By Myra Lee Adams Goff Common denominators sometime bring people together who don’t expect to be. The common denominator in this tale is Sophie’s Shop at the Sophienburg. The people are Jane Felts Mauldin, Maurice Schmidt, and me. Here’s how it happened: I was in Sophie’s Shop when NB artist

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Baron Ottfried von Meusebach dropped his aristocratic title and became John Meusebach when he came to Texas in May of 1845. He was to be the Adelsverein’s second administrator of the German settlement of New Braunfels succeeding Prince Carl. The prince had departed just two

By Myra Lee Adams Goff You are invited to see some out-of-the-ordinary objects at the Sophienburg Museum. When? Tues.-Sat.10am-4pm. Some things could even be described as “weird”, “unexpected”, “rare”, “unusual” and even “bizarre”. In the pharmacy exhibit is a hanging glass show globe. It holds about five gallons of colored water

By Myra Lee Adams Goff It’s early spring in the year 1846 and I am imagining myself at the edge of the Guadalupe where the ferry would be bringing Dr. Ferdinand Roemer into the new town of New Braunfels. He had arrived in Texas the year before to study the resources, geology, and flora

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Ten years ago on January 22, 1999, our Comal County Courthouse, the Grand Dame of Main Plaza, celebrated its 100th birthday. Demanding the center of attention, the imposing, age-worn structure has stood guard over the hub of New Braunfels and Comal County all these years. The Courthouse guards the

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Do you know anyone in New Braunfels that is descended from aristocracy? Not the “let’s pretend” kind, but the real thing. In 1975 Roland Baetge compiled a history and family tree of the Baetge family and in his own words “put the living flesh on

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Do you have happy memories of Christmas past? The Sophienburg is full of stories, photographs, tapes, and collections that reflect what people feel are worth remembering and saving. But Christmas can bring sad, nostalgic memories as well. Charles Dickens capitalized on that idea in “The

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Newspapers have been an integral part of the life of New Braunfels for 156 years. The first newspaper, “Neu Braunfelser Zeitung”, began Nov. 12, 1852. Here’s how it came about: A mass meeting of NB citizens was called to choose an editor of the “Zeitung”

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Recently I went to the Comal Cemetery to visit family and friends. Don’t tell me that I’m the only one that does that; someone brings the flowers! Since I started writing this column I have greatly increased the number of people that I know in

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Next week Nov. 21, 22, 23 begins Weihnachtsmarkt, the primary fund-raiser for the non-profit Sophienburg Museum and Archives. Co-chairmen Ginger Doherty and Allison Humphries announce that the shopping extravaganza will be returning to the new Civic Center. It will be an experience in old world