Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, Texas, United States. As of the 2009 Census estimate, the city had a population of 11,305.Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that is still used in some businesses. The town is also notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English. Fredericksburg shares many cultural characteristics with New Braunfels, which had been established by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels the previous year. Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. It is the sister city of Montabaur, Germany. On October 14, 1970, the Fredericksburg Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas.
19th Century
Fredericksburg (German: Friedrichsburg) was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, new Commissioner General of the 'Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas', also known as the 'Noblemen's Society' (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein). The emigration was in part the liberal, educated Germans fleeing the social, political and economic conditions that later resulted in the Revolution of 1848, and in part working-class Germans. Baron von Meusebach renounced his noble title and became known in Texas as John O. Meusebach. The area's Barons Creek was named in Meusebach's honor.
Meusebach-Comanche Treaty
The reddish-blonde haired John O. Meusebach was named El Sol Colorado (The Red Sun) by Penateka Comanche Chief Ketemoczy (Katemcy), who had encountered Meusebach and his group in the area of present-day Mason. Meusebach, accompanied by geologist Ferdinand von Roemer, Special Agent Robert Neighbors, F. Shubbert, Jean Jacques von Coll, trader John F. Torrey and interpreter Anton Felix Hans Hellmuth von Blücher (aka Felix A. von Blücher), brokered the 1847 Treaty Between the Comanche and the German Immigration Company. The treaty was unique in that it did not take away the rights of the Penateka Comanche, but was an agreement that the Comanche and settlers would mutually share the land, co-existing in peace and friendship. Meusebach paid the Penateka Comanches $3,000, slightly less than $70,000 in today's money, in food, gifts and other commodities for their participation in the signing of the agreement. The native American signers of the treaty were only from the Penateka band. It is one of the very few treaties with native American tribes that was never broken.
Easter Fires
The Easter Fires pageant in Fredericksburg draws from two beginnings. In Germany and the Catholic Church, there have been variations on the custom of lighting hilltop evening bonfires in close proximity of Easter to celebrate the coming of spring.The Fredericksburg variation is a living history event which celebrates the signing of the 1847 Meusebach-Comanche Treaty. While the Treaty was signed after Easter, the final negotiations were completed on March 1 and 2, with Easter of 1847 occurring on April 3. The Fredericksburg Easter Fires legend has it that Penateka Comanches signaled each other about the progress of the treaty negotiations by lighting huge fires on the hills. Settler mothers calmed their children by giving a twist on the traditional German story of Easter fires, and telling children the fires on the hills were lit by bunnies who were boiling water to make eggs for Easter morning. In some versions of the story, the Comanches lit the fires to celebrate the signing of the treaty, and the bunnies were boiling Texas wildflowers to make the colors for the eggs.The pageant is held traditionally the Saturday before Easter and recreates the signing of the treaty with bunny-dressed participants of all ages lighting the fires on surrounding hillsides. The show has been a big tourist draw since 1946. The pageant was suspended in recent years due to cost and logistics, but a group of citizens is trying to revive it.
Town founding
In 1845, Meusebach set out from New Braunfels, traveling 60 miles northwest to select the second settlement of the Fisher-Miller Land Grant. He opted for a valley situated between two creeks, which are now known as Barons Creek and Town Creek, and surrounded by seven hills. He named it in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia, the highest ranking member of the Mainzer Adelsverein and nephew of King Frederick William III of Prussia. For the settlement, he purchased 10,000 acres on credit, for an allotment per settler of one town lot, plus ten acres of farmland.In December 1845, on orders from Meusebach, Lieutenant Louis (Ludwig) Bene, along with lead surveyor Johann Jacob Groos and crew, constructed a road from New Braunfels to the site of Fredericksburg. The town was laid out by surveyor Herman Wilke. On April 23, 1846, the first wagon train of settlers left New Braunfels, encountering friendly Delaware Indians en route, and arrived at the Fredericksburg site on May 8, 1846. The first colonists immediately set about to plant a garden and build a storehouse out of logs, and a stockade and a blockhouse.The settlers soon received via courier a belated message from Governor James Pinckney Henderson advising them that uncertain movements by the government of Mexico made it unclear whether Texas could offer protection to the settlers. Governor Henderson advised against moving into the area at that time. The settlers refused to return to New Braunfels.Meusebach designated Dr. Friedrich A. Schubbert, aka Friedrich Armand Strubberg, as director of the new colony, to lead a second expedition into Fredericksburg in June 1846. Schubbert designed the Vereins Kirche, the first public building in Fredericksburg. Without authorization from Meusebach, in 1846 Schubbert led an armed group of colonists into Comanche territory. Shawnee scouts reported seeing 40,000 to 60,000 Kickapoo at the Llano River, and Schubbert's group retreated to Fredericksburg. Meusebach decided to enter Comanche territory himself, resulting in the treaty with the Penateka.Ferdinand von Roemer arrived in Fredericksburg in January 1847, and described what he estimated to be a settlement of six hundred people:Roemer described a diet of bear meat, corn and coffee. He reported that dysentery was a common ailment. He also noted the disease of 'stomachache' that engulfed the lungs and throat, was treated with citric acid, but still caused daily fatalities.Schubbert instigated a failed coup d'état against Meusebach. Ninety-five colonists signed a petition urging Meusebach to remain as Commissioner-General. On July 12, 1847, Meusebach sent Schubbert a letter of dismissal from his position as director of Fredericksburg. Jean Jacques von Coll was appointed his successor. Coll was a retired First Lieutenant of the Duchy of Nassau who had been appointed by Prince Solms as the first financial officer of New Braunfels. Coll was later elected mayor of New Braunfels in 1852.On December 15, 1847, a petition was submitted to create Gillespie County. In 1848, the legislature formed Gillespie County from Bexar and Travis counties.While the signers were overwhelmingly German immigrants, names also on the petition were Castillo, Pena, Munos, and a handful of non-German Anglo names.First sheriff of the county was Louis (Ludwig) Martin, who emigrated from Erndtebrück North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany with the first Adelsverein group aboard the Johann Detthard in 1844, and moved with the original settlers to Fredericksburg. He was one of the 1847 signers of the petition to create Gillespie County. He became District Clerk in 1850.Wilhelm Victor Keidel, who emigrated from Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany, became the area's first doctor and the first elected Chief Justice in 1848.Theodore Specht became the first Postmaster of Fredericksburg on December 7, 1848. Specht was from Braunschweig, Germany and emigrated to Fredericksburg with his wife Maria Berger in 1846. The Spechts operated a store out of their home that was frequented by Penateka Comanches. Local Penateka chief Santa Anna brought one of his wives to the store during a cold winter for her to give birth to a son.Pioneer Flour Mills was founded in Fredericksburg in 1851 by Carl Hilmar Guenther, an immigrant from Weissenfels, Germany. He served as Justice of the Peace in 1856. In 1859, after two years of drought, the Guenther family moved the mills to San Antonio.
Fort Martin Scott
alsoOn July 1, 1850 an angry mob of fifty Fort Martin Scott soldiers burned down the store-courthouse in Fredericksburg, in a clash with store owner and County Clerk John M. Hunter over refusal to sell whiskey to a soldier. Soldiers also prevented townspeople from saving the county records.
Civil War and Reconstruction
Fredericksburg was primarily part of the Pro-Union Texas resistance during the Civil War, but a portion of the population remained loyal to the Confederacy. While many Germans saw slavery as an evil, the 1860 census showed thirty-three slaves in Gillespie County. Matthew Gaines was a runaway slave from a Robertson County plantation and had been captured in 1863 by the Texas Rangers at Menard. He was taken to Fredericksburg where he was forced to work for the duration of the war. Upon gaining his freedom, he moved to Burton where he was eventually elected as a member of the Texas Senate. In 1877, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church served both as a house of worship and as a school for black families in the area.The citizenry dealt with the spread of lawlessness during and after the war years. School teacher Louis Scheutze was kidnapped from his home and hanged, an act suspected to have been carried out by James P. Waldrip in response to Scheutze's vocal opposition to Confederate rule. Waldrip was alleged to have been part of the notorious Die Haengebande (Hanging Band) that handed out vigilante justice in the Hill Country. He was also a convicted thief and generally feared and disliked by people of the area. In 1867, Waldrip was shot by an unknown person outside the Nimitz Hotel. He was buried in secret, so as to prevent desecration of his grave.
20th and 21st Centuries
Estimated Fredericksburg population for 1904 was 1,632. Frank Stein built the town's first ice factory in 1907. From 1913 to 1942, a train connected Fredericksburg to Waring. Fredericksburg was incorporated as a city in 1928.During the first half of the 20th Century, Fredericksburg remained much like other Texas Hill County farm and ranch communities of German heritage, isolated from the commercialization of their culture. The most notable influx of outsiders were sporadic visitors during events like the Easter Fires, the county fair, and hunting season. But the population and its growth remained anchored to its roots.Things began to change when Lyndon B. Johnson became Vice President of the United States. Possibly the most momentous event in modern Fredericksburg happened on Sunday, April 16, 1961, when Johnson, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz and the first Chancellor of West Germany Konrad Adenauer helicoptered in to the Fredericksburg fairgrounds racetrack for a reception. They were joined onstage by U.S. Congressman O. C. Fisher and John O. Meusebach's only surviving offspring, 95-year-old Mrs. Ernest Marschall of Llano. Crowd estimates were between 7,000 and 10,000. The 1960 population of Fredericksburg was only 4,629. Accompanying the dignitaries was an entourage of family members, German state officials, multiple security forces, and the national media. Speeches were in English (Nimitz, LBJ), and in German (everyone else) with no translation needed. The Austin Recording Company was on hand to tape the saengerfest segment of the program. The fest featured the Marychorale Choir of St. Mary's Catholic Church and Felix Pehl directing the Arlon Männerchor. Chancellor Adenauer sang along with the Kinderchor portion of the fest, which was directed by Erna Dietel Heinan. The Fredericksburg High School Band entertained and appeared the following day at an Austin parade honoring the Chancellor. The Fredericksburg event was capped by a 10-car caravan tour of Fredericksburg, while Nimitz instead visited his relatives.On November 22, 1963 when Lyndon Johnson became President of the United States, global attention focused upon the Texas White House at nearby Stonewall. The Nimitz Hotel served as headquarters for the media who intertwined their favorable impressions of the area with their reporting on the President. The Johnsons attended church in Fredericksburg. Dignitaries and were escorted around Fredericksburg by the President. West Germany Chancellor Ludwig Erhard visited Fredericksburg in 1963 and was greeted with 'Herzlich Wilkommen' and heard a sermon in German at Bethany Lutheran Church. Throughout LBJ's vice presidency and presidency, Fredericksburg prospered from the tourism trade, and it changed from an isolated community into one catering to the tourist dollar.Fredericksburg has profited from spill-over tourism of nearby Luckenbach ever since a couple of events propelled the little town with a population of three to global fame. Jerry Jeff Walker recorded his landmark 1973 Viva Terlingua album at the Luckenbach dance hall. In 1977, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson recorded their hit Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love). Additionally, the National Museum of the Pacific War has become a big draw to military history buffs. Fredericksburg has become attractive to retirees and people looking to relocate to a simpler way of life. Real estate became a prime business as prices rose. The city has become a weekend destination for people in Central Texas, specifically those from Austin and San Antonio.Fredericksburg in the 21st Century is in a state of flux. As each generation of descendants of the original settlers dies away, or moves to new horizons, the authenticity of the rural German farm culture of the Texas Hill Country communities also dies away. It is gradually blending with the customs of newcomers and being replaced by tourist-oriented concepts of both German heritage and the Texas cowboy culture. In 1934, the Gillespie County Historical Society was formed and now houses over 300,000 artifacts. Along with like-minded individuals and organizations, the historical society is dedicated to preserving artifacts, architecture and the history of Fredericksburg.
Architecture
The Vereins Kirche, the Pioneer Museum Complex, Pioneer Memorial Library, and other architecture.
Railway
On January 3, 1913, the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway Company was chartered to connect Fredericksburg with the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway Company near Waring. A 920-feet long railroad trestle was built, and still exists as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Old Tunnel bat habitat at 10619 Old San Antonio Rd, with provided picnic and restroom facilities for visitors. The cost of the tunnel sent the railroad into receivership on October 28, 1914. It was sold under foreclosure on December 31, 1917 to Martin Carle who deeded the property to the Fredericksburg and Northern Railway Company which had been chartered on December 26 of that year. The train operated until July 27, 1942.
Agri-Tourism
The Fredericksburg-Stonewall area has become known as the Peach Capital of Texas. and Benjamin Lester Enderle is known as the Father of the Hill Country Peach Industry. He was Gillespie County Surveyor and a math and science teacher at Fredericksburg High School when he planted five peach trees and began selling the fruit in 1921. Enderle worked to develop the Hale, Burbank, Elberta, and Stark varieties. He began marketing them through the H-E-B grocery chain, and eventually had 5,000 producing peach trees on 150 acres. Growers claim the taste is due to the area having the right combination of elevation, sandy soil and climate to produce flavorful clingstone and freestone peaches. The fruit ripens May–August, and consumers can either buy pre-picked fruit, or pick their own.Herb farms, grape culture, lavender production and wildflower seeds have become burgeoning businesses in Fredericksburg. Combinations of agribusiness with day spas, wedding facilities, or bed and breakfast accommodations is not unusual. There is even a Texas Hill Country Lavender Trail.Lady Bird Johnson's passion for Texas wildflowers not only lives on in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, but she also sparked off a high demand for seed. The 200-acre Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg was founded by John R. Thomas in 1983 as a result of that high demand, and produces 88 varieties of wildflower seeds. It is the largest family-owned wildflower seed farm in the United States and host of an annual Wildflower Celebration.In 1994, the Seventy-third Texas Legislature passed H.B. No. 1425, allowing brewpub operations within the state of Texas. Fredericksburg Brewing Company began operations shortly thereafter. A number of vineyards and related industry have also arisen in the post-LBJ era of Fredericksburg. The designated American Viticultural Areas of Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA and the much larger Texas Hill Country AVA both include Fredericksburg inside their boundaries. Fredericksburg is a common starting point or destination for tourists visiting wineries in the Texas Hill Country.
Education
The city of Fredericksburg is served by the Fredericksburg Independent School District. The school's teams are called the 'Battlin' Billies', with the mascot being a male angora goat. The 'Billie' mascot originated because of the abundance of billy goats raised in this farming community, and because the image of a charging billy goat is well adapted to the game of football.The first institute of higher learning in Fredericksburg was Fredericksburg College in 1876. The German Methodist Church of Fredericksburg founded the institution and offered courses in the arts, sciences and foreign language. Enrollment was about 150 students. W. J. R. Thoenssen was the first principal, succeeded by Charles F. Tansill. Finances caused the college to be closed in 1884. The property was sold to Fredericksburg Independent School District.For higher education, Fredericksburg is home to Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg.It also has some private schools, such as:Ambleside School of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg Christian School
Heritage School
St. Mary's Elementary and Junior High School
Fredericksburg has a municipally operated library adjacent to the Gillespie County Courthouse.
Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools
Headquartered in Fredericksburg, the Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools is a group of former students and members of the community, interested in preserving the traditions of the old country schools, the community clubs, and the history of Gillespie County for future generations.
Hospitals
Hill Country Memorial Hospital on Highway 16 is an acute-care facility that offers state of the art medical care, preventative care and a Wellness Center.
Major roads
U.S. Highway 290
U.S. Highway 87
Texas State Highway 16
Ranch Road 1631
Farm to Market Road 965
Airport
Gillespie County Airport (FAA locator T82) is located on State Highway 16 South, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from downtown Fredericksburg, and features a 5,002 ft long runway and a hotel and diner. The airport was established by Hans Hannemann and Red Schroeder. Prior to 1945, the facility had been owned by the United States Army Air Corps. Transient and long-terminal hangar rentals are available.
Climate
Fredericksburg experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers and a generally mild winter. Temperatures range from 82 °F (27.8 C) in the summer to 49 °F (9.4 C) during winter.
Geography
Fredericksburg is located at 30°16′27″N 98°52′19″W / 30.274058°N 98.871822°W / 30.274058; -98.871822 (30.274058, -98.871822). This is about 63 miles (101 km) north of San Antonio and 67 miles (108 km) west of Austin.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.2 km2), all of it land.
Enchanted Rock
Fifteen miles north of Fredericksburg is the geographical landmark Enchanted Rock. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet (130 m) above ground, 1,825 feet (556 m) above sea level, and covers 640 acres (2.6 km2). It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States, and was declared a National Natural Landmark in 1970. In 1994, the State of Texas opened it as Enchanted Rock State Natural Area after adding facilities. The same year, Enchanted Rock was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Balanced Rock
Balanced Rock was a famous local landmark that perched atop Bear Mountain ten miles north of Fredericksburg. The natural wonder stone pillar, about the size of a small elephant, precariously balanced on its small tip. It fell prey to vandals who dynamited it off its base in April 1986.
Cross Mountain
Elevation 1,915 feet. The first known record of Cross Mountain was in 1847 by Dr. Ferdinand von Roemer. Native Americans used the location to signal each other about intrusions into their territory. The area was part of settler Dr. John Christian Durst's 10-acre allotment. Durst found a timber cross on the mountain, indicating that Spanish missionaries had once used the site. Durst named the place 'Kreuzberg,' or Cross Mountain. In 1849, a priest named Father George Menzel erected a new cross. In 1946, St. Mary's Catholic Church erected a metal and concrete cross. The mountain has been used both for the Easter Fires pageant and for Easter sunrise services. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1976.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,911 people, 3,784 households, and 2,433 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,342.1 people per square mile (518.2/km2). There were 4,183 housing units at an average density of 630.0 per square mile (243.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.08% White, 0.27% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.09% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.00% of the population. English is spoken by 72.73% of the population, Spanish by 14.77%, and Texas German by 12.48%.There were 3,784 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82.In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.The median income for a household in the city was $32,276, and the median income for a family was $43,670. Males had a median income of $25,878 versus $22,171 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,788. About 7.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The city of Fredericksburg is run under the Council-Manager form of government. As per the Home Rule Charter adopted May 1991, the governing body of Fredericksbug consists of a Mayor and four council members. Both the mayor and the council are elected in alternating years by the city at large for two-year terms with a limit of four consecutive terms.
Mayor
Tom Musselman
Council Members
Tim Dooley
Bjorn Kirchdorfer
Kevin MacWithey(Mayor Pro Tem)
Graham Pearson
Radio
AM Radio station KNAF went on the air in 1947. The original license was granted by the Federal Communications Commission to Arthur Stehling. The license was transferred to Norbert Fritz and family.
Newspapers
The Fredericksburg Standard was originally titled Gillespie County News and founded in 1888. The name change happened in 1907. The paper was purchased by the Fredericksburg Publishing Company in 1915, which also published the German language newspaper Fredericksburg Wochenblatt. The Radio Post began publishing in 1922 and was purchased in 1984 by the Fredericksburg Publishing Company. The two newspapers merged into the Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post.
Fredericksburg in popular culture
Film:Baghdad Texas(2009) filmed in Fredericksburg andKerrville
Music:'Stoned' (1995) a song byOld 97'sadvises 'Take a Greyhound to Fredericksburg'
'Chester Nimitz Oriental Garden Waltz' (1988) a song by theAustin Lounge Lizards
Books:Gurasich, Mari (1994).A House Divided. Texas Christian University Press.ISBN 978-0875651224. During the Civil War, young Louisa is the youngest daughter in a German household in Fredericksburg. One brother has been killed by Confederate vigiliantes James P. Waldrip and Die Haengebande, and the other brother is in a Union prison.
Gimenez, Mark (2009).The Perk. Sphere.ISBN 978-0751539677. Lawyer Beck Hardin returns to his hometown of Fredericksburg after the death of his wife, helping to solve an old crime.
Notable people
Jacob Bickler(1849–1902) Educator, founder of two Austin academies, taught summer school in Frederickburg.
Jacob Friedrich Brodbeck (1821–1910) Educator, aviation pioneer
Amanda Julia Estill (1882–1965) Educator, writer, and folklorist
Matthew Gaines(1840–1900) Slave, Baptist minister. After Emanciapation became a senator in theTexas State Legislature
GeneralMichael W. Hagee(b. 1944) 33rd U.S. Marine Corps Commandant
Max Hirsch(1880–1969)National Museum of Racing and Hall of Famethoroughbred horse trainer.
1st LieutenantLouis John Jordan(1890–1918) The first Texan officer killed inWorld War I, Battalion C, 149th Field Artillery, 42nd Division, was posthumously in 1924 awarded theCroix de Guerre. All-American football player withTexas Longhorns(1911–1914). The Louis Jordan Post of theAmerican Legionin Fredericksburg is named in his honor.
Hugo Emil Klaerner (1908–1982)Chicago White Soxpitcher
Guick Koock (b. 1944) Actor, humorist, folklorist, business person. Owner of Oma Koock's Restaurant (now Hondo's on Main). One-time owner ofLuckenbach
Jacob Kuechler(1823–1893) Surveyor, conscientious objector during the Civil War, and commissioner of the Texas General Land Office.
Hermann Lungkwitz(1813–1891) Romantic landscape artist and photographer, noted for first pictoral records of the Texas Hill Country.
John O. Meusebach (1912-1897) Founding father of Fredericksburg
Chester Emil Nagel (b. 1911) Architect
Lieut Phillip I. Neel (1979–2007) First Fredericksburg soldier to die inIraq. 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
Charles Henry Nimitz(1826–1911) Built the Nimitz Hotel in 1852. Grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. Elected to the Texas Legislature 1890.
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz (1885–1966) Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II
Friedrich Richard Petri(1824–1857) Painter who depicted relationships between early German settlers and local native American tribes.
Colonel Alfred P.C. Petsch(1887–1981) Lawyer, legislator, civic leader, and philanthropist. Served in theTexas House of Representatives1925-1941. Veteran of both World War I and World War II.
County Judge Victor H. Sagebiel (1917–1977)United States NavyWorld War IIveteran and civic leader. A fountain in the downtown plaza across from Pioneer Memorial Library honors him.
Frank Van der Stucken(1858–1929) Music composer, conductor
Private Sammy J. Vollmar (1947–1967)United States Marine Corpsdied June 1, 1967, becoming the first soldier from Gillespie County killed in theVietnam War.
Hulda Saenger Walter (1867–1929) Poet, writer of German verse
Additional reading
Pioneers in God's Hills. Gillespie County Historical Society. 1960.
King, Irene Marschall (1987).John O. Meusebach: German Colonizer in Texas. Univ of Texas Pr.ISBN 978-0292740198.
Watt, Don; Watt, Lynn; Mehl, Michael (1987).Fredericksburg, Texas: Living With the Past. Shearer Publishing.ISBN 978-0940672420.
Hubbard, Fran; Hubbard, Doug; Ethel, Lee (1995).St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Fredericksburg, Texas, the First Forty Years, 1954-1994. Awani Press, Inc.
Johnson, Melvin C (2006).Polygamy on the Pedernales: Lyman Wight's Mormon Villages in Antebellum Texas 1845-1858. Utah State University Press.ISBN 978-0874216288.
Potter, E B (2008).Nimitz. Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1591145806.
Cook, Rita; Dandridge, Russell W (2011).Fredericksburg: A Guide to the Attractions and German Heritage of Texas Hill Country. Channel Lake, Inc.ISBN 978-1935455134.
Additional sourcing
Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country AVA
Adelsverein
Cherry Springs Dance Hall
Easter Fire
Enchanted Rock
German Texan
Loyal Valley
Meusebach Homesite
Sisterdale, Texas
Texas Hill Country
Wildseed Farms
Wrede School
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^'Find a County'. National Association of Counties.http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^Geue, Ethel H (2009).New Homes in a New Land German Immigration to Texas, 1847-1861. Clearfield. p. 22.ISBN 978-0806309804.
^Brister, Louis E.'Adelsverein'.Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ufa01. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
^Sweet, Alexander Edwin (1883).On a Mexican Mustang Through Texas: From the Gulf to the Rio Grande. University of Michigan Library. p. 380.
^Scharf, Edwin E.'Freethinkers of the Early Texas Hill Country'. Freethinkers Association of Central Texas.http://www.freethinkersact.org/articles.htm. Retrieved 14 Nov 2010. Freethinkers Association of Central Texas
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^Powell, Mary Jo (2005).Texas (On-The-Road Histories). Interlink Books. pp. 103–104.ISBN 978-1566565646.
^Armbruster, Henry C.'John Frink Torrey'.Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fto22. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
^Ward, Hortense Warner.'Anton Felix Hans Hellmuth von Blücher'.Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbl64. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
^King (1967) Un-numbered plate
^Demallie, Raymond J; Deloria, Vine (1999).Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements and Conventions 1775-1979, Vol 1.. University of Oklahoma. pp. 1493–1494.ISBN 0-80613-118-7.
^Meredith, Howard L.A Short History of the Native Americans in the United States.Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company, 2001: 31.ISBN 1-57524-139-0
^Grimm, Jacob (1883, reprint 2010).Teutonic Mythology, Vol 2. Nabu Press. p. 615.ISBN 978-1147557497.
^Dorson, Richard M (1969).Peasant Customs and Savage Myths: Selections from the British Folklorists.. University Of Chicago Press. p. 131.ISBN 978-0226158679.
^Kownslar, Allan O (2004).The European Texans. TAMU