Historical Markers in Comfort, Texas

Faltin Homestead · 1962

German native Theodor Georg Ludwig Goldbeck constructed the original part of this home in 1854, the same year the town of Comfort was founded. In 1856 he sold the house and his mercantile business to Friedrich August…

Hanisch House · 1965

Using trees growing on nearby Cypress Creek, log portion of this house was built 1857 by Emil Serger and Paul Hanisch. Housed first pharmacy in Comfort. West wing and "Sunday house" were built in 1870, 1885. Restoration…

"Treue Der Union" · 1968

("Loyalty to the Union") This German language monument, erected 1866, honors the memory of 68 men (mostly Germans) from this region who were loyal to the Union during the Civil War. Trying desperately to reach U.S.…

Stieler Ranch House · 1970

Designed and built 1890-1892 by Herman Stieler, German rock mason and local sheep rancher. He came from Germany; hauled freight for Charles Schreiner Company and to Camp Verde. Made this place a shearing station for…

Otto Brinkmann House · 1976

The cottage was built in 1860 by German-born Otto Brinkmann (1832-1915), who lived here with his brothers until he married Marie Johanne Ochse in 1867. The half-timbered walls filled with native stone display the…

Tunnel of the Fredericksburg & Northern Railway · 1978

In 1913 area residents raised money to build a railroad linking Fredericksburg to San Antonio. The 920-foot tunnel beneath this hill increased the cost by $134,000 and required five months of hard labor. It opened a…

Hermann Sons Home for the Aged · 1979

A fraternal group originally for persons of German descent, the Sons of Hermann grew rapidly after the founding of the first Texas lodge in 1860-61. At a meeting in Austin in 1913, members voted to establish a home for…

Paul Ingenhuett Home · 1979

Young Paul Ingenhuett (b. 1868), born on this block, succeeded his father Peter Joseph in the mercantile business. Soon Paul expanded into farming, sheep and cattle ranching, and helped found Comfort State Bank. In 1891…

Arno Schwethelm Building · 1981

Prominent local merchant Arno Schwethelm had this building constructed in 1916 to house his mercantile business, a leading Hill Country establishment. Designed by L. Harrington of San Antonio and built by stonemason…

Hygieostatic Bat Roost · 1981

This shingle style structure was built in 1918 to attract and house bats in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes and thereby reduce the spread of malaria. It was designed for Albert Steves, Sr., a former mayor of San…

Meyer Hotel Complex · 1981

German native Frederich Christian Meyer (1828-89) came to Comfort in 1862. A wheelwright, Meyer also ran a stage stop and weight station at this site. He later purchased the property, which included a small log cabin he…

August Faltin Building · 1982

Prussian native Friedrich August Faltin (1830-1905) moved to Comfort in 1856 and purchased the general merchandise business of Theodor Goldbeck, located at this site. Trained in his father's store, which had been…

Comfort Community Theatre · 1983

The need for a permanent civic center led Comfort business leaders to form a corporation to raise funds for its construction. Designed by Fredericksburg architect Hans Christiansen, the Comfort Community Theatre opened…

Idlewilde Lodge · 1983

Built in 1902 of Texas long leaf yellow pine with cypress siding and millwork, this structure was first used as a spa by Dr. C. H. Wilkinson of Galveston. In 1906 the property was sold to E. Hugo, who operated "Camp…

Ingenhuett-Faust Hotel · 1985

The older section of this hotel, with its jig-cut brackets and balustrade, was built in 1880. Additional facilities were constructed in 1894, seven years after the coming of the railroad to Comfort. Both sections of the…

Comfort Community Church · 1986

Dedicated in 1892, this Gothic revival building first served the Deutsche Evangelische Gemeinde (German Evangelical Congregation), founded the previous year by the Rev. Frederick Bauer. The bell tower was added about…

Comfort Post Office · 1986

From 1856, when Comfort's postal station was established, until this building was constructed in 1910, the town's post office was housed in various mercantile stores. In 1910, while Hermann Ingenhuett was serving as…

Ferdinand Hohenberger Farmstead · 1986

Ferdinand Hohenberger (ca. 1813-1895), with his wife Katherine Schultze and their family, left Bremen, Germany in 1855. Arriving in Galveston on November 20 after a 73-day ocean voyage, they first settled in Luckenbach…

Peter Joseph Ingenhuett Homestead · 1986

German immigrant Peter Joseph Ingenhuett (1833-1923) came to Texas and settled on a farm near Comfort in the 1850s. In 1861, he married Marie Karger (1843-1913), and they moved into town in 1867. The Ingenhuetts opened…

The Gass Schmiede · 1986

This limestone-block building was built in 1890 as a blacksmith shop ("schmiede") for Jacob Gass (1845-1913). Rock mason J. Gottlieb Lorbeer worked on the lower level for almost a year, walking to the job each week from…

Ludwig Hein Home · 1987

Ludwig Hein (1855-1933) came to Texas from Germany in 1877. He married Rosa Treiber of Waring and built this home for his family before 1900. Hein operated a blacksmith shop next door until the family moved to San…

1907 Comfort State Bank Building · 1988

Constructed in 1907 for Alex Brinkmann, this building housed the Comfort State Bank until 1960. Local stonemason Richard Doebbler is credited with the hand-cut stone craftsmanship of the structure. The Comfort Public…

Freidenker · 2000

Nineteenth Century Freethinkers From 1845 to 1861, a number of German Freidenker ("Freethinkers") immigrated to the Texas Hill Country. Freethinkers were German intellectuals who advocated reason and democracy over…

Hermann and Antoine Ingenhuett Homestead · 2002

Hermann and Antoine Ingenhuett Homestead This site was the homestead of Hermann (1870-1944) and Aantoine (1873-1941) Ingenhuett from their marriage in 1895 until their deaths and remained in the family until the end of…

Brownsboro Cemetery · 2008

This cemetery served the community of Brownsboro, which was originally settled by shinglemakers. Later, farmers and then railroad workers resided here. Thomas and Sarah Manning donated land for a burial ground and…

Ingenhuett-Karger Saloon · 2009

Karger Building · 2009

Ernst Karger (1861-1922), who owned and operated a saloon on the adjoining property, had this building constructed in 1913. Fritz Anderwald’s pool hall was first to occupy the building, and several other businesses have…

Comfort School · 2013

Comfort was founded by a group of German immigrants in 1854. By 1856, there were enough children in the area to warrant a public school and a one-room log cabin was built on Michael Lindner’s lot no. 258 with some…