Sophienburg Museum and Archives

Hofheinz house dates back to 1905

April 5, 2015

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Soon after moving to New Braunfels, Bill and Bonnie Leitch began “looking for a perfect place to live away from city life” in the city. For that matter, the house they found in 1971 is very close to downtown but has the feeling of being

Rededication of German pioneers marker at Canyon Lake

March 22, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Next Saturday, March 28th at 11:00 a.m. a rededication of an historical marker will take place at the Canyon Dam Overlook. All are invited to view this beautiful view of the lake and dam. This site which was originally honored in 1968 with a Texas

Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home from 1923 to the present in the same family

March 8, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff It’s the same business, in the same place, run by the same family for almost 92 years. That’s Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home, now involving the fourth generation. And it doesn’t look like they are going to run out of clients any time soon. In the early

Settlement of New Braunfels prompted by Republic of Texas Constitution

February 22, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff The banner year in the history of Texas was 1836, the year that the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico, drew up its first constitution and declared itself independent. This constitution with its generous land policy would be the driving force leading to

Prince Solms Inn still boosting tourism

February 8, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Besides the Plaza Hotel on the Main Plaza, another grand hotel was built around the turn of the century, the Comal Hotel (now Prince Solms Inn). What was the reason for more large hotels in the little town of New Braunfels? Hotels are built to

Honey Creek area becomes Honey Creek State Natural Area

January 25, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Hermann Seele gave us a good description of the Texas Hill Country. I’m paraphrasing what he said and you can observe as you drive between Austin and San Antonio on Highway 35. In the distance, take notice of a low, dark green line of cedar-covered

Tenacity leads to progress

January 11, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Recently in the “Smithsonian” magazine, consumer sensor expert, Kevin Ashton, talked about successful innovator skills. His observation was that they possessed tenacity. “The difference between successful innovators and everyone else is that innovators keep failing until they don’t.” He also said “For most of history,

Naegelin’s Bakery still baking

December 28, 2014

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Let’s talk bread – white bread, rye bread, pumpernickel and even a variety of different yeast breads that are sweet. All these goodies come out of the oldest continuous bakery in town, Naegelin’s Bakery. Zuschlag In early, early, early New Braunfels, the bread that was

The queen and princess of buildings around Main Plaza

December 14, 2014

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff If the Comal County Courthouse is the “queen” of buildings around the Main Plaza, then the Plaza Hotel is the “princess”. In this case, the princess is actually fifty years older than the queen. Just think about what these two buildings could tell us about

Background of Bracken Bowling

November 30, 2014

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff “Rip Van Winkle” is a short story written by Washington Irving. Rip lives in a village by the Catskill Mountains. He is an easygoing, henpecked husband. One day he wanders into the mountains to go hunting and he meets and drinks with Henry Hudson’s legendary