By Myra Lee Adams Goff

On October 8, the Sophienburg will culminate a year-long celebration of its 75th year with a rededication. For you members and those that want to become members, come join us at a “Mad Hatters” reception from 6 to 8 p.m. with refreshments and exhibits. Wear a wild hat!

The old Sophienburg Museum on the corner of Coll and Academy was built in 1933. The building site was the original location of a log cabin that Prince Carl chose as headquarters for the Adelsverein. Prince Carl called the site “Sophienburg” after his fiancée back in Germany. Some say that the prince wanted Sophie to come to Texas, but most say “no way.”

Prince Carl returned to Germany just two months after the first settlers arrived. After that, the property had various owners but not until the H. Dittlinger family was presented a portrait of Prince Carl in Germany did the idea of a place to hang the portrait come about. The newly organized Sophienbureg Memorial Association purchased the hill sitefor a museum.

The rock building was completed in 1933 with a cornerstone in place containing a manuscript from Hermann Seele, a list of churches, schools, current prices of commodities, a record of founders, a population count, stamps and coins.

The rockwork on the building, beautifully hand-set is what Dr. Fred Frueholz calls “fieldstone technique” (gathered randomly from the fields). Frueholz pointed out a face constructed in the wall out of various types and colors of rocks. I thought it was Prince Carl.

Frueholz’s association with the museum goes way back to when he was a first-grader at Carl Schurz Elementary School in 1933. On his way home from school, he would stop by the museum to visit and look around. He remembers that he entered the beautiful wooden front double doors and on the left of the building was the library and on the right was the museum. He says that as a young child, he was always curious about the museum displays, many of which were clothes and things donated by friends of his parents. He wondered why they hadleft their belongings there.

The library eventually moved out and the entire building housed the museum until the City gave its library building across the parking lot to the Sophienburg in 2001.That building is now the museum and archives and the old museum building is a collection building.

And what of the library? In 1938 Mrs. Emmie Seele Faust, daughter of Hermann Seele, appropriated $5,000 for the building of a public library. The Sophienburg Museum Association donated the corner of Magazine and Coll on their property for that purpose.

During the early 1930s there was a push called the “People’s Library Movement of Texas” and of the 254 counties in Texas, only 19 had free public libraries. George Nowotny was chairman of the 19th Senatorial District promoting libraries in the area.

Meanwhile a test library was set up at the back of Vollmar’s store by school librarian B.C. Homeyer. Established by the state, the collection of up to 2,000 volumes would be available to NB citizens. This library was a huge success.

Mrs. Faust donated additional money towards the new library’s construction and Jeremiah Schmidt designed the building built by Edwin Hanz. At the dedication on Oct. 30, 1938, all books from the museum and Vollmar’s store had been moved. Homeyer was head librarian, assisted by Mrs. Bulgerin and Mrs. Erna Wegemann. Four thousand visitors signed the register in 2½ months.

Exciting restoration! The Sophienburg board is planning to restore the Emmie Seele Faust Library building, not to be used as a library, but as a meeting room for educational purposes and it will surely bring back memories for past patrons of the old library.

Put on a hat and celebrate with us October 8th!

Sophienburg Memorial Museum dedication in October of 1933.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Whatever happened to horse races at the Comal County Fair? They were “gone with the wind” in 1990.

From the beginning, horseracing was foremost in the Fair’s entertainment because it was a very popular activity in early Texas. But then everything changed in 1987 when Texas passed a law only allowing pari-mutuel (legalized) betting on certain tracks. The Comal County Fair Association asked to be one of those tracks, but their track could not meet the size requirements. From 1987 to 1989 attempts were made to run local races, but owners didn’t enter their horses. “The speculation was that the lack of entries was due to the fact that other tracks in Central Texas offered pari-mutuel betting”. (“It’s Fair Time”, Myra Lee Adams Goff)

Horses date back 50 million years. They were only 11 inches high with toes. They developed speed to protect themselves. If horses were still only 11 inches high, our fair could qualify for races on our short track. Picture those little critters coming around the bend!

This year’s fair will be from Sept 23-28. The first fair was in 1892 on the grounds of the newly built Krankenhaus (hospital).It was on the corner of Zink and Seguin Sts. where the Sts. Peter & Paul parking lot is located. The fair was organized as a money-maker for the new hospital and was quite successful.

The enthusiasm of the NB citizenry prompted the organization of the Comal County Fair Association. They planned their first official fair for 1893, however, it was postponed until the next year due to drought.

While researching for “It’s Fair Time”, I ran across information about the fair of 1894 and found that Harry Landa was the first fair association president and that it was held on Landa’s pasture (Landmark, formerly LCRA). In his book, “As I Remember”, Landa gives an account of his experience as a racehorse owner. He said that the Fair Association had built a race track, stalls, and a grandstand. In Landa’s words: “To be a real southern gentleman I felt that I should own a string of race horses”.

Landa purchased that string of standard bred trotters from Ashland Stock Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. One of the horses was a magnificent dark brown stallion named “Bankrupt.” Landa hired a trainer and bought the necessary paraphernalia to raise and train standard bred horses. He thought that if he was going to play the part of a real sport, he had to dress the part. Picture this: gaudy shirt and tie with an immense diamond sticking out in front. Completing the costume was an oversized cigar sticking out of his mouth.

The trainer was to try out their horses before the racing events at the CC Fair. The first event was in Austin where “Benny Boy’ was expected to win, but it cast a shoe. The trainer asked Landa to please send him $50. The next event was in Taylor where “Greased Lightning” was entered. The trainer called Landa and said that the horse had gone lame and had come in last. “Please send another $50.”

“Swift Tom” was entered in Waco and “could not be seen for the dust made by the others”. The trainer said he was moving to Dallas and to please send $50.

At this low ebb in Landa’s career as a racehorse owner, his brother Morris said he had a friend who would dispose of the horses. They were consequently traded for 30 carloads of hay which were then sold for $1,030.This was the beginning and end of Landa’s racehorse career.

For those of us that grew up immortalizing “Black Beauty”, “National Velvet”, and even “Mr. Ed.”, it was sad to say goodbye to everyday horseracing. But if wishes were horses, we’d all ride.

Match race in the 1960s with Sheriff Walter Fellers ahead of second-place Morgan Wegner. Bernie Schriewer brings up the rear.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Did you know that there was a water ballet in New Braunfels the July 4th weekend? No? That’s not surprising because it was a very private family affair out at the end of Krueger Canyon. And the star of the show was an 80 year old lady. Here’s the scoop:

Way back in the 1920s, NB was host to many water activities and shows, from the Venetian Water Carnival on Landa Park Lake to the 1950s beauty pageant competitions. Landa Park was the perfect setting for these shows with its clear lake and spring-fed swimming pool.

Carol Warwick Smith (Bucky) grew up in NB, and spent many hours at Landa Park. She was such a strong swimmer that she became involved in competitive swimming in San Antonio while she was in high school. Growing up, she was intrigued by a movie starring Esther Williams called “Million Dollar Mermaid” and through that movie she was introduced to synchronized swimming (water ballet set to music, aquacade).

Smith graduated from North Texas College in 1950 and joined the aquatic team called Corkettes that put on ballet shows at the famous Shamrock Hotel in Houston. Then in August, she returned to her hometown to organize the first aquacade for the Miss Texas Pageant held in the Landa Park spring-fed pool. Twenty-five girls answered the call to become Esther Williams in that first ballet. Those girls found out that synchronized swimming was not as easy at it seemed, but there was much camaraderie and fun attached to it.

According to the August 8, 1950, Herald, “Although the talent of the contestants was good, the numbers staged by Bucky Warwick and her Aquacadets stole the show”. A stage and ramps had been constructed leading to the center of the pool and one of the numbers was “Rockettes of Radio City” in which the girls came on to the spotlighted ramp, gave a high kick, and then moved in perfect unison to their places in the water. Another very popular number was one in which the girls swam with lighted torches.

When I went to TCU as a freshman in the fall of 1950, I took swimming as my physical education class (an easy A).When the instructor asked who knew what synchronized swimming was, I of course held up my hand. She asked if I would be able to organize a group, and with an “ignorance is bliss” attitude, I agreed.  I found out that not everyone in Texas had the opportunity to swim like we did here in NB and for that matter not everyone even knew how to swim. I finally got 10 girls together and we did a few performances. I wrote the script, got the music together and all because I was in Bucky Warwick’s aquacade.
Smith moved from New Braunfels and when she returned she was asked to reunite those who swam in the 1950 aquacade to perform for the 150th anniversary of NB.

Now let me fill you in on that July aquacade at the end of Krueger Canyon. The house where Smith had raised her children had a sizeable swimming pool that had filled up with rocks and mud through flooding. To continue giving swimming lessons, she had moved to her parent’s home. Secretly her daughters and her sons-in-laws, and her grandchildren cleaned up the pool and restored it. Smith was told that she was going to be honored by her family on her 80th birthday and all she had to do was to dress like Esther Williams in her 50s + bathing suit. When she arrived at the house, her four daughters, five granddaughters, and one grandson put on an aquacade in her honor, even using some of the old torches as props. Guess who swam the part of Esther Williams!

Bucky Warwick in the late 1940s.