Westside in Hedwig Village in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
The Pioneer Spring Branch Community
The German settlement of Texas began with Johann Friedrich Ernst, a native of Lower Saxony who arrived in 1831 and settled in Industry, Texas. Ernst encouraged many settlers to follow in his footsteps, including Jacob Schroeder, who settled in Spring Branch in 1839. Immigration to Texas picked up in the late 1840s, when many families fled Germany's Revolution of 1848.
The families of Wilhelm and Carolina Rummel and Siegismund and Christiana Bauer arrived in Galveston in 1848, and were met by Jacob Schroeder and two other recent immigrants, Karl Kolbe and Daniel Ahrenbeck. The Rummels and Bauers moved to Spring Branch Creek, joining other new immigrants Louis and Henry Hillendahl, who lived nearby. The settlers held a thanksgiving service under those trees in December, 1848, and by 1854 had built a log cabin church at that site. That building was replaced with a frame church in 1864, which is still standing at Long Point Drive and Campbell Road (St. Peter Church). The church and a school that was built there comprised the social and spiritual heart of the community.
When urban development began in the 1940s and early 1950s, many of the descendants of these early German families sold their farms and left the area, although some remained. There was an unsuccessful attempt to incorporate the old rural community of Spring Branch. Later, six Memorial Villages were incorporated in the mid-1950s, and the rest of the area was annexed by Houston. The presence of the pioneer German community is still recalled by the German names of many area streets.
Captions
German immigrants travelling by wagon From Edward King's The Great South, 1875
Spring Branch community, late Nineteenth Century
Same area as above, with modern road map as base
Erected by Memorial Villages Heritage Trail.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1848.
Location. 29° 46.847′ N, 95° 31.066′ W. Marker is in Hedwig Village, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Westside. Marker is at the intersection of Gaylord Drive and Piney Point Road, on the right when traveling east on Gaylord Drive. The marker is located along a walking trail at the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Houston TX 77024, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Jacob Schroeder and Early Spring Branch Community (here, next to this marker); The Schroeder Family and Hedwig Village (here, next to this marker); The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. ¾ mile away); a different marker also named The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. ¾ mile away); The Fritz Schroeder Home (approx. 1.2 miles away); St. Peter Church (approx. 1.4 miles away); Hard Times on the Frontier (approx. 1.4 miles away); St. Peter Cemetery (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hedwig Village.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 532 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 28, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.