Wandering in Weidenfeld

WEST RESERVE

Joe and I had just experienced the cemeteries of Schoenau, and not 20 minutes later rolled up to what was once Weidenfeld. (Not to be confused with the Weidenfeld of the East Reserve.)

What can I tell you about this place? Honestly, nothing. I surely must have books that tell more. But I am not quite sure of which books I all own, and where exactly to find them in my growing library. (I am in grave need of a little organization.) So, I did the thing I always do — opened my trusty old Rempel-Harms Atlas of the West Reserve to see what they had to say.

Well, not much, as it turns out. Page 40 leads with a paragraph titled “Vanishing Villages” and that about sums up the next paragraph about Weidenfeld village. Harms and Rempel wrote that the village “apparently did get off to a good start” stating that 26 names were listed as land owners in Weidenfeld in the Gemeinde Buch for 1881. They go on to state that there was a lot of land connected with Weidenfeld, but “village organization apparently did not last very long.” And that is, seemingly, that.

However.

I found that old tree and that stone with an N on it to be an intriguing combination. The N grave was added in 2016.

The Weidenfeld cemetery seems to tell a different story. It is active and growing.

Well, “active” meaning plots are being purchased and utilized even today.

I feel like while the village itself never really became established, even the fact this area had a name bears witness to the fact that people still felt a connection with this place, and wanted to return.