Westside in Piney Point Village in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

German Settlements North of the Bayou

Photographed by James Hulse, April 5, 2021

1. German Settlements North of the Bayou Marker

Inscription.

Following a few early arrivals in the 1830s and early 1840s, German immigration to Texas surged in the late 1840s. Wagon trains of German pioneers headed west on the San Felipe road to Industry, LaGrange, and New Braunfels. Not all left the area, however, and German settlements grew in the area north of Buffalo Bayou. Early settlers battled malaria, yellow fever, and hunger as they gained a toehold in their new land. By the end of the 19th Century, rural communities at White Oak, Spring Branch, and Bear Creek each had churches, schools, and Schuetzenverein (gun clubs), which were popular social organizations.

German settlers typically ran small self-sufficient family farms, where they raised corn, cattle, hogs and poultry. They did not employ slaves like their Anglo counterparts south of the bayou. Vegetables, grain, and dairy products were brought to Market Square in Houston to sell.

Captions
A dance on an outdoor platform at the Bear Creek Scheutzenverein, ca. 1897
Image from Andrea Burden

German Settlements North of Buffalo Bayou

German immigrants heading west, coastal Texas, 1844
From the German Federal Archives, Koblenz

Erected by Memorial

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Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.

Location. 29° 45.087′ N, 95° 31.058′ W. Marker is in Piney Point Village, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Westside. It is at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Piney Point Road, on the right when traveling west on Memorial Drive. The marker is located with two other markers in the Carol Tree Pocket Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11600 Memorial Drive, Houston TX 77024, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Houston Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Early Settlement South of the Bayou

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2021

2. German Settlements North of the Bayou Marker

The marker is the marker on the right of the three markers

(here, next to this marker); John Taylor's Piney Point League (here, next to this marker); Early Settlers of Piney Point (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Fritz Schroeder Home (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. 2 miles away); a different marker also named The Rummel-Hildebrandt-Bauer Sawmill (approx. 2 miles away); Jacob Schroeder and Early Spring Branch Community (approx. 2 miles away); The Pioneer Spring Branch Community (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Piney Point Village.

The view of the German Settlements North of the Bayou Marker from the road image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2021

3. The view of the German Settlements North of the Bayou Marker from the road

Photographed by James Hulse, March 25, 2021

4. German Settlements North of the Bayou Marker

The map diagram from the marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 427 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 10, 2021, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.