True Crime Series: Murder of a First Founder
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, which is available at Sophie’s Shop. Here’s the background: Christof Moeschen, born in 1806 in Thuringia, […]
“Sprechen Sie Sausage and history?”
By Myra Lee Adams Goff “Sprechen Sie sausage?” I love it! It’s this year’s Wurstfest advertising gimmick. I want to add another expression for those of you that are so inclined: “Sprechen Sie history?” Well, maybe not, but if you are interested, read on. A good way to find out what Wurstfest is all about […]
The rise an fall of the Darmstadt
By Myra Lee Adams Goff Called by some, “a catastrophic failure of dreamers”, the organization of about 40 intellectuals, university fraternity members and freethinkers banded together with a common cause. They were called “Darmstadters”, or the “Society of the 40” and their plan in 1847 was to organize a communistic utopian settlement in Texas. The […]
Journals are important to history
By Myra Lee Adams Goff A designated post office can reveal a great deal about an area and about who lived there. In Comal County the Spring Branch Post Office was at one time headed by Gottlieb Elbel and he had the forethought to keep a journal from 1867, when he became postmaster to 1872. […]
The last remnant of an era
By Myra Lee Adams Goff Would you like to know what was on the property on which our present Comal County Courthouse sits? If so, read on. When Nicholas Zink laid out the town of New Braunfels, with its main plaza and streets leading to it, he was given the town lot #32 by the […]
1850s Mill Street house being restored
By Myra Lee Adams Goff What’s happening to the old house at 230 W. Mill St? I found out. Jeff and Denise Mund have bought the old Georg Pfeuffer house and they are restoring it. Records show that this is the sixth time that there have been major additions and renovations. Ownership of the lot […]
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 in Thuringia, came to Texas […]
Murchison should be remembered
By Myra Lee Adams Goff A month from this day on March 21, New Braunfels will once again observe Founder’s Day. It was the year 1845 when the first emigrants crossed over the Guadalupe River and made their way into what would become their new homeland. Germany was left far behind. The vast majority of […]
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 was one of the first […]
Traditional sausage making: a time-honored process
By Tara V. Kohlenberg ─ One might think that New Braunfels knows sausage because of Wurstfest, when it is really the other way around. New Braunfels has Wurstfest because We Know Sausage. Sausage making is an art that requires patience, skill, and attention to detail. A food staple of many cultures, sausage evolved as a […]
