By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Fourth of July Parade
When: 9:15 a.m. Monday
Where: Main Plaza, New Braunfels

Another Fourth of July celebration is coming up Monday. Flags will be waving, music will be saluting the United States of America and The Sophienburg’s annual parade downtown to the Main Plaza will be open to patriots of all ages.

The first Fourth of July celebration in New Braunfels was in 1846, soon after Texas became a state. Since then, New Braunfels has celebrated the Declaration of Independence with much enthusiasm.

Rapid social and technological changes took place in the three decades from the 1820s to the 1850s. Then the Union began to unravel. Rumblings of internal conflict began to be heard between the industrial North and agricultural South, and union became disunion.

Causes of this conflict were many, but in the end, disagreements about states’ rights and slavery were primary. The South believed that seceding from the Union was the solution to all the problems. Those states formed their own Confederacy.

New Braunfels was the only predominantly German town in Texas that voted to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy.

There is no doubt about the influence Neu Braunfelser Zeitung Editor Ferdinand Lindheimer had on local election results. Lindheimer led the charge for secession locally. In the end, 239 voted in favor of secession and 86 voted against. Texas voted overwhelmingly to secede and join the Confederacy, thereby becoming the seventh state to do so.

For a complete account of the events of the Civil War in Comal County, check out these books, of which can be found at Sophie’s Shop:

• “New Braunfels, Comal County Texas” by Rosemarie Leissner Gregory and Myra Lee Adams Goff offers a thumbnail, uncomplicated account of the events in a concise manner.
• Once you have the basics, read further details translated by Oscar Haas in his book “History of New Braunfels and Comal County.” After that, two books about the Civil War are for sale. Wilfred Schlather’s book, “War Between the States Participants from Comal County” fills you in on just that.
• The second book recently released by Dr. Francis R. Horne is ” Comal County Texas in the Civil War, as reported in the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung from 1859 to 1865.” Sophienburg volunteer Margot Hendricks spent many hours translating articles from the Zeitung from German to English.

Horne has chosen some of Lindheimer’s editorials relating to the war and events in the state. Lindheimer was very influential in Comal County; however, not all agreed with his opinions about secession. For example, local abolitionists threw his printing press into the Comal for backing the Confederacy. He fished it out and kept on printing.

In 1860, Lindheimer backed Breckenridge against Lincoln for president, and ultimately, Lincoln received no votes in Comal County. Meanwhile, many cities in north Texas were set on fire. Lindheimer and most editors were convinced the fires were set by abolitionists. Lindheimer tells us that when Gov. Sam Houston spoke at the Comal County Courthouse against secession, there was no applause from the audience.

Horne chooses editorials and events before the war and to the end of the war that help the reader have a better understanding of Lindheimer’s political views. To really understand why Comal County voted to be part of the Confederacy, read this interesting collection of editorials and local and state events.

On June 19, 1865, a United States flag was hoisted over Comal County Courthouse. Troubles were not over, but the Confederacy was. Soon after, on Fourth of July, the Declaration of Independence was once more observed with great ceremony. Shots from a cannon proclaimed the festive day. A huge American flag was once again hoisted on Sophienburg Hill.

Joachim Pantermuehl, center, is surrounded by his seven sons who fought for the Confederacy. Female at top is unidentified. Top left are Joachim Jr., Fritz, Christian, Wilhelm, Carl, Heinrich and Johann. All survived the war.

Remember: Fourth of July Parade Monday, July 4, Main Plaza at 9:15 a.m.!

By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Picture this: Every day after school, a group of elementary school boys rushed home and met at a vacant lot behind Hollmig’s Drive-In at the intersection of Seguin and Zink streets. Their goal: to play baseball their way. (See the 1958 photo below for names.) George House, owner of the drive-in, called this group the Zink Street Stinkers.

This joy in playing games like sandlot baseball is the subject of a program this Saturday (June 18) for children and adults. The program is called “Spielzeit at the Sophienburg” (Playtime at the Sophienburg). Another brainchild of Amber Miller, the interesting program will center on games that children played and toys that they can make.

The purpose of the program is to teach children that toys don’t have to be purchased, and that they can use their imagination to create toys.

To demonstrate toy making will be folk toymaker, Lee Haile. If weather permits, Haile will set up under the trees on the Sophienburg grounds and show the children early folk toys. He uses only natural and available materials. Haile demonstrates flying propellers, kites, tubes and water toys, paddle boats, spool cars, stilts, tops, and the list goes on and on.

Then replicas of some of these early toys may be purchased in Sophie’s Shop.

Inside the Museum, videos will feature children’s activities. These videos have been made from the Sophienburg’s vast collection of photographs. They show local children engaging in games like baseball, marbles, kite flying and organized dress-up activities like Kindermaskenball, parades, school plays.

The supply is limitless and adults who grew up in this area are likely to spot themselves on the screen.

Another feature of the day will be a “marionette contraption” by John Ryan of San Antonio. For decades, Ryan has had the hobby of putting together these models. He has donated this exhibit to the Sophienburg. It’s a 3-foot-high, 4-foot-long early pioneer house. Under the overhang of the front porch are three carved people. Ryan recorded music that he coordinated with the moving figures, and as it plays, the figures dance, stomp, and play instruments. Children will love it. The exhibit is called “Family Fun 100 Years Ago”.

A book called Texas Toys and Games by Francis Edward Abernathy gives a good description of “Spielzeit” using information from Haile. I like the games section the best because I remember the games described in the book. Games like Blindman’s Bluff, Red Rover, Seven Up, Fruit Basket Turn Over, Crack the Whip, Leap Frog, Drop the Handkerchief, Hide and Seek, and — don’t forget — Spin the Bottle. Then there were other games like marbles, jacks, and pick-up sticks.

At Lamar School, the girls played jacks daily at recess and the boys played marbles. There were definitely gender oriented games. Girls would bring their dolls to school and boys would bring cars. One of the activities that I remember everyone playing would today be considered taboo.

We would break glass thermometers and extract the liquid mercury. The mercury formed little balls and we would roll them around in the pencil holder on the desk. When I think about it, it doesn’t even make sense, but we loved that activity. It just proves that when no toys are around, children will make their own.

Being an only child, I did have lots of toys, but the activity I remember most was the string dolls that I made.

These dolls played out the soap opera of life in my window sill. Psychiatrists would love it.

What fun the day will be for children and adults. No reservations needed, just show up this Saturday, June 18, anytime between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a $5 charge per adult and $2 per child. What a bargain!

Even smart people like Plato said, “Life must be lived as play.”

Myra Lee Adams Goff’s column is published every other Tuesday in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.