Founders' History Alive In Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg's unique history opened when several thousand Germans immigrants were brought to the newly founded Republic of Texas through the efforts of a group of idealistic German noblemen.
Though Fredericksburg started out as an improvised solution for settlers who found themselves unable to claim the land they had been promised, the town thrived. Today it holds the traces of the rich history of its early days, with over 700 historically significant structures in the nationally recognized historic district alone.
When Texas gained its independence from Mexico, intriguing reports of opportunities there began to flood Germany, where political and social unrest was stirring. A "Society of Noblemen" (Adelsverein) formed, whose purpose was to help German citizens emigrate to the promising young republic.
The Society sent over 5,000 emigrants to Texas in 1845-46. Arriving in Texas, though, the settlers ran up against obstacles in getting their unsurveyed land grants, which also turned out to be located in the heart of Comanche territory. Furthermore, the undertaking was severely underfunded. Many pioneers died of disease and exposure. War broke out between the U.S. and Mexico, compounding their difficulties.
Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach was sent to Texas to manage the floundering venture. Renaming himself John O. Meusebach, he bought 10,000 acres on credit and arrived with the first 120 settlers, founding Fredericksburg on May 8, 1846.
One key to the town's survival in its difficult first years was Meusebach's 1847 treaty with the Indians. In exchange for $3,000 worth of gifts, the tribes agreed not to interfere with settlement of the area. Credited as the most successful agreement with the Native Americans in frontier Texas, the treaty enabled the fledgling settlement to carry on, though not without further raids and numerous noteworthy kidnappings of German children through the 1870s.
The establishment in 1848 of Fort Martin Scott, one of the first frontier military outposts in Texas, also brought some economic relief and added security to the struggling settlement. Today with restored quarters and guardhouse, the fort is one of the few museums/living history sites to highlight the early years of Texas independence.
The Civil War violently divided the young town, with the majority of citizens sympathetic to the Union. A renegade Confederate colonel and his soldiers brought in a reign of terror in the area, culminating in the 1862 Massacre at Nueces, the slaughter of 76 Hill Country Germans who had set out to join the Union army.
The town's second schoolmaster was inventor Jacob Brodbeck, who in 1865-almost 40 years before the Wright Brothers' flight-successfully flew his self-powered flying machine. A crash landing shook investors' confidence, though, putting a halt to further development of his machine.
A distinctive landmark memorializing early Fredericksburgers is one of the first structures to be built in the town, the Vereinskirche (Society Church). The octagonal Kaffeemuehle (coffee mill), as it was called, not only housed the various church congregations, but also served as school, community hall and fort. After its demolition, an exact replica with the original cornerstone was built in 1935, and relocated from its original spot in the middle of Main Street to the middle of Marktplatz, the square off Main.
Another unique symbol of Fredericksburg history is the Sunday House. Almost exclusively confined to Gillespie County, the Sunday House tradition originated from the pioneer's land grant package. Based on the assumption that farmers would live in town and travel to their farms each day according to European custom, settlers received a small town lot for a home and 10 country acres for farming. Instead, settlers soon adopted the American custom of isolated country living. Settlers maintained their original basic homesteads in town or built small, simple houses there especially for the purpose of having a place to stay to conduct Saturday business, socialize and attend church.
Cross Mountain is another highly visible historic landmark. The first German settlers found the remnants of a large wooden cross there, presumably erected by Spanish missionaries, and a cross has been maintained there since.
Available at Fredericksburg's Visitor Information Center, located at 302 East Austin Street, is a detailed map of a Walking Tour of the Historic District. The tour offers 30 selected sites of interest, including early homes (from log cabins to fachwerk), churches, commercial buildings, civic structures and the restored 1885 jail.
Guests can also revisit earlier times in the county at the town's two historic cemeteries and at sites such as the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm. Founders Day is celebrated annually on the grounds of the Pioneer Museum. Unique in the state is the Gillespie County Country Schools Trail, with 16 sites, including Lyndon B. Johnson's first schoolhouse and several dating to the 1880s.
German heritage. Texan hospitality.
