Historical Markers in Fredericksburg, Texas

Enchanted Rock · 1936

From its summit, in the fall of 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company, repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they…

Gillespie County · 1936

The trails of roving Indians crossed these hills settled by German pioneers in 1846. A group of Mormons settled at Zodiac in 1847. Created February 23, 1848. Organized June 5, 1848. Named for Richard Addison Gillespie,…

Site of Fort Martin Scott · 1936

Established by the United States Army, December 5, 1848, as a protection to travelers and settlers against Indian attack. Named in honor of Major Martin Scott, brevet lieutenant colonel, 5th United States Infantry,…

Site of Zodiac · 1936

A Mormon settlement. Established in 1847 by 150 Mormons under the leadership of Lyman Wight (1796-1858). Abandoned in 1851 after floods destroyed their mill. Erected by the State of Texas 1936

Frank Van Der Stucken Birthplace · 1962

-- (RTHL medallion)

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church · 1962

Originally one of earliest homes in Fredericksburg. built by German settler Peter Walter. Walter built log cabin on lot, then began permanent home of fachwerk construction, 1846. He owned and farmed surrounding land…

Gun Cap Factory · 1964

In the Civil War, at this site, E. Krauskoff, gunsmith, and Adolph Lungkwitz, silversmith, made gun caps. Inventing machinery, they rolled copper thin and cut it to cap-size pieces. Saltpetre and quicksilver went into…

Moseley Log Cabin · 1964

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church · 1964

Built 1852 by congregation, hewing wood by hand; quarrying native limestone; Swiss missionary pastor serving as night foreman at lime kiln. Texas Hill Country's oldest Lutheran church. Still is enclosed in original…

John Peter Tatsch Home, 1856 · 1965

Built by Tatsch (1822-1907), using local stone. A cabinet-maker and turner, did woodwork himself. At first floored only front rooms, using wide boards. North front room had the only fireplace. Rear gallery kitchen,…

Little Rock House · 1965

Constructed shortly after Civil War on townlot grant of German Emigration Co. Bought in 1868 by Heinrich Ochs, pioneer school teacher. Owned by family 61 years. Has been home and store with floor plan virtually…

Texas Ranger General E. Kirby Smith, C.S.A. · 1965

(1824-1893) Born in Florida. Graduated from West Point. Fought in Mexican War. On the Texas frontier in the 1850s, commanded Camps Belknap, Cooper and Colorado. In 1860 and many years afterwards was a partner of J. M.…

Old Kammlah House · 1966

Four front rooms with outside stair to attic, built 1849 by German settler Henry Kammlah I. Smokehouse and rooms at rear added 1875. Old world technique of wall plaster over woven twig supports used in interior. Henry…

Old Gillespie County Courthouse · 1967

Erected 1881-1882 in term of County Judge Wm. Wahrmund and Commissioners J. Dechert, F. Kneese, J. arson and J. P. Mosel. Architect was Alfred Giles. Native limestone structure is distinctive in fine balance and…

Vereins Kirche · 1967

Church for all denominations, school and community hall. Built, summer 1847, after the Comanche peace treaty made by John O. Meusebach, Commissioner, German Emigration Company. Located in Main street between Courthouse…

Birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN · 1968

Typical early Fredericksburg home built 1866 by Carl Basse. Property of the Henke family since 1873. Heinrich Henke, early settler, Confederate freighter, had butcher counter on front porch; meat processing was done in…

The Easter Fires · 1968

Blazing on the hills around Fredericksburg each Easter Eve, combined with a local pageant, these fires recall an old tale. In March 1847, when Comanches and whites signed a major peace treaty, the Indians lighted huge…

St. Paul Lutheran Church · 1969

Oldest rural Lutheran church in Gillespie County. The Rev. M. Haag served as first pastor. Charter members numbered 17. A frame building with walls of rough boxing planks was dedicated June 22, 1884. Size: 25 x 30 feet…

Sunday Houses · 1970

Small townhouse built by German settlers who lived in distant rural areas. Used over weekends by families while they traded or attended church. A typical early Sunday House had one room with a lean-to kitchen and a half…

Fredericksburg College Building · 1971

Early hall of higher learning, erected by the German Methodist Mission Conference of Texas and Louisiana (organized 1874 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South). Fredericksburg College at its peak had 250 students--…

Johann Joseph Knopp House · 1971

Built of native stone in 1871, soon after Knopp and his wife Katherina (Stein) came to America. From Germany they traveled six weeks by clipper ship to Indianola and by oxcart to Fredericksburg. They bought this…

Loeffler-Weber House · 1971

Log room and loft were built by German emigrant Gerhard Rorig as his home in first winter of Fredericksburg's existence, 1846-47. Noted cabinetmaker Johann Martin Loeffler added typical rock and half-timber rooms and…

D. C. Riley House · 1972

Four generations have lived in this house built in early 1870s by Crabapple community pioneer David Crockett Riley (1840-1900). Stone for 24" outer walls and 18" partitions came from a hill a mile north; timbers were…

First Methodist Church of Fredericksburg · 1972

Oldest Methodist church in the Hill Country, founded 1849 as a German mission by the Rev. Eduard Schneider. The charter members: Melchior and Rosine Bauer, Johann and Margaretha Durst, Friedrich and Sophie Ellebracht,…

Dangers Stone House · 1974

Built in 1851 by the Rev. Gottlieb Burchard Dangers (1811-69), soon after his purchase of this town lot from Friedrich Pape. Dangers, who had emigrated from Germany in 1849, was the second Protestant minister in…

Pape Log Cabin · 1974

One of the oldest structures in Fredericksburg, built by communal effort for the family of Friedrich Pape (1813-94). Pape, his wife Katherine, and a daughter arrived in galveston in Nov. 1845 from Germany. three Pape…

Cross Mountain · 1976

This marl and limestone hill, elevation 1,915 feet, was an Indian signal point, advancing news of the intrusions of white settlers. The hill was first recorded and described by the German geologist, Dr. Ferdinand Roemer…

Kiehne-Hermann Home · 1976

German-born Frederick Kiehne (1811-98), a blacksmith and Gillespie County commissioner, built this structure in 1850. It was the first two-story home in Fredericksburg, although many older residences had sleeping lofts.…

Liveoak Creek Log Cabin · 1976

This dogtrot cabin was probably built before 1852, when surveyor J. L. Ankrin sold this property to John Peter Keller, one of the first Gillespie County commissioners. It was later owned by Keller's son-in-law, Francis…

The Marschall-Meusebach Cemetery · 1976

Members of the families of two former German noblemen, related by marriage, are buried in this cemetery. John O. Meusebach (1812-97), who came to the Republic of Texas in 1845 as leader of the German Emigration Company,…

Christian Methodist Episcopal Church · 1977

Several black families were residing in Gillespie County by the 1870s. A schoolhouse was built in 1877 on property adjacent to this later church site. Blacks probably met in the school for worship services before this…

William Wahrmund House · 1977

Gillespie County Judge in 1852-62, 1864, and 1876-90, William Wahrmund (1824-90) hired local stonemasons H. Hennersdorf and Louis Schmidt to build this residence near his own home and store in 1875. Over a period of…

The Carl Henke Home · 1978

Believed to be the first boy born among the German immigrants who settled Fredericksburg, Carl Henke (1848-1928) became a skilled stonemason. He built the original portion of this structure in 1874 for John Schmitt. the…

Wahrmund Millinery, Moellendorf-Dietz Bakery · 1978

Erected about 1876, this building was a combination residence and business for the family of George Wahrmund, whose wife Elise had a millinery and dressmaking shop in the front rooms. Mr. and Mrs. James T. clark,…

Walch Home · 1978

In 1845 Johan (John) Joseph Walch (1828-1914) migrated to Texas from Germany. In 1847 he settled in Fredericksburg, where he worked as a stonemason. Before Walch married Wilhelmine Gaertner in 1851, he erected a…

Christian Crenwelge Place · 1979

A native of Germany, Christian Crenwelge migrated to this area in 1854 and worked as a farmer and cabinetmaker. At a sheriff's land sale in 1872 he bought this property located across the street from his home. for a…

The Schandua Building · 1979

Erected in 1897 of hand-hewn limestone, this structure was the home of John (d. 1900) and Bertha (Klein) Schandua (d. 1943). They lived upstairs with their children and John's hardware store was downstairs. For a time,…

County Jail of 1885 · 1980

This two-story stone structure served as the fourth jail for Gillespie County, organized in 1848. It was constructed by the firm of c. F. Priess and Bro. in 1885. The ground floor housed a holding area and living…

Domino Parlor · 1980

The original part of this stone structure, containing a cellar with a vaulted ceiling, was built in the early 1850s on property owned by John Schmidtzinsky, a pioneer area settler. Once used as a pharmacy, it housed H.…

F. W. Arhelger Shop · 1980

Frederick William Arhelger, a second generation cabinetmaker and wheelwright, constructed this building in 1898 for use as a farm implement shop. Built of quarried limestone, it was designed to accommodate wagons and…

Kloth-Ludwig Home · 1980

This limestone building was constructed about 1870 when the property was owned by John Adams Alberthal. It was designed with a commercial area on the front and a two-story residential section in the back. Christian…

Pioneer Schandua House · 1980

Built before 1880, this house was purchased by John Schandua, a local merchant, shortly after his marriage to Bertha (Klein) in 1883. The front room, called "die stube," served as a bedroom and living area. the back…

The Burrer Home · 1980

German native Gottlieb Burrer (1830-1916) migrated to this area in 1854. Here he married Katharina (Zammert) (1843-1931), the daughter of a pioneer Fredericksburg family. They built this two-story stone residence in the…

Albert Lee Patton Building · 1981

Missouri native Albert Lee Patton (1851-1934), trained as a tinsmith, moved to Fredericksburg in the early 1870s. In 1897 he constructed this two-story native limestone building adjacent to the east side of his general…

Felix Van Der Stucken Home · 1981

The original one-story section of this residence was constructed by Felix Van Der Stucken (1833-1912) soon after he purchased the site in 1864. The two-story addition was completed later. A native of Belgium, Van Der…

Henry Cordes House · 1981

Fredericksburg native Henry Cordes (b. 1861) had this limestone residence constructed in 1893. Originally a three-room structure, it is a good example of the quality craftsmanship practiced by early area stonemasons.…

Holy Ghost (Heilige Geist) Evangelical Protestant Church · 1981

This congregation traces its origins to the first Protestant services held in Fredericksburg by the Rev. Henry Basse in 1846. Members worshiped at the old Vereins Kirche until 1888 when Carl Priess gave this lot for a…

Morris Ranch Schoolhouse · 1981

Built in 1893, this schoolhouse was one of several structures located on the Morris Ranch, a noted center for the breeding and training of thoroughbred horses. Several local churches also used the native limestone…

Schmidt-Dietz Building · 1981

Ludwig Schmidt constructed this two-story stone building in the 1860s for use as a hotel. In the early 1890s it was leased to Louis Dietz, who ran the business as the Central Hotel and later as the Dietz Hotel. His home…

Schmidt-Gold House · 1981

This home was built in the 1860s by german stonemason Lorenz Schmidt, a pioneer settler in the Adelsverein colony and builder of many early structures, including the Vereins Kirche. Originally a story-and-a-half, the…

Schwarz Building · 1981

This limestone commercial building was constructed in 1907 by Charles Schwarz, a prominent early merchant of the area, and his wife Mary. Located on the site of the Louis Dietz home, it included ground floor space for…

The Meinhardt-Pfeil Home · 1981

The original section of this two-story limestone residence was constructed about 1850 by pioneer area settlers Albert and Doris Meinhardt. A widow in 1879, Doris sold the property to her former son-in-law G. Adolph…

The Patton Home · 1981

Pioneer Fredericksburg business leader Albert Lee Patton (1851-1934) and his wife Emma (Wahrmund) (d. 1927) built the original four-room section of this limestone home shortly after they purchased the property in 1876.…

Diedrich Rode Complex · 1982

This group of buildings was constructed by german native Diedrich Rode (1828-1905). The three-story limestone residence was completed in 1880 and featured a third floor storage area for wool and cotton produced on the…

Emil Weber House · 1982

Stonemason Emil Weber built this late Victorian residence in 1902 with the help of local craftsmen. Constructed of hand-hewn limestone and Texas yellow pine, and featuring 12-inch ceilings, it was designed as a wedding…

The August Hennersdorf House · 1982

August and Johanne Hennersdorf migrated to Fredericksburg from Prussia in 1855. In the early 1900s they constructed this frame and limestone residence for their family. Evidence indicates the floor joists under the…

Vogel Sunday House · 1982

In the 1880s German immigrant Christian Vogel (1824-1889) built the left half of this structure to house his family while in town for Saturday trading and Sunday church services. His son Amandus (1854-1898) and…

Weber "Das Keller Haus" · 1982

This simple, one-room limestone outbuilding was constructed in 1903 by stonemason Emil Weber. He built the structure, which sat over a cellar, for storing vegetables, bacon, sausage, and wine. One of Weber's sons,…

August Ebers House · 1983

In 1860 August Ebers, a German immigrant, built the east portion of this stone house. It included a kitchen, a "big room", and an upstairs loft bedroom. Before 1880 he added the west wing. Ebers was killed in a well…

Maier-Alberthal Building · 1983

Constructed about 1860, this building was acquired by German native Anton Maier (b. 1813) in 1866. A merchant who held several Gillespie County offices, Maier deeded the property to his son-in-law, August Alberthal. In…