By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Emmie Seele Faust was the daughter of one of New Braunfels’ most outstanding citizens, Hermann Seele. He provided a good roll model for his daughter and for her 90 years, she contributed much to her beloved city.

Mrs. Faust’s father, you recall, taught the first school in NB and it was only natural that his daughter would be interested in education. She was active in many philanthropic activities, but her crowning star was the establishment of a local public library. She donated a large amount at the time ($7,439.37) for the stone building on the corner of Coll and Magazine.

The Emmie Seele Faust Memorial Library was open from 1938 to 1967 when it became the storage place for the Sophienburg’s collections. But the collections grew and grew. This year under the supervision of Helen Hoffmann and Keva Boardman, the collections were reorganized and moved to the old museum building on the corner of Coll and Academy.

So what about the little library building? Now the Sophienburg Museum Association has launched a campaign to renovate this historic building and turn it into a public access meeting room and classroom. Like some library books, this renovation project is long overdue.

Plans for this building were unveiled recently at the Volunteer gathering at the Sophienburg. For a pledge of $200 you may have your name exhibited in the renovated library. This is your opportunity to preserve some of our history.

What are all these collections? Many items are from NB’s earliest days, and items that were used to set up the museum. The collections are from people who see the value in keeping things that become more historically valuable with time. Collections are used for educational purposes. They represent who the people were and who they are now. The Sophienburg is the guardian of these collections.

Program Director Keva Boardman uses what she learns from these collections to present educational programs, mostly for children. She and volunteer Carolyn Phelan organize a day-long history program for all 4th graders in the NBISD. This cooperative effort, paid for by the NBISD Education Foundation, includes a living history program at Heritage Village, and finally an educational tour of the Sophienburg Museum.

Boardman conducts other educational programs at the Museum. Recently she and Sophienburg Director Linda Dietert presented a program on early thread to the Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. As an example of what is done for the school children, the “Plants to Thread” program covered early plants from which thread was obtained. Cotton and flax (for linen) were the most common.  From the collection the group was shown a spinning wheel, carders, and a drop spindle and some flax brought from Germany by an early settler.

How are the museum, the archives and all the programs funded? First the Sophienburg is a not-for-profit organization depending on individual donations, grants, and finally the big fund-raiser of the year, Weihnachtsmarkt. Held in the Kongresshalle (Civic Center), Weihnachtsmarkt is truly a Christmas shopping extravaganza. A private gala launches the market this Thursday. Reservations are necessary.

This Friday, doors will be open from 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.. Something new this year will be “Wine and Cheese Shopping” on Friday only from 6:00p.m. - 9:00p.m. for those who would rather shop in the evening. Reservations are suggested, but tickets may be purchased at the door as space is available. Call 629-1572.

Saturday’s time is from 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m., with “Breakfast with Santa” from 8:30a.m. - 10:00a.m. Call for reservations.

Finally, Sunday’s time is from 11:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. All three days, Sophie’s Koffee Haus serves homemade German fare.

Co-chairmen Allison Humphries and Erin Hindman invite you to launch your Christmas season and help the Sophienburg maintain the quality of programs and maintain the history of NB for which they are known.

Inside the Emmie Seele Faust Memorial Library in the 1950s. The teacher is Edna Mae Staats. If you know any of the children, call Sophienburg, 830-629-1572.

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

“Treue der Union”. These are words that memorialize a group of young Texas men who were loyal to the Union during the Civil War. It’s a sad story that has a New Braunfels connection through the three sons of Wilhelm and Caroline Brückisch.

Wilhelm Brückisch was born in 1802 in Postelwitz, Silesia (Prussia). He was a scientific beekeeper. In 1853 he was persuaded by Ferdinand Lindheimer, botanist and editor of the “Neu Braunfelser Zeitung”, to come to Texas. Lindheimer had observed that a lack of bees in the area had kept the fruit from being pollinated and fruit production was affected.

Brückisch, then 51 years old, came with his wife Caroline, sons Carl, Theodore, Wilhelm, and daughters, Wilhelmine and Marie. Along with the family came several hives of Italian black bees. They settled in Hortontown close to the Breustedt family with whom they became close friends. (See www.sophienburg.com Oct. 6 ‘09) Wilhelm Brückisch is given credit as the first person in Texas to become interested in the commercialization of bees.

The sad story of the family began right before the Civil War. The  Brückish sons were against secession and they were not alone. They did not agree with Texas’ vote to join the Confederacy and would not sign the oath of allegiance to a government that condoned slavery. An interesting story in the family tells of Confederate troops looking for Union sympathizers. Going to their neighbor’s house, the boys hid in Mrs. Breustedt’s cellar under the front porch. She placed her rocking chair over the trap door and began shucking corn with the shucks falling over the trap door. They escaped detection when the Confederates came looking. (from Arthur Lee Richter, g-g-grandson, and Claudia Skoog, g-g-granddaughter of Wilhelm Brückisch)

A way to escape conscription came about when a group of 18 men in the Texas Hill Country (Bettina, Luckenbach, Sisterdale, Tusculum, Kerrville, and Comfort) organized the Union Loyal League, its purpose to remain loyal to the United States. This League was part of a state organization “whose goal was to restore the Federal government in Texas”. (Rodman Underwood, “Death on the Nueces”)

The Hill country group was made up mostly of Germans commonly called “Freethinkers”, a movement in Germany as early as the 1700s. Freethinkers were   intellectuals and students who believed in the scientific study of human nature and openly fought against ignorance, social injustice, superstition, and were fleeing from political and religious tyranny. They were advocates of freedom for all and against slavery.

After the German revolution of 1848, many freethinkers emigrated to Texas and gathered together in the Hill Country and when the Civil War broke out, they were against secession. Many considered their controversial utopian ideas suspect. One can only imagine how the freethinker ideas were received in Texas where the state voted to secede from the Union by a vote of 46,129 to 14,697, and all predominantly German communities in Texas voted against secession, except New Braunfels.(see www.sophienburg.com Apr 14,’09)

It is believed that the Brückisch boys went with this Hill Country group that was to proceed south across the Edwards Plateau, across the Medina, Frio, and W. Nueces rivers, and across the Rio Grande into Mexico. Near the Nueces River, however, on August 10, 1862, forty men were ambushed by Confederates. It was known as the “Battle of the Nueces”. Family legend places the three boys at this battle, but Theodore escaped and was executed later.

It was not until three years later that the bones of those killed in this battle and others were gathered and brought to Comfort. A white marble monument was erected in Comfort honoring the memory of 68 men. Theodore Brückisch’s name is on the monument.

Driving up the hill to the monument, a US flag with 36 stars flies perpetually at half-mast.  Treue der Union!

Scientific Beekeeper Wilhelm Brückisch