WAPAKONETA — The Auglaize County Historical Society will present “Friend or Foe: Meeting the Stranger in Germany, Britain and the U.S. during the First World War,” Sunday, Oct. 7, 1 p.m., at the St. Paul United Church of Christ, located on Mechanic and Perry streets in Wapakoneta, catercornered from the Auglaize County Courthouse.

Attendees should use the Mechanic Street entrance (opposite the library parking lot) to enter the building. The event is free and open to the public.

The Historical Society will Skype live with German historian, teacher, and author Alfred Wesselmann about his new book. Wesselmann has conducted extensive research about anti-German settlement in the United States—especially in Auglaize County—during World War I.

“We are approaching the end of the commermoration of the centennial of World War I,” said Auglaize County Historical Society administrator Rachel Barber. Many residents might be especially interested in learning how anti-German sentiment emerged and flourished during the war, changing the direction of local history. We’re fortunate to be able to connect live with Dr. Wesselmann and learn about his research.”

Alfred Wesselmann grew up in Mettingen, Germany. He taught English and history at the Hannah Arendt-Gymnasium in Lengerich, Germany (Wapakoneta’s Sister City), where he served as director of studies until his retirement in 2013.

As a local historian, Alfred Wesselmann has researched various aspects of the history of the city of Lengerich. Wesselmann is involved in the Heimatverein Lengerich, whose “Urban History Working Group” he chairs.

Wesselmann’s primary research focus is the democratic movement in Westphalia during the revolution of 1848/49. In his many years of study, he has extensively documented the life and work of the Westphalian revolutionary Hermann Krieg (1820-1850), about whom Wesselmann authored a biography.

Founded in 1963, the Auglaize County Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets, and shares the history of Auglaize County, enriching lives by connecting people and communities to the past and to each other.

For more information about this event or the Auglaize County Historical Society, please contact [email protected] or 419-738-9328.

The Auglaize County Historical Society is also on Facebook.