Luxembourgers in Chicago

In 1871, just after the Great Chicago Fire parishioners of St. Michael's Church in Chicago formed the first Luxembourgish-American organization in the United States, the Luxemburger Unterstützungsverein (Luxembourg Mutual Aid Society).

Many Luxembourgers were Roman Catholics, and the first initial wave of immigrants lived alongside Germans in places like Old Town, later seeking to distinguish themselves from the Germans.

[7] After the fire, they moved further north to areas like Rogers Park.

[8] In 1880, there were approximately 500-700 Luxembourgers in Chicago[9] and by 1900, that number had ballooned to about 16,000.

[10] The majority of the immigrants came from the Moselle river area,[11] which borders Germany.