Fredericksburg in Gillespie County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

The Bakery

Photographed by James Hulse, June 9, 2024

1. The Bakery Marker

Inscription. One of the first items the soldiers built was a log bakery and an oven made of native limestone cut into blocks. The remains of the stone foundation on which the oven sat are located on the ground just to your left.

A soldier's diet on the frontier was bland and repetitive. It consisted mainly of baked bread (hardtack when on patrol), beans, bacon, and coffee. What little variety existed in his diet was supplemented by the garden the soldiers tended. Behind the officers quarters, where the city's Water Reclamation Facility is now, was a vast garden for the post. In it, soldiers cultivated squash, beans, corn, and peppers.

Soldiers were assigned to serve as cooks on a rotating basis. Depending on a soldier's ability to scrounge, the menu on any particular day might vary from the usual mundane fare of baked bread and beans to fresh meat provided by a local hunter.

Image Courtesy Lee Casbeer.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles.

Location. 30° 14.981′ N, 98° 50.709′ W. Marker is in Fredericksburg, Texas, in Gillespie County. It is on East Main Street (U.S. 290) south of Industrial Loop. The marker is located within the Fort Martin Scott grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1587 E Main St, Fredericksburg TX 78624, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Hill Country.

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,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Laundry (a few steps from

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this marker); The Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); The Sutler's Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Uncovering the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); The Guardhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); The Braeutigam Family (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Town and the Fort (about 400 feet away); The Natural Setting (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fredericksburg.

More about this marker. Fort Martin Scott is a restored United States Army outpost in Fredericksburg, Texas, that was active from 1848 until 1853. It was part of a line of frontier forts established to protect travelers and settlers within Texas. This marker is somewhat weathered and difficult to read.

Also see . . . From a Former Army Base to Texas Historical Site. Fort Martin Scott Organization

Between 1870 and 1959, the Braeutigam folks bought the former army installation. Johabb Wolfgang Braeutigam had moved from the Kaltenlengsfeld district of Germany, with his folks, and advanced toward Indianola in 1845. He and his significant other chose to settle
Photographed by James Hulse, June 9, 2024

2. The Bakery Marker
in Fredericksburg with their 9 youngsters. In 1870, the Braeutigam moved into the former army base, after soldiers deserted it and utilized it as a farm. On 3rd September 1884, Johann Braeutigam was murdered in a theft involving 4 individuals who were after Biergarten’s cash box. The Braeutigam family later sold the property to Fredericksburg City.

Some of the remarkable highlights of the former army base include: the quarters for the post commander which previously acted as the Braeutigam garden, 6 structures of troops’ houses, sutler’s warehouse and store, pastry kitchen with a stove, laundry, emergency military clinic, 3 sets of battalions for enlisted troops, quartermaster’s warehouse, a blacksmith store, and shed-fused stable. The watch house is presently the station’s only surviving structure after it was restored to mirror its underlying design of cut limestone, during the beginning of the 1900s.

(Submitted on July 20, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 138 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 20, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.