By Myra Lee Adams Goff Prince Carl in the diary of his sojourn to Texas writes about sleeping on the ground, using a pistol case as a pillow. Even before the emigrants arrived, he feared an Indian attack. He recalled a patriotic drinking song called “Deutschland Hoch”. Rewriting his own words

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Recently the Sophienburg was the recipient of a very historically valuable gift – the original bell from the Live Oak Baptist Church dating back to around 1900. Sometime before 1900 a preacher named Rev. Lucky McQueen organized a group of 14 NB residents into what

By Myra Lee Adams Goff On March 21 we had quite a crowd on the Plaza when Mayor Boyer proclaimed Founder’s Day and Sophienburg Executive Director Linda Dietert reminded us once again of the first emigrants as they crossed the Guadalupe into NB. Events on our Plaza over the years have

By Myra Lee Adams Goff This Good Friday, March 21, marks the 163rd year since the first emigrants crossed the Guadalupe into what would become New Braunfels. At noon Sophienburg members and others interested in NB history will be on the Plaza commemorating this event. Please join us. Having written much about that first crossing, I

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Do you know the story behind the formation of the Sophienburg Museum and Archives? It’s a rather interesting story and unique like the city in which it is located. Here’s how it goes: The Hippolyt Dittlinger family (of flour mill fame) received a portrait of

By Myra Lee Adams Goff When the United States was getting ready to celebrate its bi-centennial in 1976, Herb Skoog had an idea to do something locally that would commemorate this event. Little did he know that he would be starting a compilation of local history that would be on-going even

By Myra Lee Adams Goff The fact is that New Braunfels was never ever intended to be the final destination of the German emigrants in 1845! It’s a rather complicated story, but let’s give it a try. Indian tribes had lived in the Texas area for 37,000 or more years

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Most towns that actively renovate or recycle buildings have an old movie house downtown. We are fortunate to have our Brauntex movie theater renovated and recycled into a performing arts theater. Before it bit the dust as a movie theatre, we affectionately called it “The Brau…”

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Although Johann Nicholas Zink’s stay in NB was relatively short, his impact lives on even today, for it was he that plotted the basic plan for the layout of the town. Upon his arrival at Indianola in 1844, he was hired by Prince Carl on

By Myra Lee Adams Goff The year is 1849, just five years after the first emigrants arrived on the Texas coast. Hermann Seele has been invited to spend December 26th with Pastor L.C. Ervendberg, his wife Luise, their five children, and the 19 orphans left parentless by the devastating immigration