Events:
SMCHA Annual Banquet
The SMCHA Annual Banquet will be held in the Burrton city Auditorium at 203 N. Burrton Ave. on Saturday, October 18, at 5p.m. A traditional German meal will be offered by The Breadbasket, cost will be $25 per person.
Please RSVP to Dave Stucky via email:
bigdstucky@gmail.com or text: 620-532-4408 by October 11.
Peter Buller is the speaker. Peter Buller is a 2025 graduate of Bethel College with a degree in Bible & Religion and minors in Music and Peace, Justice, & Conflict Studies. Peter was the recipient of 2025 Thresher Awards for his senior seminar entitled The Kingdom Is Among You, Act Upon It: The Kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-37 and Luke 4:14-30, and for his sustained excellence in musical performance on oboe and piano. Peter is currently taking a gap year from studies, living in Independence, MO, planning a wedding with his fiance, Emily Guldner, hoping to work with local Mennonite churches, and continuing to play the oboe, all before entering seminary at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Elkhart, Indiana, next fall. Peter is also a dedicated movie fan and closely follows the Oscar awards race year-round!
Peter will be speaking about his experience this summer at Reba Place in Chicago, connecting with bigger themes about our role as Mennonites in the world. He may also share some of his amazing oboe playing as part of his presentation!
Music will be provided by Schwisters, a group of six Swiss sisters (by family or faith) .
Check the website for updates about banquet registration information…it will be posted soon!
Interested in donating to the Immigrant House Building Fund?
Funds will be put toward the Immigrant House museum project to preserve the Swiss Mennonite culture for future generations.
Latest Update
SMCHA has acquired 3 acres of land west of the Moundridge Museum Complex, where we intend to build an Immigrant House and Cultural Center Museum. This is a huge step toward this project. Donations are welcome!
About Us
The Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association (SMCHA) is a nonprofit organization comprising descendants of immigrant Mennonites who came to the USA in the 1870s from what is now the Ukraine. Their ancestors originated in Switzerland passing through many countries in Europe including France, Germany, Austria and Poland on their way to the Ukraine.
Major purposes of the SMCHA are to educate descendants of the Swiss Mennonites on the origin and culture of this group through various cultural events, research activities, maintenance of historic places, etc. There are several thousand of such descendants, many of them located in central Kansas, South Dakota, and other mid-western states.
Learn MoreGenetic Study of the Plain Community
A Genetic Study of Schweitzer and other Mennonites with significant intermarriage in their ancestry (that's most of us) is in process. You are encouraged to participate in this study if you are interested. These studies can help physicians understand and better know how to treat genetic issues found specifically in our population. More information about the study and how to participate (minimal time, no travel), is available here.
There is also further information in Jeremy Schrag's 150th Anniversary Seminar, here.
Heritage Hall Museum & Archives
Lured by the Homestead Act of 1862, and in search of freedom and opportunity, Germans-from-Russia immigrants from Amish, Hutterite, Lutheran, Mennonite and Reformed backgrounds – and others – began arriving in southeastern Dakota Territory starting in the 1870s. They brought with them their religious traditions, strong work ethic and determination. They persevered, not only surviving […]
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