Sophienburg to celebrate Fourth of July on Third
Tune in to KGNB – AM 1420 or KNBT – FM 92.1 for weather announcements for the parade and program. By Myra Lee Adams Goff Guess you think we’re going to celebrate the Fourth of July on the fourth of July. Well, you’re wrong. We’re going to show our independence by celebrating on the third […]
A bank robbery in downtown New Braunfels
By Myra Lee Adams Goff A bank robbery in downtown New Braunfels? Yes, it happened on March 10, 1922, and reported a week later in the New Braunfels Herald. Hot news item? Well, remember that the Herald was a weekly newspaper. I’m sure that by that time local communication systems had already kicked into effect: […]
Law enforcement vital
By Myra Lee Adams Goff Safety and protection of citizens and property have always been foremost in the minds of anyone involved in law enforcement in New Braunfels and Comal County and it goes way back. Law enforcement began with Prince Carl who was responsible for the safety of the German emigrants as they made […]
Ernst and Antoinette Gruene home still standing
By Myra Lee Adams Goff Twenty-six-year-old Ernst Gruene applied for his passport to emigrate to Texas from Germany. He is described in his passport as a very tall, (over 6’2”) blond, handsome man. Later family accounts describe him as not only good-looking, but very charming. In Germany he was a flax farmer and planned for […]
The miraculous electric belt
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — It’s a crumbling brown leather belt with an insert of linked silver-plated rectangular batteries. It might not look like much, but this curious artifact, an electric belt, represents a weird and wonderful era in the history of electricity. Electrotherapy — using electricity to stimulate nerves and muscles — goes way […]
Scholl Peters house gone missing
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — I watch rooftops multiply daily as I look out from our house of more than 30 years. I will not lie. It is distressing. It truly makes me appreciate the beautiful well-built 100-plus-year-old buildings that grace our city. Being a native, I often wonder what has become of the many […]
Seven flags over New Braunfels
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — On February 16, 1963, San Antonio Express and News staff writer Jerry Deal ran a story in the San Antonio Express and News about Laredo, Texas. This is an out take: “… the friendly city of Laredo is not only the oldest independent town established in Texas (1755) — it […]
Sophienburg History Award: Voice of the forgotten
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — For more than 90 years, the Sophienburg Museum and Archives has maintained artifacts and archival documents to keep the history of New Braunfels alive. Part of our mission is to not only preserve the history of New Braunfels, but to share the stories with the generations that follow. It is […]
Rabbits, eggs become mainstay Easter traditions
(Reprint of AROUND THE SOPHIENBURG article published March 31, 2009, by Myra Lee Adams Goff) Children don’t question whether it’s possible for rabbits to lay eggs. They just know that when they build a pretty nest of grass and flowers, the Osterhase (Easter Rabbit) lays these beautiful multi-colored eggs. It’s the miracle of the beginning […]
The Timmermann house: Memory of its haunting beauty is all that is left
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — We are fortunate to live in a community proud of its heritage, culture and architecture. Our historic districts and downtown are proof of that pride. It seems so very idyllic, people creating a community by the river, building homes and businesses. The town prospers and new brick buildings to replacing […]
