $17,030

Koerner House Concert 2003 raised $1650

St. Nicholas Cotillion 2002 raised $20,000

The Gustave Koerner House

200 Abend
Belleville, IL 62220

Support Our Efforts!

Restoring this important piece of Illinois history is a labor-intensive yet very worthwhile endeavor. Please consider donating any amount to help us preserve this important historical treasure.