Spring Branch in Comal County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Adam Becker Homestead

Photographed By James Hulse, October 25, 2022

1. Adam Becker Homestead Marker

Inscription. German native Adam Becker (1815-1901) journeyed to Texas in 1845 to join Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels in establishing a colony on behalf of the Adelsverein, also known as the German Emigration Company. Becker contributed to the building of Fredericksburg and assisted with other aspects of the colony. He married Elizabeth Monken and by 1852 had established his homestead on this site, where he raised cattle. The house he built for his family was constructed of locally quarried stone and hand-hewn cypress from the banks of the nearby Guadalupe River. Adam Becker became a United States citizen in 1860 and upon his death in 1901 was buried in the cemetery on his homestead.

Erected 2002 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 12772.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1845.

Location. 29° 52.323′ N, 98° 26.412′ W. Marker is in Spring Branch, Texas, in Comal County. Marker is on Phantom Rider Trail, 0.7 miles north of Acacia Parkway, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located at the front of the homestead by the highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1326 Phantom Rider Trail, Spring Branch TX 78070, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Specht's Crossing (approx. 0.9 miles away); Herman and Ada Knibbe House (approx. 1½ miles away); Spring Branch Post Office (approx. 1½ miles away); Esser's Crossing at Wesson (approx. 3.7 miles away); Smithson Valley Cemetery (approx. 7.8 miles away); George Wilkins Kendall (approx. 8.3 miles away); Kendalia Community Church (approx. 8½ miles away); The Engel Store (approx. 8.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Spring Branch.

Also see . . .
1. Solms-Braunfels, Prince Carl Of (1812–1875). Texas State Historical Association

In 1844 Carl was appointed commissioner-general for the first colony that the society proposed to establish in Texas. Provisioned with two cannons, table linens, and twelve place settings, he traveled to London, where his assistant's diary suggests there was a royal audience, then to the United States, and westward down the Ohio and Mississippi to the Republic of Texas, where they arrived in Galveston on July 1, 1844. A series of letters, subsequently turned into formal reports, trace the route and detail Carl's growing comprehension of North American culture, commerce, and geopolitics. Seeing himself at the head of a migration of German artisans and peasants to what one of his colleagues called "the new
Photographed By James Hulse, October 25, 2022

2. The Adam Becker Homestead Marker
Fatherland on the other side of the ocean," the visionary Carl wrote, "The eyes of all Germany, no, the eyes of all Europe are fixed on us and our undertaking: German princes, counts, and noblemen...are bringing new crowns to old glory while at the same time insuring immeasurable riches for their children and grandchildren."

(Submitted on October 27, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

2. Adelsverein. Texas State Historical Association

The Adelsverein, also known as the Mainzer Verein, the Texas-Verein, and the German Emigration Company, was officially named the Verein zum Schutze deutscher Einwanderer in Texas (Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas). Provisionally organized on April 20, 1842, by twenty-one German noblemen at Biebrich on the Rhine, near Mainz, the society represents a significant effort to establish a new Germany on Texas soil by means of an organized mass emigration.

(Submitted on October 27, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Adam Becker Homestead Marker from the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, October 25, 2022

3. The view of the Adam Becker Homestead Marker from the street

Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 27, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.