By Myra Lee Adams Goff

This Good Friday, March 21, marks the 163^rd year since the first emigrants crossed the Guadalupe into what would become New Braunfels. At noon Sophienburg members and others interested in NB history will be on the Plaza commemorating this event. Please join us.

Having written much about that first crossing, I decided to recount one family’s journey from Germany. The family I chose is the Bremer family because family member Robert R. Robinson-Zwahr has done extensive ancestor research. His information was used in the book Journey in Faith by Rosemarie Leissner Gregory and Myra Lee Adams Goff.

The Bremer family was on the first ship of Adelsverein emigrants, the “Johann Dethardt”. The family consisted of Heinrich Bremer, his wife Judith, their four children, and Mrs. Bremer’s two sons. One of those sons, Fritz Goldbeck, became a well-known poet, having written over 200 poems about German emigration.

The Bremers were among the 120 plus passengers registered in Bremen by September, 1844, to emigrate to Texas. The Bremers notified the Adelsverein representative and the Republic of Texas of their intentions and paid their registration fee. The family was from the Verden area. They sailed down the Weser River to the harbor at Bracke where the brig Johann Dethardt was anchored. Supplies for the lengthy trip were loaded plus 90 kegs of fresh water.

On Sept. 21, 1844, the brig sailed to Bremen, stopping one night and then set sail and crossed the North Sea smoothly. When they entered the English Channel, the weather turned violent, giving many of the passengers literally their first taste of seasickness. We’re not talking about the Princess Cruise Line. When the ship entered open water past England and France, sailing became smooth for the next three weeks.

The Johann Dethardt was captained by Theodore Luetering with a crew of ten. This was only the second voyage for the ship. Some passengers complained of abuses by the crew and bad food. In some cases, those with money had to bribe the cook for food.

The seasickness was bad enough, but just imagine Mrs. Bremer’s delicate condition. She was nine months pregnant when the brig reached the waters near Cuba in November and here aboard ship, her baby girl, Carolina Anna Bremer, was born.

Shortly thereafter, the brig sailed into Galveston harbor on Nov. 23, and all reports show that there was much rejoicing after two months at sea. I’ll bet!

On Dec 1, three one-mast schooners were provided by the Adelsverein to take these first arrivals to Lavaca (later Pt. Lavaca). After leaving Galveston, two schooners made it safely through Paso Caballo, Matagorda Bay and then into Lavaca Bay where they disembarked. Wouldn’t you know, the third schooner with the Bremer family aboard was caught in a storm and dashed into the Gulf of Mexico. They then discovered that the ship had sprung a leak. FromJourney in Faith this account: “Men tied themselves to the pumps to enable them to get the water out of the schooner and still not be thrown into the raging gulf.”

The schooner was carried toward Mexico. When the winds shifted, the craft moved back toward the Texas coast and into shallow waters and they dropped anchor. Then a new norther blew in, broke the anchor chain, and moved the vessel southward once more. A shifting southerly wind finally blew the ship into Lavaca Bay. On the shore were the rest of the emigrants waving a welcome.

After a short stay at Lavaca, the emigrants moved to the Agua Dulce encampment and here is where baby Carolina Anna Bremer was baptized by Pastor Ervendberg. Prince Carl was the baby’s Taufpate (sponsor).

After a trip through Victoria, McCoy’s Creek, Gonzales, and Seguin, the Bremer family with the other first emigrants crossed the Guadalupe on Good Friday, 1845. Think about them this Friday.

At the Agua Dulce encampment baby Carolina Anna Bremer was baptized by Pastor Ervendberg. Patricia S. Arnold, Artist.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Do you know the story behind the formation of the Sophienburg Museum and Archives? It’s a rather interesting story and unique like the city in which it is located.

Here’s how it goes:

The Hippolyt Dittlinger family (of flour mill fame) received a portrait of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels from the royal couple that was living in the Braunfels castle in 1925. Hippolyt and Elise Dittlinger had made a pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the anniversary of the Catholic Church, as the church celebrated every 25 years.

They made a side trip to Braunfels, Germany. There they were presented the portrait with the request to place it in NB’s museum.

Since there was no city museum at the time, Mrs.Dittlinger volunteered to keep the portrait until some arrangements were made to hang it in the proper building. Mayor Blumberg suggested that she organize a museum association to appropriate funds, which she did.

The association was headed by S.V. Pfeuffer. The property that the group had their eye on (Sophienburg Hill) belonged to Mrs. Johanna Runge of Austin. She agreed to sell the property for $5,026. It was no small matter to raise this amount of money during the Great Depression.

Now the association had a name: Sophienburg Memorial Association. ”Sophienburg,” meaning “Sophie’s Castle”, was what Prince Carl called the area on which he intended to build a fort to protect the early settlers. In 1845 a cornerstone was set, but no fort was built, only a log structure that became the headquarters of the Adelsverein. Prince Carl left NB in May of 1845, never to return. The log building was finally destroyed by winds of a hurricane in 1886, the same hurricane that destroyed Indianola.

After securing the property, a plan for a combined museum and library was designed by local architect Jeremiah Schmidt and on June 12, 1933, when the building was almost finished, there was a formal laying of the cornerstone. By then the president of the association was R.H. Wagenfuehr.

Finally on October 8, 1933, the building was complete. Beginning with a parade from the Plaza, the celebration went on all day. Lunch was served by pretty girls in German costumes and the Old Heidelberg Band played old familiar tunes. A Pageant depicted characters and incidents of the old days.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Emmie Seele Faust agreed to build a small library on the adjacent property purchased by the City of NB. When the City built a new Dittlinger Library, the smaller Faust Library became the Sophienburg archives building. Finally, in 1992, the archives portion of the Sophienburg moved downtown to the old City Hall, leaving the Sophienburg Museum on the hill.

After the City built their new library on Common St., the old library building was donated to the Sophienburg and the present three structures consist of a museum and archives, and two collection buildings.

This year the Sophienburg Museum and Archives is celebrating its 75^thanniversary. A major fund-raiser black tie optional Gala will be held March 29 at the old Hippolyt Dittlinger home on Magazine Street. The beautiful home belonging to Barron and Michele Casteel has been restored. A champagne reception will be held at the museum, followed by a walk across the street to the Casteel home where a dance floorwill be constructed in the yard. Music will be furnished by Jazz, Blues, and Diamonds. The cost is $100 per person and reservations must be made.

What started out as a request to hang a portrait turned into the beginning of the Sophienburg Museum and Archives, devoted to the preservation of New Braunfels history. I like what S. V. Pfeuffer said:

“We are beginning a movement to hold forever this historical site. History and sentiment will always cling to the spot where it once stood.”.