By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Prince Carl in the diary of his sojourn to Texas writes about sleeping on the ground, using a pistol case as a pillow. Even before the emigrants arrived, he feared an Indian attack. He recalled a patriotic drinking song called “Deutschland Hoch”. Rewriting his own words to this song, he envisioned the German emigrants heroically defeating the Indians. This never happened.

When the emigrants arrived in NB they were led to an area on the Comal Creek bluff (location of Sts. Peter and Paul Church). Here the Prince had a trench dug facing the prairie and cannon and gabions were set up to protect the emigrants from Indian attack. Twenty two young men were chosen to guard and help secure the area.

Hermann Seele believed that the Indians were never a serious threat, but more of a nuisance. Soon the Indians were mingling freely within the settlement. This from Seele: “I saw the Prince light a cigar for one of the Indian women. He did this as graciously as if he were presenting a rose to a princess”.

Who were these Indian tribes in the NB area? They were the Tonkawa, the Lipan, the Waco, and occasionally the Karankawa, Kickapoo, Coahuiltican, and Comanche. By far the most prevalent in the area was the Tonkawa.

The Tonkawa was a nomadic tribe of hunters and gatherers. Evidence of their presence can be traced back 11,000 years. They possessed great athletic prowess, walking great distances, running with great speed, and enduring hunger for long periods of time. Their shelter was of small conical framework poles covered with branches, brush, and hairless horsehides. Their food consisted of deer and all the wildlife still in our area but they seemed to prefer decayed meat. A story that took place at the Weisenhaus (orphanage) was one in which the Ervendbergs prepared a meal for the Indians, which they devoured. Immediately afterwards they went down to a field where theydevoured a semi-decomposed carcass of a horse.

The Tonkawas decorated their bodies with tattoos and paintings. At the Museum we have small “paint pots” consisting of rocks with indentations in which paints made of red cinnabar and yellow sandstone and mixed with animal fat were concocted.

Tonkawas practiced “ritual cannibalism”, which means that theyengaged in eating the bodies of their enemies in order to get strength from their flesh. Hermann Seele encountered one such cannibalistic orgy on his trek to NB where they had fried and boiled flesh of one of the Tonkowa enemies – a Waco warrior.

The only tragic Indian incident relating to the settlers occurred when two of Prince Carl’s soldiers were returning from a scouting trip to Austin and were attacked, killed and scalped.
In later years when changes were made to the surface of the land (roads, utilities), artifacts began emerging. Albert Nowotny, a local amateur archeologist, in 1929 made several artifact collections and removed eight aboriginal burials unearthed when sewers and power lines were installed. Nowotny owned a restaurant (Teen Connection building) called “The House That Jack Built” and his collection was on display there. The Sophienburg has quite a few collections of flint tips and arrowheads, including Oscar Haas’, in the Museum.

Several archeological surveys have been made in the Comal Springsarea including Landa Park and the area west of Fredericksburg Rd. Beginning at the base of the Balcones Escarpment, traveling south on Fredericksburg Rd., then west on Landa St., and then north on Parkview, this 50 acre tract was originally owned by George Klappenbach whose home still stands at the edge of the Escarpment (now owned by Tim and Lizabeth Barker).

The beautiful springs and the accessibility of water made the Comal Springs area a natural for Indian gatherings and so do we today gather at the same spot. Wonder what artifacts will be found there eons from now!

“I saw the Prince light a cigar for one of the Indian women. He did this as graciously as if he were presenting a rose to a princess”. Hermann Seele. Artist: Patricia S. Arnold. Artwork©

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Recently the Sophienburg was the recipient of a very historically valuable gift – the original bell from the Live Oak Baptist Church dating back to around 1900.

Sometime before 1900 a preacher named Rev. Lucky McQueen organized a group of 14 NB residents into what became known at the time as “Colored Baptist Church of New Braunfels”. They originally met under a live oak tree (hence the later name) in the Comaltown area. Before long they began looking for property to purchase in order to build a church. On the corner of Washington and Camp in the Braunfels subdivision, they found what they were looking for and so on June 23, 1900, a lot was purchased for $75.

Those first 14 members were Mrs. Mahalia Barnes, Mrs. Mattie Finner, Mrs. Josephine Williams, Mrs. Grinage, Mrs. Lizzie Clark, Mrs. Rebecca Woods, Mrs. John Martinez, Mrs. Addie Hardeman, A.B. Matthews, Dee Richardson, Joe Williams, Sam Williams, Green Paxton, and Sam Brown. Some original members have descendants who are members now five generations later. The Holland family has had a deacon in every generation but one.

Under the leadership of their first pastor, Charles Connally (1900-1917), the task of building the structure began. Brothers Sam and Tom Williams built a small frame building and after the church was finished, a bell was purchased. The church was renamed Live Oak Baptist Church after its historical beginning. The Fellowship Hall was built in 1964, and in 1983 when remodeling had to be done to the church structure, the bell was too heavy to be reinstalled. Margaret and Alton Grant stored the bell in their garage.

The present pastor is Rev. Alvie S. Young Sr. who came in 2003 from Louisiana

Many times because of the small size of the congregation, young pastors used the Live Oak church as a stepping stone. Pastors were secured from the Guadalupe District Association in San Antonio.

Lethia McClinton and her sister, Shirley Holland, reminisced about whatthey remembered in those days when they were children growing up in the church. Their ancestors were the Hollands mentioned earlier.They remember baptism by emersion in the Comal River. Now, the baptism is done in the church in the font that is under the pulpit.

When they were children and also when their children were growing up, the congregation was much larger and they had many youth activities. They would invite other youth from San Antonio and other towns for hayrides and swimming. They did recall that if they wanted to swim in a pool, they would have to go to the Black Pool in Seguin, not the Landa Park Pool, but then there was always the Comal…

The Sophienburg is planning a display of the bell and memorabilia from the old church sometime this summer. Keva Boardman at the Sophienburg did some research on the bell and this is what she found:

The church’s bell was made by the C.S. Bell Company of Hillsboro, Ohio. The company’s story is that a Scotsman named Charles Singleton Bell started his firm in 1858 and one day he dropped a piece of steel and it struck something on the way to the floor, making a ringing sound. He then decided to cast bells of steel instead of iron. He must have sold the public on this story because he contracted for l, 000 bells the first year. This company sold its bell molds in 1984.

In October the Live Oak Baptist Church building will be 108 years old and they are planning a giant celebration with speeches, exhibits, and food.

Jerry Darnell and Fred Holland load the bell to go to the Sophienburg.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

On March 21 we had quite a crowd on the Plaza when Mayor Boyer proclaimed Founder’s Day and Sophienburg Executive Director Linda Dietert reminded us once again of the first emigrants as they crossed the Guadalupe into NB.

Events on our Plaza over the years have been mostly honorable and occasionally not so honorable. Negotiating the Plaza has always been a challenge and efforts to get rid of it have always given way to public sentiment to keep it. The saying “All roads lead to Rome” could read “All roads lead to the Plaza” here in NB.

In the early days when NB High School was located on Mill St.(until 1951), pep rallies on the Plaza involving the whole town were the ultimate in support for football teams. Students would rally in the Academy St. gym the day of the game but the night before, when the Unicorns were playing “big” games, like arch-rival Seguin, or playoff games, pep rallies would be downtown.

Look at the picture of a “Conga line.” Of Cuban origin, this practice was a dance forming a long, snake-like line accompanied by a bass drum. The line started at the NBHS with seniors leading the students in a snake-like “step, step, step, kick” down the street. These are the seniors of 1951 winding their way to the Plaza. The encyclopedia says that “dancing” in ancient times was actually done as a ritual prayer for victory in battle. Well, that fits. “Rally around the Plaza” was symbolic of sticking together, of victory.

New Braunfels Class of 1951 dances the Conga Line to the Plaza.

Many inspiring speeches were made from the gazebo, especially on patriotic holidays. The Plaza and patriotism go hand in hand. Just think of all the events you have witnessed on the Plaza – giant parades like the Comal County Fair Parade heading towards the center of town, traditional parades like the Kindermaskenball, July 4^th, and special anniversaries.

Main Plaza is possibly the most photographed spot in town. No telling how many wedding and graduation photos have been taken there. Do you remember Braunfels, Germany residents Gerhard and Regina Adam’s marriage on the Plaza during our Sesquicentennial?

The Plaza used to be a rallying place after elections. When A.D. “Pete” Nuhn was mayor of NB (1942-52), the election of 1944 made a big impression on me because my dad’s job depended on whether Nuhn was re-elected mayor. Dad was city clerk and park manager and these were appointed positions. After the polls closed, he and I went to the Plaza to watch the election results being written in chalk on a huge blackboard on the gazebo. I remember the numbers being erased and rewritten and erased and rewritten. I was told that no election could be called until the “bloody fifth” (Comaltown) came in. Supposedly Comaltown stuck together and the election couldn’t be decided until this precinct was counted.

Now let’s look at those new iron bars on the Plaza at the intersections of N. Seguin and S. Seguin. They weren’t always there. Over the years a few people drove straight across the Plaza, even knocking down the fountain and doing much damage. Now I’m here to tell you that I am possibly the only person who actually drove straight across the Plaza under the influence of brazen immaturity. It was 1947. My dad had bought me a very small car called an Austen. It had no windows and moved only 20 miles an hour at top speed. Five of my friends (Arlene Krueger and Gladys Werner are the only ones I can remember) were packed in this car when we drove up S. Seguin towards the Plaza. Deciding to take a shortcut, everyone jumped out, picked up the car, drove across, picked up the car on the other side and continued down N. Seguin.

If that Plaza could talk!