Heritage Shapes the Holidays: Swiss, Norwegian and Irish Traditions

While New Glarus is proudly Swiss, census data reveals a surprise: Irish is the village’s second-most reported European ancestry, not Norwegian. The mix reflects how different immigrant groups arrived, settled, and shaped the area over time.

Todd Klassy
by Todd Klassy
Heritage Shapes the Holidays: How Swiss, Norwegian, and Irish Traditions Live On in New Glarus

New Glarus has always been proudly Swiss at its core. Founded in 1845 by families from Canton Glarus, the village still carries the customs, architecture, and cultural imprint of its founders in a way few American towns do. Even today, Swiss ancestry remains the most commonly reported heritage among village residents.

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Historic Photo: Downtown New Glarus in 1973
Heritage

Historic Photo: Downtown New Glarus in 1973

A 1973 view up First Street captures New Glarus before today’s streetscape took shape, with Highway 39 traffic, giant American cars, tavern signs and the Swiss Church anchoring a downtown already balancing daily life with its Swiss identity.

by Todd Klassy
When New Glarus Built Its Own Haunted Houses
Heritage

When New Glarus Built Its Own Haunted Houses

Before professional haunted attractions, New Glarus organizations built their own scares from empty buildings, cardboard boxes, volunteers and imagination — raising money for the community while creating October memories that lasted for decades.

by Todd Klassy
Historic Photo: Downtown New Glarus from Above in 1957
Heritage

Historic Photo: Downtown New Glarus from Above in 1957

A 1957 aerial view captures much of downtown New Glarus before several familiar buildings disappeared or changed uses, while the railroad, swimming pool and old commercial blocks offer plenty of clues — and a few mysteries for readers to solve.

by Todd Klassy
Harvest: How Farming Reshaped the Hills Around New Glarus
Heritage

Harvest: How Farming Reshaped the Hills Around New Glarus

Long before combines rolled across fields of corn and soybeans, harvest around New Glarus meant wheat, barley, hand-cut grain, corn shocks, mill ponds and hard lessons about erosion — a story still visible in the shape of the countryside nearly two centuries later.

by Todd Klassy

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