The old post office of New Braunfels was built during the full-scale 20th century transformation of the United States Postal System. Programs like the United States Postal Savings System, parcel post, airmail, and improved rural delivery services . . . — — Map (db m130116) HM
Established by Franciscan Missionaries in 1757 for the purpose of civilizing and christianizing the Tonkawas, Mayeyes, and their associates • Formerly at Mission San Francisco Xavier on the San Gabriel river • Abandoned in 1758 — — Map (db m174649) HM
German native August Tolle (1829-1922) immigrated to New Braunfels with his parents and siblings in 1845 and established a drugstore with Dr. Theodore Koester, his brother-in-law, in 1858. In 1861, he wed Karoline Messer (d. 1929), also from . . . — — Map (db m172614) HM
August Dietz came to Texas in 1849 as a German immigrant, and settled in New Braunfels. On Sept. 1, 1866, he bought this lot, soon built this cottage, and sold it on Dec. 2, 1867. At first a two-room structure, the building was later enlarged. Its . . . — — Map (db m210377) HM
A fine example of German Colonial "Fachwerk" - all walls framed with cedar timbers, then filled solid with sun-baked adobe brick. Built 1858 for Johann Andreas and Caroline (Dauer) Breustedt, at site now just west of the intersection of I35 and SH46 . . . — — Map (db m186776) HM
Born in Prussia, Carl (Karl) Heinrich Guenther immigrated to Texas in 1845. He was a community leader, one of New Braunfels’ first public school teachers, and a director of the Germania, an early singing society. In 1854, he was elected president of . . . — — Map (db m151033) HM
St. Martin's Evangelical Lutheran pastors held day school in the church for years. In 1870 this schoolhouse was built. It served the Hortontown and Neighborsville farm communities, situated on either side of Church Hill road. After 1879, lay . . . — — Map (db m174739) HM
Formed from Travis and Bexar
land districts
Created March 24,1846
Organized July 13, 1846
Named for the river
so called from the pancake shape
of the islands formed by its springs
New Braunfels, county seat
established March . . . — — Map (db m130112) HM
In 1846 Comal County held its first court session in the home of its county clerk, Conrad Seabaugh. Courthouse facilities acquired in 1849 proved inadequate and were replaced with a 2-story building at the southeast corner of the city plaza in . . . — — Map (db m111237) HM
The annual Comal County Fair represents tradition and community in New Braunfels, where it has been an important event since the early 1890s. The fair emphasizes agriculture, animal husbandry, home economic skills, arts, entertainment, patriotism, . . . — — Map (db m210032) HM
Manufacturing and supply center in Civil War. The local newpaper urged southern cause so strongly that 1861 vote was 239 to 86 favoring secession.
More than 300 Confederate soldiers enlisted here. The "Texas Mounted Rifles" of Capt. Theodore . . . — — Map (db m130117) HM
The largest springs in Texas and the Southwest, maximum recorded discharge was 550 cubic feet per second (355,608,000 gallons per day) on April 20, 1977. They are a natural discharge of the Edwards (Balcones Fault Zone) aquifer. Water enters this . . . — — Map (db m156472) HM
Constructed 1859 of cedar, oak, and limestone, a dumb waiter, and speaking tubes on each floor. The versatile Koester (1817-1877) was physician to German Immigration Co. In this house he ran doctor's offices, pharamacy, and bakery.Recorded . . . — — Map (db m218424) HM
Situated on lot deeded to colonist Christoph Luentzel. Adobe brick and cedar beam house was begun about 1850 by Heinrich Bevenroth (d. 1850), and enlarged by later owners Heinrich C. C. Pohlmann, Mrs. Elisabeth Gehrung, Egmond . . . — — Map (db m130134) HM
In 1846, one year after New Braunfels was founded, a mercantile company owned by James Ferguson and Henry Hessler opened on the corner of Castell and San Antonio streets. By 1858, both men had died and Ernst Scherff, an employee, purchased the . . . — — Map (db m130113) HM
Located on the corner of Coll Street and Magazine Avenue, the Emmie Seele Faust Memorial Library served as the New Braunfels public library from 1938 to 1969. The New Braunfels Library Association formed in 1928 to meet the need for better education . . . — — Map (db m132650) HM
Located in an area historically known as Comaltown, this home was built in 1852 by Ernst (1819-1914) and Maria Antoinette (Kloepper) (1826-1917) Gruene. They immigrated to Texas in 1845 and raised their three children, Ernst, Jr., Heinrich (H.D.), . . . — — Map (db m210060) HM
Caravans carrying supplies to Spanish missions in East Texas and other travelers crossed the Guadalupe River on El Camino Real (The King's Highway) near this site in the 18th century. It sometimes took weeks for floodwaters to subside so travelers . . . — — Map (db m150969) HM
Ferdinand Lindheimer arrived in Texas as it was becoming a republic. Later he played important roles in the developing New Braunfels community.
Lindheimer created the town's first botanical garden, served as superintendent of the county school . . . — — Map (db m210029) HM
Virginia native William H. Meriwether (b. 1800), an early Comal County plantation owner, ran a sawmill, cotton gin and gristmill at this site. As an agriculturalist, he was aware of the need for an economical and practical source of fencing . . . — — Map (db m156486) HM
In the 1850s, Methodism spread across south Texas and into New Braunfels. Many German-speaking immigrants in communities like New Braunfels would be converted to Methodism. In 1853 a circuit rider, Rev. Henry P. Young, established the New Braunfels . . . — — Map (db m195526) HM
1700 This tree began as a seedling in this major campsite of Central Texas Indians. Archeology has traced the Indians presence here to 13,000 years ago. Early settlers told that Indians left messages to those who followed by weighing down the . . . — — Map (db m168470) HM
Panel 1
The first German settlements in Texas were Industry in Austin County, founded by Friedrich Ernst in 1831, Biegel in Fayette County, founded by Joseph Biegel in 1832, Cat Spring in Austin County, founded by the von Roeder, Kleberg, . . . — — Map (db m210312) HM
Artisan and craftsman Heinrich (Henry) T. Mordhorst was born in 1864 to Heinrich and Louise Mordhorst in Rostock, Germany. The family immigrated to the U.S. in 1881, settling first in Pomeroy, Ohio, then later in New Braunfels. Learning the . . . — — Map (db m210022) HM
A native of Hildesheim, Hanover, Germany, Hermann Seele came to Texas in 1843. He became the fist school teacher in New Braunfels on Aug. 11, 1845, when he held class for 15 pupils beneath elm trees at the foot of this hill. Selle helped organize . . . — — Map (db m130133) HM
This home’s architecture reflects the German influence of many of the area’s early structures. Heinrich Hinmann purchased the property in July 1855, and he and his wife Therese (Sickold) raised ten children here. The home dates from circa 1868 and . . . — — Map (db m111251) HM
Soldier in the Texas Revolution · Father of Texas botany · Editor of the New Braunfelser Zeitung, 1852-1872 Erected by the State of Texas 1936 Additional marker New Braunfels German Heritage Center of Texas recognizes this property Site of . . . — — Map (db m156494) HM
As early as 1875, New Braunfels residents began petitioning rail companies to bring lines into the community. The town's first major proposal, to the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad, failed to achieve the goal. By the end of the . . . — — Map (db m130119) HM
The sounds of music and singing have played an important role in the rich German heritage of early New Braunfels. Settlers sang the music they brought from German speaking areas in Europe. The music ranged from folk to religious, to compositions by . . . — — Map (db m210310) HM
Johann Michael Jahn (1816-1883) came to New Braunfels in 1845 as a colonist with the German Emigration Company. He married Anna Klein Bellmer in 1850. A "Tischlermeister" or master craftsman, Jahn established a business making fine hand-crafted . . . — — Map (db m150980) HM
Kings Highway Camino Real Old San Antonio Road
Marked by The Daughters of The American Revolution and The State of Texas A.D. 1918 — — Map (db m222748) HM
Kings Highway Camino Real Old San Antonio Road
Marked by The Daughters of The American Revolution and The State of Texas A.D. 1918 — — Map (db m223161) HM
Joseph Landa purchased the land that now encompasses this park in 1859. The Comal Springs, the largest group of springs in the American Southwest, are the focus of the park. Landa used the Comal River to power gristmills, cotton and woolen . . . — — Map (db m156485) HM
Victorian embellishments distinguish this structure, built 1893 by noted local contractor Christian Herry.
Owner Louis Henne (1840-1912) worked in the family tin shop next door, expanded to this site. Third generation now conducts this . . . — — Map (db m130131) HM
Following a petition by local residents, the City of New Braunfels built its Main Plaza Bandstand in 1905. Neo-classical in design, it originally served as a stage for summer evening concerts by the Waldschmidt Fire Department Band. In 1926, with . . . — — Map (db m130114) HM
New Braunfels Takes the Pledge
Mayors and other heads of local and tribal government are taking action to help save the monarch butterfly, an iconic species whose eastern populations have declined by 90% and western populations by 99% in . . . — — Map (db m211930) HM
In 1847, William Hunter Meriwether, a native Virginian and plantation owner, purchased 480 acres of land in the Comal Springs area from Maria Antonio de Veramendi Garza and her husband, Rafael C. Garza, and 200 acres from the German Emigration and . . . — — Map (db m210371) HM
What began as smoke signals from hill to hill evolved into lines on poles. The telegraph was introduced in the United States in the mid-1800s and many cities in Texas began constructing lines and stations. New Braunfels opened its first telegraph . . . — — Map (db m210379) HM
Discovered March 27, 1960, by four students of St. Mary's University, San Antonio. Named for the rock bridge that marks entrance. Dedicated on August 5, 1964 by Governor John Connally. Of Early Cretaceous age; still forming. Site of artifacts . . . — — Map (db m156444) HM
At the crossing of the San Antonio-Nacogdoches Road on the Guadalupe River (used earlier by some of Texas' most famous trail-blazers) about 200 German colonists ended a journey that had begun six months before in Europe. Here, on Good Friday, 1845, . . . — — Map (db m150968) HM
Founded on March 21, 1845 by Carl, Prince of Solms-Braunfels, Commissioner-General of the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas. Named after Prince Solms' estate, Braunfels, on the Lahn River in Germany. Its permanence was assured . . . — — Map (db m117665) HM
Early inhabitants of this area included Karankawa, Lipan, Tonkawa and Waco Indians.
Between 1844 and 1846, the Verein Zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas (Society for the protection of German immigrants in Texas) sent more than . . . — — Map (db m111232) HM
Founded in Republic of Texas, 1845, by Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels. Focal point of German immigration to central and western Texas.
Sent men, goods to Confederacy, in Civil War.
Historic, recreational, tourist center. Site of Landa . . . — — Map (db m174740) HM
In February 1871, Rudolph Wipprecht of the New Braunfels Turnverein (Gymnastic Society) proposed a resolution to organize a fire brigade. Fighting fires remained difficult, however, until June of 1886 with the establishment of water mains, twenty . . . — — Map (db m130696) HM
German immigrants to Texas embraced their traditional culture of music, art, societies and clubs. On March 2, 1850, the singing society "Germania" was organized in New Braunfels under direction of Gottfried Joseph Petmecky (1809-1871). The group . . . — — Map (db m210311) HM
The New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein organized in 1849 as one of the nation's early shooting clubs. German immigrants founded the town only four years earlier in 1845 and brought the tradition of target shooting to America from their homeland. The . . . — — Map (db m174645) HM
German immigrants August Tolle and Dr. Theodor Koester purchased lots 271 and 272 in 1864 and built a large two-story building 100 feet long and 60 feet wide using hewn trunks of cedar. The building was built as a brandy distillery and to . . . — — Map (db m172616) HM
1. Fritz Hartwig Fritz Hartwig is the first recorded burial in Comal Cemetery.
2. Hermann Seele Hermann Seele was born in Hannover, Germany in 1823. He traveled to Galveston twenty years later in 1843 and was recruited by Prince Carl . . . — — Map (db m213137) HM
Built about 1870 of adobe brick with cypress floor, doors. Has original rolled glass windows, ruby glass in front door. It has been the residence of banker Carl W. Gross; Judge Adolf Giesesck; merchant Fritz Scholl; and H. Dittlinger, flour . . . — — Map (db m172620) HM
Built about 1860 by master carpenter Friedrich Krause of hand-cut native cedar, cypress, limestone, and adobe brick. Once Weber & Deutsch store, Hoffmann Opera House,and drill hall for Clemen's Rifles of Texas Militia. Recorded Texas Historic . . . — — Map (db m150973) HM
Built in 1913 to replace the old New Braunfels Academy, this building was designed by San Antonio architects C.V. Seutter and Alister Shand, and built by local contractor Adolph F. Moeller. It served as an educational facility for over fifty years. . . . — — Map (db m195531) HM
Fachwerk (adobe brick and hewn cedar) section was built about 1847 by Heinrich Scholl, Jr. The newer part is Victorian. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967 — — Map (db m172617) HM
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this site was home to two drugstores and a bakery. In 1913, Kathinka Clemens constructed this building to serve as a bakery for A.C. and Helen Plumeyer, who used the second floor as a residence. Known also . . . — — Map (db m130130) HM
Ever wonder what it was like to live here thousands of years ago?
This drawing shows what a Native American campsite at Comal Springs might have looked like some 2,000 to 5,000 years ago. Digging at Comal Springs and elsewhere in central Texas, . . . — — Map (db m211855) HM
Rileys Tavern, Hunter's oldest business, is housed in a circa 1895 building that was the Galloway Saloon and later home to the Bernardino Sanchez family. In 1933, Texas was the 23rd state to vote for the repeal of Prohibition. Shortly thereafter, . . . — — Map (db m150961) HM
Established in 1850 by John F. Torrey 1821••1893
Pioneer promoter of Texas industry • He operated a flour, grist and saw mill, a sash, door and blind factory (1850), a cotton factory (1863) and the first woolen factory in Texas • with . . . — — Map (db m210383) HM
The first tax-supported Texas school still existent. By act of the State Legislature (where it was called "a great question of law and public policy") the academy was incorporated in 1858 - 18 years before the 1876 Texas Constitution provided for . . . — — Map (db m195532) HM
Established in 1756 on the Guadalupe River at or near present New Braunfels as an extension of the ill-fated Mission San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas (1746-1755). Earlier located 100 miles northeast, San Francisco Xavier had been shaken by . . . — — Map (db m210305) HM
First portion - of local cedar and limestone - was built about 1851 by Rudolph Nauendorf. Early German immigrant Jacob Schmitz bought building in 1858 as new location of his "Guadalupe Hotel."
Old World atmosphere of the inn-stagestand was . . . — — Map (db m130115) HM
Located on the Guadalupe River Road four miles northwest of the city of New Braunfels, this area has been a popular swimming and picnicking site since the late 1800s. In the 1930s, Harry Landa sold 20 acres in the Veramendi Survey to W.V. & Francis . . . — — Map (db m210868) HM
During the Republic of Texas period, Europeans became interested in colonizing Texas. In the 1840s, a group of German noblemen formed the Adelsverein or the Society for the Protection of German Immigration in Texas. Prince Carl of . . . — — Map (db m130120) HM
The traditions of spaß (fun) and gemütlichkeit (fellowship) came with the German immigrants to the Texas frontier in 1845.
From the time of their arrival, settlers had to rely on their own skills and ingenuity to provide the necessities of . . . — — Map (db m111255) HM
Built 1846 by Stephen Klein, one of first Comal County Commissioners; "fachwerk" construction. Purchased by Edward Naegelin, Sr. in 1868. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967 — — Map (db m172621) HM
In 1861, ten heavily German counties in Texas voted against secession, though Comal County was an exception. States' rights puzzled some voters. Many had lately taken naturalization oaths. After secession, some avoided military duty from . . . — — Map (db m156496) HM
Located in the center of town, this site once housed the Zum Schwarzen Wallfisch Saloon (The Black Whale Saloon) in a small wood structure likely built by Comal Courthouse Contractor Ferdinand Simon, Sr. The New Braunfels Herald, established . . . — — Map (db m218422) HM
German Catholic colonists, who came to New Braunfels in 1845, obtained their promised church and school site (1847) when Bishop John M. Odin was deeded four lots here on "Lustiger Strumpf" (Happy Stocking) Hill - so called from its shape. A log . . . — — Map (db m210375) HM
Emilie (Kuse) (1854-1930) and Theodor Eggeling (1851-1916), who owned the nearby Plaza Hotel built this second establishment in 1898- 1900. New Braunfels contractor Christian Herry supervised the construction of the galleried building. Later renamed . . . — — Map (db m210381) HM
First known as the Travelers Hotel, this inn was completed in 1929 with 63 guest rooms and reflected the thriving economy of the New Braunfels area at the time. Renamed "The Faust" in 1936 for the prominent family on whose homesite it was built, the . . . — — Map (db m172619) HM
A major influenza epidemic spread across the United States in 1918 causing many deaths. Under the leadership of Father J.M.J. Wack (d. 1927), who served Saints Peter and Paul Church for 38 years, members constructed this grotto to commemorate an end . . . — — Map (db m210374) HM
German native Frederick Hofheinz came to the New Braunfels area with his family in 1852. He later settled in Kendall County and wed Emilie Wilke. He served as Grand Lodge President of the Texas Sons of Hermann and ran for Texas lieutenant governor . . . — — Map (db m195549) HM
The first German settlers here in the 1840s were assured by their sponsor - The Society for the Protection of German Immigrants to Texas - that schools would be provided in their colony. The society hired its first teacher in 1845, and classes began . . . — — Map (db m195530) HM
Dedicated at the burial of Mrs. Elise Peter, on June 23,1845, a few months after New Braunfels was founded. This cemetery gave rest to many colonists in early years of hardships that besieged the German Emigration Company. Gerlach Peter, husband of . . . — — Map (db m151030) HM
The Old San Antonio Road, popularly known as El Camino Real, is one of the state's oldest and most significant of the trans-Texas routes and most famous of the early historic trails.
Camino Real (royal road), variously known . . . — — Map (db m211947) HM
Where in 1863 Capt. Wm. Seekatz, one of the founders and oldest settlers and later captain of the first Boy Scout Troop of New Braunfels, Texas Ed. Braden, Joe Ney, Jack Marshall and Ed. Dreiss associates manufactured saltpetre from guano . . . — — Map (db m211940) HM
Located in the Mission Valley settlement, Walzem Chapel was built to serve Catholics in this once remote area. In the mid-1800s, German immigrants came to Texas under the auspices of the Adelsverein in search of freedom and economic opportunity. . . . — — Map (db m210870) HM
The Comal Cemetery dates back to 1868, when John F. Torrey donated a portion of his land to be designated as a public graveyard. Over the years, the Comal Cemetery has been enlarged to almost 25 acres and currently contains more than 12,500 . . . — — Map (db m213112) HM
Following his service in World War II, Felipe Delgado and his wife, Elisa Saenz Delgado, purchased a lot in 1947 in the West End Subdivision #2, determined to create an entertainment center for the Hispanic community. Felipe worked various jobs . . . — — Map (db m151021) HM
An annual "Salute to Sausage" celebration, Wurstfest is held every fall on the Wurstfest grounds adjacent to Landa Park. The notion of a sausage festival was conceived in 1961 by Dr. E.A. Grist, veterinarian and city meat inspector in New Braunfels. . . . — — Map (db m210826) HM
This area was settled by German immigrants in the 1840s and 1850s. Named for a water source later inundated by Lake Dunlap, the Clear Spring community never evolved into a town, but remained a rural settlement. A store built at this site in the . . . — — Map (db m174756) HM
Johann Carl Ludwig Jauer (1812-1901) and Anna Caroline Alemeier (1824-1868) married in 1851 and settled on this Fisher and Miller Colony land acquired through an 1847 contract with the German Emigration and Railroad Company. The burial ground was . . . — — Map (db m210809) HM
German immigrant August Wilhelm Schumann (1791-1858) arrived in Texas with his family in 1846 and bought a large parcel of land in Guadalupe County. Meeting a wagon train of immigrants from his homeland a few months later, he agreed to sell them . . . — — Map (db m210807) HM
In 1851 Jamaica native Jacob De Cordova (1808-1868) settled here. He selected this spot for its beauty, rich soil and nearby springs. He built his first home, "Wanderer's Retreat." It served as a stage stop on the San Antonio Road and as a mail . . . — — Map (db m111260) HM
