All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.S13E03.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[narrator] A rural structure
in Wisconsin

linked to the founding
of an American institution.

[Meigs] It was a kind of
hotbed for political movement

that would profoundly
affect the country.

[mysterious music playing]

An isolated stronghold
in Greece that incurred

a sultan's wrath.

Tens of thousands were killed,
enslaved, or forced to flee.

[suspenseful music builds]

And a compound in Seattle

rocked by a high-profile
military scandal.

There was tremendous pressure
on the American government

to assure the world that
they would get justice.

[tense music playing]

On the Greek island of Chios
are clifftop ruins,

once the scene
of a vicious massacre.

[mysterious music playing]

We're just a couple of miles
inland, but we feel worlds away

from the famous beaches
and turquoise waters

this place is known for.

[Bell] It's arid and craggy,
with steep-sided mountains

and deep ravines.

You can't imagine this was ever
an easy place to live.

And then you notice
that it's a town

clinging to the hillside.

[Rose] Given how well
it blends with the surroundings,

it's pretty clear that
this place was designed

to be secret and hidden.

Among the devastated remains,
there are few clues

as to who lived here.

[Bell] This must have once
been a bustling settlement.

It's now a ghost town.

[Meares] All the buildings
have been built

right on top of each other.

So the people here were clearly
petrified of something.

But who or what was it?

For centuries, the residents

of this isolated town
stayed concealed.

But in the aftermath
of a rebellion,

they found themselves
surrounded by a brutal force

fueled by revenge.

[Meares] They were there
to carry out

the sultan's orders --
complete annihilation.

Archaeologist Olga Vassi
has spent more than 30 years

unearthing the secrets
of the islanders

who once sheltered here.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

[Meares] But hiding
wasn't their only defense.

The town sits upon a rock face
at 1,300 feet,

and on either side are
these really deep gorges,

and there's only one way
in and out, one single gate.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

This is the town of Anavatos.

More than two miles inland,
hidden inside

their mountaintop fortress,
the residents were protected

from the frequent
coastal pirate raids,

but their safety came
at a cost.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

The population built
a cistern to store

what little rain fell
in this arid climate.

It was just enough
to eke out an existence.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

Cut off from the world,
the people here cared little

about the Italian merchants
who ruled Chios for centuries.

They continued to speak Greek
and follow the Orthodox faith,

as generations before them
had done.

[Rose] For more than 100 years,
life at Anavatos remained

relatively unchanged,
until 1566,

a new empire arrives --
the Ottomans.

[suspenseful music builds]

The Ottoman Empire
controlled large swaths

of the Middle East
and North Africa.

As well as modern-day Greece,
their domination of the region

brought a new peace
to Anavatos.

[Meares] They had
this really powerful navy,

so the threat of piracy
really dissipated.

This meant that the residents
didn't have to cram inside

the fortified village
for safety.

They could start to spread out
and build bigger homes

outside the walls.

[mysterious music builds]

For more than 200 years,
Chios was largely at peace

under Ottoman control.

It seemed as if the harsh life
of the residents

was beginning to ease.

But in the early 1800s,
a movement was gathering pace

in mainland Greece which would
change the fate of the island.

Over the years,
revolutionaries in Greece began

to fight and organize
for independence,

hoping to overthrow
their oppressors

and gain freedom.

[Rose] But rebellions
are expensive, so they went

to wealthy expat communities
in the US, Britain,

and across Europe for support.

[Bell] After years of gathering
resources and people,

on March 25th, 1821,
a national uprising began,

but not on Chios.

There were more than
100,000 people living on Chios

who were now
in an impossible position.

Their island was more
than 100 miles

across the Aegean Sea
from mainland Greece,

where the rebellion
had launched.

But Turkey,
home of the Ottoman Empire,

was right on their doorstep.

[Rose] Chios is just
a little more than four miles

across the water
from mainland Turkey.

If they took up arms
against their occupiers,

they're incredibly vulnerable
to Ottoman attack.

But in March 1822,
the Greek Revolution

would arrive,
whether they liked it or not .

[Rose] A band of rebels
from the nearby island of Samos

landed here and began launching
attacks on the Ottomans.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

[Bell] The Ottomans
responded by sending

tens of thousands of troops
to the island.

Their orders were
to unleash hell

on rebels and civilians alike.

It would become known
as the Chios Massacre.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

[Meares] For two weeks,
their army would massacre,

torture, and imprison thousands,
and completely level towns.

Anavatos wouldn't be
spared either.

In April 1822,
Ottoman soldiers had made it

to the foot of the mountain.

When they saw them
approaching, the residents,

terrified, retreated behind
the old fortified walls.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

This was now a siege
with only one way in or out.

[suspenseful music playing]

In 1822,
the residents of Anavatos

on the island of Chios were
surrounded by an enemy force.

After a Greek rebellion against
their Ottoman overlords,

revenge was swift and violent.

Suddenly, the Ottoman troops
are rushing inside,

and their orders are
"Kill or enslave

the population of the town."

[tense music playing]

[Rose] These soldiers simply
set light to the church,

burning to death everyone
that was sheltering inside.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

But that wasn't the end
of the horror.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

[Meares] It's said that
they jumped to their death

rather than meeting
such a horrible fate.

In what became known
as the Chios Massacre,

the population of Anavatos
and the island was decimated.

It's said that 25,000
were killed, 45,000 enslaved,

and tens of thousands more fled.

Four-fifths
of the population gone.

News of what happened here
spread like wildfire

across the globe and rallied
support for the Greek cause.

[Dr. Vassi speaking]

In 1832, Greece finally
gained its freedom,

but Chios wasn't included
in the treaty.

After the devastating response
to the uprising,

little opposition remained
on the island, and it stayed

under Ottoman control
for another 80 years.

[Rose] Those who survived
continued to live in Anavatos,

but soon disaster would strike
once more.

[violent rumbling]

[Meares] Only 50 years
after this horrible massacre,

there was a massive earthquake,
and like much of the island,

Anavatos is left in ruins.

In the years after the quake,
some of the town's residents

settled at the bottom
of the hill,

while others departed for good,

leaving the ancient settlement
to fall into ruin.

[mysterious music playing]

Since 1998, Olga and her team
have been working

to excavate and restore
the abandoned old town.

[Bell] While many
of these buildings have been,

for years, devoid of life,
one person was drawn

to the quiet majesty
of this ghost town.

Mrs. Smaragda first visited
Anavatos as a child in 1949,

long before there were
paved roads here.

Seeking a peaceful retirement,
she returned in the 1990s

to make it her home with only
her animals for company.

[Mrs. Smaragda speaking Greek]

[translator]
I've enjoyed my life.

I traveled,
I had fun, I partied.

In 1991, I left everything
behind and I came to Anavatos,

more than anything,
for peace of mind.

I wouldn't change it.

It doesn't compare to any place
in the world.

[Mrs. Smaragda speaking Greek]

[mysterious music playing]

In Seattle, on the edge
of the Puget Sound,

a scenic park bears traces
of a miscarriage of justice

during a national crisis.

[mysterious music playing]

It's a 534-acre expanse
of hiking trails and wilderness.

[mysterious music continues]

[Prof. Mitchell]
But across the site are

these smart properties
that don't look

like your typical
park buildings.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
The houses are boarded up.

The windows are boarded over.

This is a neighborhood
that has been shut down.

[intense music playing]

[Prof. Mitchell]
Inside, the buildings are

in a really bad state
of disrepair.

There's peeling paint,
holes in the walls,

and exposed rafters
in the ceilings.

Trying to piece together

what this place
was used for isn't easy.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
One of these buildings

has got cages in it...
big cages.

These cells would hold men
accused of a breakdown of order

and a brutal killing.
But not all was as it seemed.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
This starts as a scuffle,

and it turns into a riot
and then a murder.

The court-martial
brings in its verdict --

guilty.

[Hamann] But what we were able
to discover was,

it was an absolute travesty
of justice.

[enigmatic music playing]

[Hamann] In 1985,
I was a young news reporter,

and I was assigned
to one of the most

dull, boring assignments
you could have at that age.

The local community was trying
to decide what to do

with a sewage treatment plant.

But there was more in this park
than just a sewage plant.

When a park ranger pointed out
a strange headstone

in the military cemetery,
it would send Jack Hamann

on a decades-long hunt
for the truth.

[Hamann] It says,

"Guglielmo Olivotto,
Italian soldier."

And it said that he died
on August 14, 1944.

What was an Italian soldier
doing being buried

in an American graveyard
in World War II?

When you see
something like this,

it just piques your curiosity.

I had no idea how big
it would become.

In a quiet Seattle park
are the scattered remains

of a once sprawling facility.

When the United States Army
began construction here

in 1898, many considered it
a remote outpost...

that would soon change.

[Hamann]
At the start of World War II,

after the bombing
of Pearl Harbor,

this was one of the main avenues
for soldiers and material

to be sent across
to the Pacific.

[Dr. Nusbacher] Port companies,
which were American soldiers

trained to onload and offload
ships in combat zones,

were preparing in Seattle
to deploy

to the war in the Pacific.

[enigmatic music playing]

This is Fort Lawton --

20,000 troops,
including these port companies,

were stationed here.

But reflecting wider society,

they were not all
treated equally.

[Pedrick] More than one million
African-American men and women

served during World War II,
but, at this point in history,

the military is still
legally segregated.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
The United States Army

tried to keep Black soldiers

in subservient roles
and away from combat.

Merely because of their race,
they were seen as manual labor.

And so you see a large number
of Black men assigned

to the port companies.

In 1943, during the Allied
victory in North Africa,

huge numbers of Italian
soldiers were captured.

Many of them were brought
to Fort Lawton as POWs.

[Hamann] This building would
have had not just Americans,

but a considerable number
of Italian prisoners of war.

Those who were willing
to pledge allegiance

to the Allies
were given the opportunity

to work in return for pay,

and they formed what were called
Italian service units.

The Italian soldiers,
for the most part,

absolutely loved being here.

Italy was poor, it was at war,
but here they were given meals,

they were treated pretty well.

But a gravestone
in the fort's cemetery

hints that relations
at the base were strained.

Guglielmo Olivotto,
now buried here,

was part of the 28th
Italian Service Unit

stationed at Fort Lawton.

They lived in barracks,
in a remote corner of the base,

right next to the segregated
Black American port companies.

[Hamann] August 14th, 1944
was a big day

for these Black soldiers
because on August 15th,

they were supposed to ship out.

[Dr. Nusbacher] As soldiers
and sailors have done

since the dawn of time,
here are some soldiers

who are going to cut loose
in town before shipping out.

[Hamann] At the very same time,
Italians, too, were able

to leave the base
and do much the same thing.

When both groups returned
to the fort that night,

it would result
in a tragic confrontation.

[Hamann]
Drunken insults are exchanged,

and an Italian soldier hits
the Black soldier hard enough

to knock him out.
Other Black soldiers

started to shout out,
"Hey, we've just been attacked."

For 40 minutes,
it was just an all-out melee.

The military police were
finally alerted to the riot

taking place in this secluded
part of the base.

They restored order,
but it soon became clear

that someone
was unaccounted for.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Dr. Nusbacher]
Early in the morning,

one Italian soldier
was found hanging on some wires

on the assault course.

[Prof. Mitchell]
It was the body of

Private Guglielmo Olivotto,
and he had been lynched.

The prime suspects were
the African-American soldiers

of the port companies.

In the days after the riot,

400 port company soldiers
were imprisoned.

while the authorities tried
to determine

who to charge
with rioting and murder.

[Hamann] This is the guardhouse.

The biggest suspects
would be housed here,

which was the most secure place.

A formidable military lawyer
named Leon Jaworski

was brought in to prosecute
the Army's case

against 43 Black soldiers.

Just four months
after Olivotto's death,

the all-white military court
reached their decision.

They found,
of the 43 defendants,

28 of them guilty of rioting,

and two of them guilty
of manslaughter.

The sentences ranged
from six months in prison

to 25 years of hard labor.

All but one
of the Black soldiers convicted

were dishonorably discharged.

It seemed that justice
had been done.

[Dr. Nusbacher]
But when you look closer,

You see that
that is not what happened here.

[Prof. Mitchell]
It turned out that
an important piece of evidence

was omitted from
the court-martial proceedings.

During their research,
Jack and his wife discovered

that another branch
of the Army had investigated

the riots and the murder.

Their findings were handed over
to the lead prosecutor,

Leon Jaworski, but crucially,
not to the defense.

My wife came across
this amazing report

by General Cooke that was
classified for 50 years.

And, in that big report,
we were able to find

that the Army had
every reason to know

that these Black soldiers
pretty much didn't do

what they were being accused of.

And beyond that,
the reasons the riot went on

had all been completely
covered up by Leon Jaworski.

Jaworski was a guy
who was determined

to get a victory,
not necessarily justice.

He had convinced this military
trial that Black soldiers

were upset about Italians
because they were being given

no better rights
than these former enemies,

these -- these prisoners of war.

[Prof. Mitchell] But there was
more evidence of animosity

between white GIs
and the Italians,

which boiled down
to white Americans being

resentful of Italian soldiers
dating local, white women.

They attracted the attention
of a lot of the young ladies

in Seattle,
many of whom's boyfriends

or husbands were overseas.

Italian Americans had been
labeled "enemy aliens,"

facing internment camps,
mass surveillance,

and a wave of discrimination.

Yet in some people's eyes,

the captured Italian
soldiers here

were being treated
far too well.

And it was a story really
all across America

of an increasing resentment
of, "Why are these Italians

being given so much freedom?"

The classified Cooke report
proved Jaworski withheld

evidence of these tensions
from the defense,

allowing him to present
a one-sided story

of these Black American
soldiers being guilty

beyond the shadow of a doubt,
an incomplete account

that the all-white jury was
all too willing to believe.

The report also revealed
explosive new evidence

about who really
murdered Olivotto.

In 1944, an Italian POW
named Guglielmo Olivotto

was murdered during
a riot at Fort Lawton.

An all-white jury convicted
28 Black soldiers of rioting

and two for the manslaughter
of Olivotto.

But in 2002,
while reinvestigating the case,

Jack Hamann and his wife
uncovered classified documents

that revealed who actually
killed Olivotto.

We suddenly realized
who had the means,

the motive, and the opportunity.

One white MP in particular,
by the name of Clyde Lomax,

the man we later learned
was himself quite racist,

who disliked the Italians --

he was the one who came across
the beginnings of the riot

who decided not to immediately
intervene or call for help.

He was the one who disappeared
when Olivotto was found missing.

And he was the one
who found Olivotto

at 5 o'clock the next morning.

And the US Army
has told us since

that if he were still alive,

they would have prosecuted him
for Olivotto's murder.

Jack and his wife published
their findings in 2005,

shedding new light
on the mistrial

and scapegoating of
all 30 Black American soldiers.

In 2007,
the U.S. Army Review decided

to drop all of the charges.

[Prof. Mitchell]
The Army also granted

honorable discharge to the men,
but at the time of the ruling,

only two of the defendants
were actually still alive.

I can't speak for the families
except to say that some of them

were clearly and understandably
overjoyed to know

that their husband or father
or grandfather

had been exonerated from this.

But for many others,
it was delayed justice.

And delayed justice is not
the same as real justice.

[enigmatic music playing]

In the 1970s,
most of Fort Lawton

was converted into a city park.
For more than 30 years,

Seattleites enjoyed it
with little idea

of the miscarriage of justice
that took place here.

[Hamann] This is the story
that belongs to these men

who were here young,
away from home, trying to do

their duty in a time of war,
and yet having

to have this giant injustice
for their entire life.

In the heart of London,

on the banks of
the River Thames,

stands a towering structure,

witness to the city's
darkest days.

[Selwood] In an area
of modern skyscrapers,

there's this
10-story Art Deco building.

It's imposing, striking,
and looks entirely out of place.

[enigmatic music playing]

[Dr. Loh] It sits right
on the waterfront,

and you can imagine
that the river was crucial

to its original purpose.

But inside the vast edifice,
there is little evidence

of what that purpose was.

It's like something out
of a dystopian movie.

[Selwood] With these massive
holes in the floor,

there are deadly consequences
if you're not careful.

Once a vital lifeline
for the city's population,

this complex became collateral
damage during a brutal war.

[Dr. Nubia] But the greatest
danger would not come from afar,

but right next door.

The catastrophe holds the record

for the largest single explosion
in London.

[Rule] At one time, this was
part of the Port of London,

which was the busiest
and the most commercially

successful port probably
in the entire world.

[intense music playing]

Fiona Rule has spent
over a decade

studying this historic area
known as Silvertown.

[Rule] Silvertown was part
of the Port of London,

which was an enormous complex
of enclosed docks,

warehouses, and factories

that lay along the banks
of the Thames.

It would become
the beating heart

of the capital city's trade
and manufacturing.

But in the early 1800s,

this future
seemed inconceivable.

The Docklands were a radical
solution to the growing problem

of the Thames.

[Selwood] Goods and materials
were flooding in

from every corner
of the British Empire.

Ships were fighting for space.

The port of London was thrown
into chaos.

Silvertown was
uninhabited marshland

which many thought was
impractical to develop.

But a visionary engineer named
George Parker Bidder believed

it could be transformed
into a dock capable of handling

hundreds of thousands of tons
of shipping every year.

It would cost over $150 million
in today's money.

Constructors began to dig deep
to drain the marshland.

[Selwood] The new Victoria Dock.
opened in 1855.

It became a hive of activity,
providing thousands of jobs.

Over the next 50 years,
many factories were built

and hundreds of thousands
of workers flocked

to new neighborhoods
created in the area.

Among them was the family
that built this structure.

[Dr. Nubia] Vernon & Sons
wanted to construct a building

that would be the perfect
example of its kind.

In 1905, they opened
Millennium Mills.

It was one of the largest bread
flour factories in Europe.

When it was in operation,
the grain would have been taken

right up to the top floor,

and then as it
was being processed,

it would come down
floor by floor.

[enigmatic music playing]

The mill was built
using a revolutionary

construction material --
reinforced concrete.

Its strength and durability
even under extreme temperatures

guarded against the dangers

of the mechanized
flour-making process.

[Selwood] Because of the heat,
friction, and very fine

particles of grain dust
floating around in the air,

these mills were particularly
susceptible to fires

and even violent explosions.

Despite the owners' best
efforts, a tragic accident

would lay waste
to Millennium Mills.

But it would not come
from inside these walls.

[Dr. Nubia] At the beginning
of World War I,

the Ministry of Munitions
were looking for a place

where they could produce
their munitions.

They identified a building just
a few hundred yards away.

The former chemical factory
began producing vast quantities

of TNT in the heart
of Silvertown,

surrounded by thousands
of homes and businesses.

It was a risky decision,
but in the name

of the war effort, the Ministry
pressed ahead anyway.

But this decision would
soon backfire.

In 1917, the Millennium Mills
flour factory

in London, Silvertown

was sitting beside
a ticking time bomb.

During the First World War,
the government had opened

a new munitions factory
right next door.

[intense music playing]

A fire broke out
detonating 50 tons of TNT.

[Dr. Loh]
The blast could be felt right
across London,

and the shock waves heard
over 100 miles away.

[Rule] Burning debris was sent
hurtling out of the factory,

and some of it landed
on the mills,

and the mill was left to burn.

[melancholic music playing]

It was London's largest
explosion on record.

The entire area
and the mills lay in ruins.

[Dr. Nubia]
The blast tragically killed

73 people and injured 400 more.

Thousands of people were
left homeless.

Out of the ashes,
Millennium Mills rebuilt

its operation
bigger than ever, renovating

the entire structure.

But soon it would be caught
in the crosshairs once more.

[Dr. Nubia]
The mill had recovered
from the Silvertown explosion,

but by the end of the 1930s,
a new war was on the horizon.

The mills would soon
fall victim to the devastating

new face of war -- the Blitz.

As German bombers reached
London in 1940,

they set their sights
on civilian targets,

and Millennium Mills
and Victoria Dock

became prime targets.

On the 7th of September,
1940, the Millennium Mills

sustained heavy damage.

[intense music builds]

Despite the carnage caused
by Hitler's Luftwaffe,

in 1953, the mill
was rebuilt a second time

and they entered a period
of prosperity and productivity.

[Selwood] However,
the boom wouldn't last

and the next threat
to Millennium Mills

came not as destruction,
but replacement.

[Rule] The demise
of the Port of London

can be summed up in one word,
containerization.

Once these enormous ships
started to be used,

they were simply too big
to get down the Thames.

In 1993, the mills finally
closed their doors

for the last time.

For many years, these towering
structures remained abandoned

as the modern city grew
around them.

But their haunting decay
would soon find them

a place on the silver screen.

[soft music playing]

These ruins piqued the interest
of some big names in Hollywood.

The derelict mills featured

in Stanley Kubrick's
"Full Metal Jacket,"

"The Batman,"
and many other films.

Today, there are plans
to transform them

into a hub of work
and creative spaces,

surrounded by thousands
of new homes.

In the rural town
of Fillmore, Wisconsin,

is a compound with links
to a national sensation.

[mysterious music playing]

We're in the beautiful
Wisconsin countryside.

It's a small community,
but a look at the graveyard

will tell you this place
has deep roots.

[intense music playing]

By the main road,

a timber-framed structure
appears to stand alone.

This building has almost
a European look to it.

[Auerbach] This is the kind
of architecture you'd see

in England or the German states
in the 1600s,

but it's very rare
in the United States.

[Meigs] You see the remains
of a large cellar

behind the building.

The product that was made here
would become

something of a sensation
across the country.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
But the changes it brought about

would shift the country's
political landscape

into what we see today.

[mysterious music playing]

Retired history professor
Michael Besch first visited

this unusual structure in 2019.

I came out here,
looked at the place,

and I got drawn in.

He quickly realized
there was more here

than initially meets the eye.

[Dr. Besch]
It's become quite a journey.

We're discovering something
every time we come here.

Many of the original buildings
now lie in ruins,

but the central structure
gave Michael

a clear indication
of their roots.

[Dr. Besch] It's what we call
a half-timbered construction.

So you've got timbers
going crosswise

and then filled in the middle
with bricks.

And then they also put stucco
over the top.

It was erected by a man
named Ernst Klessig.

He was part
of a wave of immigrants

fleeing Europe for Wisconsin

after a series of failed
revolutions in 1848.

[Meigs] In Germany,
many residents believed

they would find better prospects
if they could emigrate

to the United States.

[Zarsadiaz] In fact, from 1830
to around World War I,

about 90 percent
of German immigrants

chose the US as their home.

[Meigs] The whole Upper Midwest
became a land where you were

as likely to hear German
in your local market as English.

Ernst quickly settled down
in eastern Wisconsin

and started a family farm

in the image
of his previous home.

In 1850, he married
another German, Liberta Poetsch,

and they began building
Saxonia House.

[mysterious music playing]

[Dr. Besch] This construction
was common in the area

that the family came from,
which is in Saxonia, in Germany.

But it was totally unique
for this part of the country.

It was much more than just
a family home.

The size of the structure
reflects its function

as an inn, the local church,
and a space capable

of hosting social gatherings.

At its heart was a product --
the driving force

behind the whole operation.
Tucked away in the trees

are the remnants
of this business.

[Dr. Besch]
It was actually built

by hollowing out a hillside,
building the archway

over the top,
so it's a built cave.

This cave was part of a brewery
Ernst constructed in 1860.

It would produce a drink
completely new

to many across the US.

[Meigs] This was a beer produced
at lower temperatures,

and it produced a lighter,
crisper drink -- a lager.

If you look at some
of the famous names

in American beer, like Pabst,
Schlitz, Miller,

those companies got their start
during this era.

[Gutierrez-Romine]
At Saxonia House,

the Klessig's business
was becoming

a considerable operation,
and they had the capacity

to produce
about 1,000 barrels a year.

Saxonia was a social hub,
reflecting German traditions

with drinking and dancing.

But this lifestyle wasn't
embraced by everyone.

And soon violence would erupt

as a wave of nativism
swept the nation.

In the 1850s, Saxonia House
in Wisconsin was operating

as a lager brewery
and meeting hall,

a focal point for the German
immigrant community

to drink, dance, and socialize.

But they faced a backlash
from authorities

driven by the powerful
Temperance Movement.

[Meigs] Lot of those people
were suspicious

of these hardy immigrants
getting together

and brewing this beer
and enjoying

these oversized
mugs of refreshing lager

on a Sunday afternoon.

This tension didn't just happen
in Wisconsin,

but across the country
as German taverns and beer

became more and more popular.

So-called nativist parties,

such as the Know Nothing Party,
were gaining traction,

running on an anti-liquor,
anti-immigration ticket.

[Meigs] They began to crack down
on taverns, on beer-drinking,

and on this kind of culture
in general.

In Chicago,
in the summer of 1855,

tensions came to a head
in what became known

as the Lager Beer Riot.

These riots were a response
to increased licensing fees,

but also Sunday closure laws.

[tense music playing]

A protest by supporters
of eight German saloon keepers,

who violated these laws sparked
a brutal police crackdown

ordered by the nativist Mayor.

It resulted in one death
and several dozen arrests.

These shocking events mobilized
immigrant voters

across the Midwest.

Groups began to meet
at places like Saxonia House

to discuss politics.

These German
immigrant activists

were known as Forty-eighters,

inspired by
the 1848 revolutions

that had swept across Europe.

[Zarsadiaz] Forty-eighters
were known in Germany as people

who pushed for democracy
and human rights.

So they found a natural home
here in the US

in a growing political party.

They called themselves
the Republican Party.

The party had formed
in nearby Ripon, Wisconsin,

and the Forty-eighters,
were at the heart

of its development.

[Dr. Besch] Their overriding
idea was freedom,

self-expression, ability
to pursue your own interests,

your own desires,
your own business.

So those ideas would
have been talked about here.

[Meigs] This Republican Party
would become the driving force

to ending slavery,
the conflicts over which,

of course, led to the Civil War.
Through that period,

Saxonia House continued
to operate as a tavern

because, of course,
the Civil War didn't have

as much of a disruptive impact
in regions like this.

Ernst Klessig died in 1864,
and his wife took over

the running of the brewery
with her new husband.

But by the early 1900s,
the family moved on for good.

The building
and farm changed hands

several times subsequently.

Eventually, it was left vacant

and began to fall
into to disrepair.

In the late '90s, the Klessig
family's descendants

held a reunion here.

The Friends of Saxonia House
Group was created,

and they purchased this land
in 1999.

[inspirational music playing]

[Gutierrez-Romine]
In addition to the house,

there are plans to build
and restore other buildings

on the property to make it
a visitor's attraction.

And of course,
there will be a beer hall.