St. Peter Cemetery

St. Peter Cemetery. . , St. Peter Church was begun in 1848 with the arrival of German immigrants in the area. In 1854 a log church was erected, followed by the present frame building in 1864. Land for a cemetery as well as a school play area was donated by August and Emilie Bauer in 1856. A list of burial places prepared that year includes the following pioneer families: Bauer, Beinhorn, Beutel, Deumeland, Eichler, Feuerschuetz, Hillendahl, Holm, Koehn, Oberpriller, Ojeman, Proetzel, Reichardt, Rummel, Sauer, Schaper, Schroeder, Schultz, Spanuth, Struebing, Tappenbeck, Thơnig, and Williamsen. The first recorded burial in the cemetery was that of Gottfried Matzke, in December of 1856. Other nineteenth and early twentieth century burials here include members of families named Albrecht, Blecker, Brandt, Buchman, Eíchler, Franke, Friedrich, Fries, Golbow, Koenneke, Kolbe, Hillebrand, Mueller, Pifer, Reidel, Silber, Schneider, Schroeder, Telge, Telschow, Timme, and Witte. , In 1859 and 1867, yellow fever epidemic killed many church members, among them newly-arrived pastor Rev. M. Hailfinger, in 1859. As many as thirty six dead were placed in mass graves that are unmarked. 1867, when yellow fever swept through nearby Houston, terrified citizens fled to outlying areas, bringing the disease with them. Dozens of Houstonians and the Spring Branch villagers who cared for them died, and the small community struggled to find enough healthy people for burial crews Church records show that many of its early members also died of "climate fever," probably malaría. At the time, it was not known that the mosquito was responsible for malaria and yellow fever, and homes (many of them along wooded Spring Branch Creek) had no window screens. Others died of typhoid fever., Burials here contain graves of many early area pioneers, several Confederate veterans, and veterans of both World Wars. The cemetery is still in active use.