Seele’s tale of murder gruesome

By Myra Lee Adams Goff “Have you heard? Old Squire Moeschen is dead!” So begins Hermann Seele’s narrative of a murder here in New Braunfels in 1855. Seele spun this true, gruesome tale in his book, “Die Cypress” available at Sophie’s Shop. Here’s the background: Christof Moeschen, born in 1806

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Haelbig made lasting music impression

By Myra Lee Adams Goff An outstanding early citizen of New Braunfels and one who contributed much to the culture of the community was a man named Stefan Haelbig. Haelbig organized many of the early musical groups and was the music instructor of hundreds of children and adults alike in

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New Braunfels from conquistadores to state of United States

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Hermann Seele in his book Die Cypress summarizes the German immigration story to New Braunfels and the surrounding areas and how it relates to the history of the state of Texas. The detailed account by Seele was translated into English by the late historian Oscar

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The interesting history of Esser’s Crossing

By Myra Lee Adams Goff When I was a child, people used to just ride around to sight-see. If you want to see what people saw in that practice, just drive up Farm-to-Market Road 311 about 19 miles to a place called Esser’s Crossing. You’ll enjoy the sightseeing. Esser’s Crossing

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More Meriwether story revealed

By Myra Lee Adams Goff After writing the column about the digging of the Comal Canal by William Hunter Meriwether, much personal information has come to light about this man about whom we knew so little, but was so important to the development of New Braunfels. Refresh your memory in

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Dollhouse collection displayed at Sophienburg

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Don’t we all love the feeling of an old-fashioned Christmas? Once again, the Sophienburg has decorated for the Christmas season, but this year wins the prize. The collection and exhibit ladies have put together a dollhouse display of 14 different dollhouses plus small doll collections.

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Weihnachtsmarkt is coming to town

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Now everybody sing: “You better watch out, you better not pout, “You better not cry, I’m telling you why, “Weihnachtsmarkt is coming to town.” Yes, indeed, Weihnachtsmarkt begins Friday morning at New Braunfels Civic Convention Center. The local Christmas Market, patterned after those in Germany,

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Wurstfest uses lots of icons

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Icons are very important. When we think of the iconic Dirndls and Lederhosen, what do we think of here in NB? Wurstfest, of course, and that will be Nov. 4-13. Both items of clothing have been around in Europe for a long time, particularly Austria

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So, what exactly is under Canyon Lake?

By Myra Lee Goff What is under about 100 feet of water in Canyon Lake? Or better still, what would still be there if the lake had not been constructed? I started looking and found out: ranch land, farm land, trees, cemeteries, Guadalupe River and the site of two very

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Comal, Guadalupe junction important

By Myra Lee Adams Goff When I was in the ninth grade, I had a group of friends who were Mariner Girl Scouts. New Braunfels rivers were the perfect spot for this scouting program. We had a friend who lived on the Guadalupe River and had a rowboat. We would

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