History

In the 1830's, ships sailed regularly between Bremen, Germany, and America. Baltimore, Maryland was a favorite point of disembarkation. From there, German immigrants traveled inland across Pennsylvania, often on the National Road completed in 1838 and now known as US 40, to Wheeling, West Virginia, and then on the River to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Many of New Bremen's founders, made up mostly of Bavarians and Hannovarians, followed this route. When the first settlers arrived in Cincinnati on July 23, 1832, they formed a group called The City of Bremen Society and drew up a charter among it 33 members, authorizing the purchase of 80 acres of land in Ohio to found a Protestant town. The first farming community was established here in 1832, and on June 11, 1833, the plat of "Bremen", as it was first called, was officially recorded, with 102 lots to be distributed by lottery.