By Myra Lee Adams Goff

Recently I gave a speech about the history of First Protestant Church at the Texas German-American Society’s meeting. One of the stories in the history of this church is about the three large bells that are in the tower. These are not the ones that Prince Carl gave to the church and brought by the Schaefer family; those are installed on the front lawn. The tower bells symbolize change and you’ve heard over and over that “change” is inevitable. We all agree that it’s true, but we also know that change is extremely difficult.

Let’s look at how the First Protestant Church bells became the symbols of change and even of a changing society here in New Braunfels. Parishioner Christian Lange presented the three bells to the congregation in 1894 to be hung in the tower. The smallest bell has its name, “Germania”, engraved on its side. Germania represents the German heritage. It is three feet in diameter and thirty inches tall and rings a high tenor sound. The next bell is named “Columbia” and is forty-four inches in diameter and forty inches high. It signifies the loyalty toward the new country, America. The song, “Hail Columbia”, although it never mentions America, is a song whose words were written when America and France were at war with each other and was used to keep Americans united. The chorus goes:

“Firm, united, let us be,
Rallying round our liberty,
As a band of brothers joined,
Peace and safety we shall find”

“Concordia” is the largest of the bells and expresses the hope for harmony between the old and the new generations. It is almost six feet in diameter and four feet high. With its deep mellow voice, it forms the bass for the harmony of the blending of the three. If you look up the root of the word Concordia, you will find that it means “a peaceful coming together, not of one conquest over another”. Symbolically, the three bells represent a peaceful blending of the German and American cultures resulting in a new culture.

About two decades after those bells were singing in harmony, there was an opportunity for Concordia to show its strength. Here’s what happened:

Shortly after the end of the First World War, there arose an element of discontent in the church body. From the beginning, the church had been a German church – the German Protestant Church with everything in German- sermons, music, organizations, and confirmation classes. Now many parishioners wanted to make the transition to become truly American.

There was much strife during this time and the church split down the middle. There was an English service and a German service. There were two confirmation classes, two choirs, one in English and one in German. The English church service paid the utility bill for the English service and the German church service paid the utility bill for the German service. An attempt was made to solve this growing chasm by hiring an English-speaking pastor to join the German pastor, Rev. Gottlob Mornhinweg. He had been pastor at the church since 1899.

After many years, the problem was finally solved by hiring Rev. Edwin Berger who was proficient in both English and German and could give sermons in both. Rev. Mornhinweg was retained as an Emeritus Pastor. After this tumultuous time, the name of the church changed from German Protestant Church to First Protestant Church. After WWII, the German influence became smaller and gradually the speaking of German all but faded away. The same situation was happening in the town of New Braunfels.

First Protestant strives to hold on to some of its German traditions a little like the town holds on to its “Germania” with Wurstfest, Weihnachtsmarkt, the German singing societies, Kindertanzen and Kindermaskenball. We have our fests and vereins, burgs, and bergs. Occasionally at First Protestant the choir sings an anthem in German and the pastor, Darryl Higgins always adds a German blessing.

Don’t think for one moment that “ Germania” didn’t suffer during this transition. It was hard. No doubt, the struggle goes on in other cultures as well, whether it is Hispanic, Black or Asian. The changes aren’t over yet as we go from a little town to a big city, but here’s hoping “Concordia” is strong and big enough to help peaceful transitions.

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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 voice as well as musical instruments. He generally made music a big part of the community. His studio was moved to Conservation Plaza and open for all to see.

Stefan Haelbig emigrated to New Braunfels from Germany through Indianola in 1868 at age 40. His obituary states that he worked in the woolen mills and resided at the Waisenhaus (orphanage) for a year and a half, giving music instruction from there. He instructed piano, French horn, cello, violin, cornet, clarinet and voice.

Haelbig had received extensive musical training in Germany. He had been the bandmaster of a Regimental band in the Austrian Army, and had played Wagnerian (Richard Wagner) music while Wagner himself was the conductor. With a few local musicians, he was able to put together an orchestra to perform the finest of classical music. Those local musicians were listed as Father Blum, Hermann Schimmelpfennig, Mr. Wenzel, Bose and Eberhard. They, however, were amateurs but Haelbig exhibited the greatest patience and persistence, thereby guiding them into playing the classics. Many fine musical events were held in the old Matzdorff’s Halle and Seele’s Halle on the Guadalupe. Concerts were also held at the Seekatz Opera House, featuring the Haelbig orchestra and selected singers.

Not only in instrumental music was he a leader, but also in vocal music. He founded and became leader of the Maennerchor and Concordia Mixed Chorus. He organized the New Braunfels Music Club and its orchestra. Mrs. Lottie Faust was the pianist for this orchestra. In addition he gave lessons several times a week in San Antonio.

When Haelbig was 83, a celebration was given in his honor. Joseph Faust and A.C. Coers told of his abilities and called him the soul of music in New Braunfels. They raised their glasses and gave a toast, “Er lebe hoch, Er lebe hoch, Er lebe hoch”.When the glass was raised, the salute was given in this manner, showing high admiration The literal translation is “He lives high”.

Before being moved to Conservation Plaza, Haelbig’s studio was located on Seguin Street. After he vacated it, the building became Voigt’s Shoe Repair and that’s how I remember it. There was after all a time when people had their leather shoes repaired instead of replaced. Putting on a new sole or a new heel could add years more service to a shoe. The building was moved to Conservation in the early 1980s and the lot became the site of Pizza Hut and is now Taqueria El Tapatio.

There are some interesting things inside the Haelbig studio at Conservation Plaza. You would expect a piano, although it is not Haelbig’s. Paul Jahn’s cello stands up against the wall. Al Schnabel’s trumpet, the “wiggle and wobble with Al Schnabel” orchestra leader and student of Haelbig. There are pictures of former students, names familiar from the past like: Bading, Fischer, Gerlich, Gruene, Heidrich, Naegelin, Marckwardt, Koebig, Jahn, Oelkers, Voelcker, Coreth, Altgelt, Schultz .There is a tiny trumpet, no longer than 8 inches called a piccolo trumpet. Used in classical music, this instrument plays tones higher than a regular trumpet.

Remember that Haelbig once played Wagnerian music in Germany with Richard Wagner as conductor? Hanging on the wall are three pictures from the operas, “Ring of the Nibelung”, a collection of fantasy-filled operas of Norse Mythology. The first picture is the Rhine Maidens, the second is Siegfried Slaying the Dragon, and the last is Brunhilde, all characters from the four Ring operas. Glorifying ancient war heroes in mythology, Wagner operas became controversial at different times in history.

Stefan Haelbig died at age 90. His obituary ends with, “Here in the beautiful city of New Braunfels, he made an impression which is more beautiful and more lasting than any monument of marble – the love and appreciation of music”. Er lebe hoch, hoch, hoch!

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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.

Entering the foyer is a large dollhouse at one time belonging to the late Bill and Nan Dillon. The house is decorated with furniture representing the 1870s to present day. Furniture includes Bentwood chairs from the 1900s and handmade furniture. Immediately across from this house is a unique “garden home” from the 1800s. The table and chairs are set with a tiny tea set.

Also in the foyer, a nine-foot tree holds a collection of 90 plus small dolls from around the world. This collection was given to the Sophienburg years ago by the late Thekla Wright. She and her husband, Dr. Rennie Wright, collected these dolls in their vast travels.

Next is a three-storied Victorian style house built by Richard and Merlene Hitz for Allison Humphries, daughter of Mike and Linda Dietert.  This house with its furnishings dating from 1990 to 2000 can be viewed from the front and the back.

Enter the Museum where there is a replica of an early cabin showing an old fashioned pioneer home.  Christmas at the Waisenhaus (orphanage) of Rev. Louis and Luise Ervendberg has been recreated. For many years, the Timmermann sisters of Geronimo, who were descendants of the Ervendbergs, created this scene at Christmastime for many to see. Underneath the cedar tree decorated with candy and cookies is an elaborate Nativity at Bethlehem. The tree is surrounded by honeycomb rocks, which was a common practice in New Braunfels.

Inside the “Newspaper” display area is a folding paper dollhouse, a 1990 reproduction of an 1890 Victorian house belonging to archivist Keva Boardman. This dollhouse is easily moved from one place to another.

Perhaps the most unusual of all the displayed houses is in the museum’s “Pharmacy” section. It is a house made of a packing crate containing packages of coconut. After the packages were sold, the remaining crate revealed lithographs of the inside of a house. The crate, when stood on end, represented four rooms. Shelley Weidner owns the Coconut House, at one time belonging to twins Carmen (Lee) and Cosima (Langwell) Schnable.

In the “Saloon” is a model of the old Sophienburg Museum made by a student and in the “Barbershop” is a boy’s version of a dollhouse – a metal 1960s barn and silo from the Jerome Bodeman collection. Moving on to the “Doctor’s Office” you see a Dura-craft 1970s dollhouse made from a kit furnished with items from 1980s and ’90s.

In the 1960s, the trend in dollhouses was to make them of metal. One displayed belongs to Yvonne Rahe and one belongs to Meredeth Neiman. Plastic and metal furniture became popular at this time. In the “General Store” there is a plywood house made from a kit.

My dollhouse given to me in 1934 by my grandfather, builder A.C. Moeller, actually has electric lights (Christmas tree lights from the ’30s). The dollhouse was constructed by Richard Ikels, who was the cabinetmaker for him. Patterned in the bungalow style of the time, it contains arches separating the six rooms plus stucco walls and hardwood floors. The original wooden furniture remains in my memory only. Present furnishings were collected by Goff daughters and granddaughters.

Upon exiting the Museum, one sees a two-room 1920s house owned by Betty Stobaugh. The house was constructed by Betty’s father and all the furnishings were ordered from Germany.

Finally a wardrobe from the museum collection is filled with small dolls and next to it a feather tree holding a tiny baby doll collection.

The exhibit will be open all of December. The price is $5 per person; or you could come to The St. Nick celebration on Dec. 5 for $5 a family.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

When I was 6 years old, I remember proudly being able to finally count to 100 without messing up. I counted 100 pennies. I counted 100 M&M’s (though I rarely made it through that without eating some). Those were tangible. It is still very hard for me to wrap my head around counting 100 of anything intangible … like 100 years. What was it even like 100 years ago in 1926?

Well, World War I ended in 1918. The U.S. economy was humming along, and automobiles became common place. Queen Elizabeth II was born, and the magician Houdini died. The famed U.S. Route 66 was established, connecting Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. Closer to home, the towering Comal Power Plant (LCRA, now The Landmark Apartments) was built, and, believe it or not, the Women’s Civic Improvement Club funded the installation of a women’s restroom under the bandstand on Main Plaza.

As New Braunfels grew, the number of churches grew to serve the needs of people moving into the community. In August of 1925, an announcement appeared in the New Braunfels Herald touting Rev. H. Schliesser, a field missionary of the Lutheran Texas Synod, was in New Braunfels to organize a Lutheran congregation. The first services, conducted in German, were upstairs at Mergele Hall.

The Mergeles of Harry Mergele’s Hall are founding families from France. They were merchants. Their home is the little green building that sits behind the store at 166 Comal Avenue (now the chiropractor office). Mergele Hall may not ring a bell with you because the building has had so many other occupants. The two-story building, now the home of Water 2 Wine at 185 S. Seguin, has housed many entities over the years, including a place for the militia to drill, a dance studio, piano studio, and an assembly hall, part of Denson-Dedeke Gifts (downstairs) in the ‘80s and the original retail space for Celebrations Bridal (upstairs). St. Paul Lutheran was one of many churches that got their start upstairs at Mergele Hall.

The new Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul Congregation was established and officially recognized March 21, 1926. The church continued to grow under the guidance of the Rev. H Schliesser. The services were conducted in German in the morning and English in the afternoon with Sunday School in between.

By October 1926, the Lutheran Mission Board of the Iowa Synod voted to contribute to the St. Paul congregation, helping them purchase a house and lot on San Antonio Street for a parsonage, along with two adjacent lots to build a church on Santa Clara. They operated out of those few buildings for a while as they continued to grow their services.

Within a year, they added a St Paul Lutheran Ladies Aid and St. Paul Luther League (for teens), and the St. Paul Lutheran Brotherhood. 1928 saw more opportunities to participate in worship with the creation of the sanctuary and junior choirs. Then, the Great Depression hit.

In 1939, Rev. H.A. Heineke formed a building committee to begin planning a new church building. The church, designed by noted architect, Jeremiah Schmidt, and built by C. R. Roessler, was built of native fieldstone with beautiful dark wood interior beams/trim and stained-glass windows. The $6,000 ($110,000 today) note covered the building and furniture. The church, now known as the Chapel, was dedicated on April 14, 1940. The Chapel is one of the only Jeremiah Schmidt buildings in New Braunfels without a Texas State Historical marker.

St. Paul’s congregation continued to grow, much like churches across the U.S. in the 1960s. This growth prompted the congregation to expand their footprint. In 1962, a new, larger sanctuary was built. The new church building wrapped around the original Jeremiah Schmidt chapel, with its modern design incorporating similar stone, wood beams and colorful stained-glass windows.

With New Braunfels being 180 years old, you might wonder why it took 80 years for a Lutheran church congregation to be established. Well, there is a whole backstory to that. The Lutheran denominations began in Europe and arrived in Texas with German, Swedish, Czech immigrants. In 1850, Pastor Kleiss of Baden, Germany, arrived in Texas to check out the possibilities for new Lutheran congregations. He established himself in the Hortontown and Neighborsville communities across the river from New Braunfels.

In 1851, the German-speaking congregation erected St. Martin Church, the oldest Lutheran church in Texas. A school building was built in 1870 (still standing across from New Braunfels Conservation Society gate). The congregation grew until the turn of the century. St. Martin’s was part of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas. It became difficult to supply churches with German-speaking pastors who were of Evangelical or Reformed faith. When services were discontinued, the congregants attended nearby German-speaking churches, First Protestant Church in New Braunfels or Friedens Church in Geronimo.

St. Martin’s Church was taken over and restored by the St. Paul Lutheran Congregation in 1963. St. Martin’s Church was moved to its present place in the Hortontown Cemetery when Loop 337 was built and is marked by a Texas Historical Marker. St. Paul Lutheran Church still holds special services in St. Martins.

One hundred years ago, St. Paul Lutheran began a journey in Christ and extended itself to not only take care of future congregants, but to honor the history of Lutheranism in Texas. Here’s to counting 100 more years!

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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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 voice as well as musical instruments. He generally made music a big part of the community. His studio was moved to Conservation Plaza and open for all to see.

Stefan Haelbig emigrated to New Braunfels from Germany through Indianola in 1868 at age 40. His obituary states that he worked in the woolen mills and resided at the Waisenhaus (orphanage) for a year and a half, giving music instruction from there. He instructed piano, French horn, cello, violin, cornet, clarinet and voice.

Haelbig had received extensive musical training in Germany. He had been the bandmaster of a Regimental band in the Austrian Army, and had played Wagnerian (Richard Wagner) music while Wagner himself was the conductor. With a few local musicians, he was able to put together an orchestra to perform the finest of classical music. Those local musicians were listed as Father Blum, Hermann Schimmelpfennig, Mr. Wenzel, Bose and Eberhard. They, however, were amateurs but Haelbig exhibited the greatest patience and persistence, thereby guiding them into playing the classics. Many fine musical events were held in the old Matzdorff’s Halle and Seele’s Halle on the Guadalupe. Concerts were also held at the Seekatz Opera House, featuring the Haelbig orchestra and selected singers.

Not only in instrumental music was he a leader, but also in vocal music. He founded and became leader of the Maennerchor and Concordia Mixed Chorus. He organized the New Braunfels Music Club and its orchestra. Mrs. Lottie Faust was the pianist for this orchestra. In addition he gave lessons several times a week in San Antonio.

When Haelbig was 83, a celebration was given in his honor. Joseph Faust and A.C. Coers told of his abilities and called him the soul of music in New Braunfels. They raised their glasses and gave a toast, “Er lebe hoch, Er lebe hoch, Er lebe hoch”.When the glass was raised, the salute was given in this manner, showing high admiration The literal translation is “He lives high”.

Before being moved to Conservation Plaza, Haelbig’s studio was located on Seguin Street. After he vacated it, the building became Voigt’s Shoe Repair and that’s how I remember it. There was after all a time when people had their leather shoes repaired instead of replaced. Putting on a new sole or a new heel could add years more service to a shoe. The building was moved to Conservation in the early 1980s and the lot became the site of Pizza Hut and is now Taqueria El Tapatio.

There are some interesting things inside the Haelbig studio at Conservation Plaza. You would expect a piano, although it is not Haelbig’s. Paul Jahn’s cello stands up against the wall. Al Schnabel’s trumpet, the “wiggle and wobble with Al Schnabel” orchestra leader and student of Haelbig. There are pictures of former students, names familiar from the past like: Bading, Fischer, Gerlich, Gruene, Heidrich, Naegelin, Marckwardt, Koebig, Jahn, Oelkers, Voelcker, Coreth, Altgelt, Schultz .There is a tiny trumpet, no longer than 8 inches called a piccolo trumpet. Used in classical music, this instrument plays tones higher than a regular trumpet.

Remember that Haelbig once played Wagnerian music in Germany with Richard Wagner as conductor? Hanging on the wall are three pictures from the operas, “Ring of the Nibelung”, a collection of fantasy-filled operas of Norse Mythology. The first picture is the Rhine Maidens, the second is Siegfried Slaying the Dragon, and the last is Brunhilde, all characters from the four Ring operas. Glorifying ancient war heroes in mythology, Wagner operas became controversial at different times in history.

Stefan Haelbig died at age 90. His obituary ends with, “Here in the beautiful city of New Braunfels, he made an impression which is more beautiful and more lasting than any monument of marble – the love and appreciation of music.” Er lebe hoch, hoch, hoch!

“Around the Sophienburg” is published every other weekend in the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

I don’t have a green thumb or even a brown one. My thumbs are most definitely black when it comes to growing plants. However, I have somehow managed to sustain the life of a Night Blooming Cereus. This unusual cactus has blessed me by blooming on three separate occasions in the last two months.

As the name suggests, the plant blooms only at night and, incidentally, each bloom only last for several hours. My plant always began opening its buds at 11 p.m., had completely open blooms at 2 a.m. and decidedly closed up and wilted flowers by 7 a.m. I’m exact on the times because I set my alarm to wake me every hour and a half so I could experience “the event”. I even got to see a bat as it flew around waiting for me to leave it to its task of ingesting nectar and doing its pollination thing.

There have been other New Braunfelsers crazy enough or interested enough to have foregone sleep to watch a flower bloom. In the early years of our town, August Forcke, a druggist, prominent citizen and an amateur naturalist, reported the night time blooming of a cactus at his home and that several friends visited throughout the night and early morning to share the event with him. His “Queen of the Night” or Cereus grandiflora or “Dutchman’s Pipe” (the newspaper calls it many names; perhaps he had several kinds?) bloomed in June of 1870, 1871 and 1874. In April of 1878, Mr. Forcke shared that his hundred-year-old aloe had bloomed. Think about it — that means his aloe began life in 1778! Exotic flowers appealed to the naturalist in Mr. Forke as did paleontology. Remember when I told you that a huge prehistoric skull was exhibited on the front porch of his drugstore in the 1870s?

I sensed a pattern in the bloom times of Forcke’s cereus, and with a little googling I learned that the plant likes to bloom in the summertime. Later local newspaper accounts include citizens reporting night blooming cactus bloom events from July through September. These accounts occurred from the 1950s through the 1980s and many of these events were celebrated with “watch parties.” In September 1959, Mrs. Egon Jarisch was featured in an article. She was nurturing two Night Blooming Cereus in the hope that at least one would blossom during the Comal County Fair and she could exhibit it. The article went one to state that she had attempted the same thing the year before but her plant had failed her and decided to bloom the night after the fair closed.

Googling also informed me that blooms can be rare and that one must monitor temperature, moisture and soil conditions closely to encourage flowering. Obviously, I did nothing of the kind. I did, however, do one thing right. It seems the cereus cactus likes to be root-bound. This was a cinch for me — I have an ancient ficus (1980 college days) in its original pot which receives rather intermittent watering. It reminds me by letting its leaves turn yellow and fall off; the dear thing has an uncanny will to live.

The newspaper stories, which feature both male and female gardeners, almost always describe the number of blooms that graced each plant. While all are called Night Blooming Cereus, some are reported as having only one bloom while another might have had 42 flowers! Perhaps these were different species. Mine, as close as my novice self can figure, is an Epiphyllum oxypetalum or a Cereus oxypetalus. Perhaps one of you Master Gardeners can tell me based on the photo. My plant seemed to be timed with the moon, producing three flowers two days after the August “Sturgeon Moon”. Its second bloom of one blossom occurred two weeks later and was followed by another one flower bloom two days after the September “Harvest Moon”. I will have to see if my plant has its own unique pattern over the years. It did survive the 2021 “Snowpocalypse” so perhaps it will survive me.

If I have kept your attention this far, then let me just tell you that as a non-plant person, I am quite enthralled by this little plant. The plant itself is rather gangly and leggy, but the blossom it produces is truly amazing. A tiny pink bud forms on the leaf, growing quickly and swelling in size. The stem takes on a snake-like appearance that makes the bud hang below the plant. Then, one evening you realize there is a loosening of the rosy pink-colored tentacle-like sepals of the bud and you know it is beginning. An intense fragrance is emitted; the scent is strong and sweet like a magnolia but very different. As you watch, you literally can see the broader velvety creamy white petals stretching and opening like a time lapse photo. The bloom opens up wide and is eight to ten inches across. Even more fantastic is the inside of the open blossom. My first thought was, “It looks like a little grotto filled with tiny people under a chandelier,” but it is actually the outer white stigma and the inner cluster of buttery-yellow stamens. It is beautiful, charming, exotic and entrancing. Seriously — it is all these things and it takes place in the moonlight of the wee hours of the morning.

Mr. Forcke, I get it now. I totally understand your, and other New Braunfelsers’, love affair with the Queen of the Night.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives: Forcke family history, Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung collection, New Braunfels Zeitung Chronicle collection, New Braunfels Herald collection, New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung collection.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

Some of my favorite memories include Mayfest, a fundraising event that was put on by the New Braunfels Volunteer Fire Department beginning in early 20th century. The early versions of the day-long event included parades, picnics in Landa Park, foot races, sack races and pumper races. The celebrations that I remember featured barbeque dinners, pumper races and dances in the evening. The pumper races were my favorite. I loved the tight knit crews, the excitement of the race and the rush to push water, all skills they used in fighting a fire. Never seen a pumper race?

Let me explain.

In 1886, the growing city of New Braunfels took steps to acquire their first fire-fighting equipment — a hose reel cart and hook and ladder cart. About that time the New Braunfels Volunteer Fire Department was formed. Forty interested men showed up for the first meeting. They were divided into three companies, two hose reel companies and one hook & ladder company. These equipment carts were big-wheeled carts that required the stamina and strength of several men to pull it from one end of town to the other to get to a fire — not pulled by horses, but by people. There was a lot of running: to the fire cart station, to the fire pulling the hose cart, back to the station to return the equipment for next use. To say the least, it was very physically challenging. Think Camp Gladiator, but in real life.

For more than 25 years, firemen actually ran, pulling the equipment carts to fight any fire. It was not until 1913 that a fire truck was purchased, but the entire city was still protected by an all-volunteer department. By 1918, the city finally had a real fire station and the first paid firemen. Training was required to develop skill and accuracy. Out of this training came the natural competition between companies to be the best and a race was born. The races are a type of recreational competition among the firefighter teams involving timed completion of tasks related to or simulating common firefighting activities. Races test for speed, strength, dexterity, and teamwork. New Braunfels teams and individuals competed in both hose reel races and pumper races. The hose reel race had eight to eleven men pulling the cart down a track, drilling a wooden water pipe, getting water and returning the cart to the original position.

The pumper race is more detailed. There are a lot of moving parts. First of all, a “pumper” is a fire apparatus (truck) with a large tank and the capability to pump water at high pressure on to a fire. A pumper race is a timed 6-man race. Before the start, with all hands in the air, there are two men seated in the cab, one man standing on the truck rail on each side of the truck, and two on the back bumper of the truck. The starter pistol fires. The men on back grab the hose and nozzle, running to the 100-foot line, where they attach the nozzle. The two on the passenger side wait for the end of the fully extended hose to come off of the truck, break the coupling and attach it to the side of the truck. The two men on the driver’s side grab the big black suction hose off of the side of the truck, attaching one end to the truck and one end to the hydrant. Once attached, they immediately begin turning the wrench to open the hydrant full blast. All of that happens in anywhere from 16 to 20 seconds, without busting a connection. There was also an individual version of the race. What prizes did the winners take home? Pride! The races were friendly rivalries between hose companies. Their goal was to be the best team with the fastest time without a busted connection. They got to hold that title until the next big event.

New Braunfels Volunteer Fire Department was a member of the Texas State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association organized in 1876. It held annual statewide and district conventions to keep volunteer departments up to date. They also made the convention more interesting by inviting volunteer departments to bring their race teams for competitions at the district and state levels. State level competitions offered cash prizes to the top three winners. New Braunfels hosted the 41st convention in 1916. The first known photograph of a competitive race team from New Braunfels was in 1920. The 1934 race team won the State Championship.

In 1962, the Ladies Auxiliary was formed. Chief Zipp’s wife was actively involved in the Fire Marshal’s Association and promoted the Auxiliary locally. It was sometime in the ’70s that the Ladies began practicing as a six-person race team. I practiced with them, but never competed. In the ’80s, the Ladies’ team seemed to get some traction with members like Betty Doeppenschmidt, Earlene Klabunde, Teresa Haag and Geraldine Wesch. They were very competitive. They even created their own competition uniforms and custom patch. Again, they competed for pride.

The New Braunfels Volunteer Fire Department grew to 60 members, never more than that. There were four companies of 15 men. They were selective and members had to be voted in. In 1925, there were three paid city firemen. By 1958, the number grew to thirteen paid men. The Volunteers were instrumental in keeping the community safe and rescuing many during the flood of 1972. The Volunteer Fire Department finally was disbanded in 1996. The Texas State Firefighters’ and Fire Marshals’ Association is still one of the oldest and largest fire associations serving fire and emergency responders of Texas. Pumper races were not held at convention in 2020 nor will they be held in 2021, but are scheduled to return again in 2022. If you know a fire or emergency responder, thank them for what they do every single day.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Reflections; Roger Brinkkoeter; Darren Brinkkoeter; Earlene Klabunde; Teresa Haag; New Braunfels Fire Museum.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

The summer I graduated from high school, I think the New Braunfels city limits signs boasted a population of 19,000. The county had a whopping 34,000. Since then, the city limits signs have moved further out, taking in the wonderful little communities that existed peacefully “in the country” for more than a hundred years. One such community is Freiheit.

Freiheit was first known as the San Geronimo School community. The school was in operation before 1883. In 1891, for the sum of one dollar, Henry A. Rose donated land for a school about three and a half miles northeast of New Braunfels. Located on the east corner of Prairie Lea Road (now Freiheit Road or FM 1101) and Barbarossa Road, the San Geronimo School was named for the nearby San Geronimo Creek. It was also known as Rose’s School. It was originally a one-room school, expanding to two rooms that taught first through 10th grades. In 1949, the San Geronimo School was consolidated into the Goodwin Rural High School along with Austin Hill, Church Hill, Hunter, Thorn Hill, and Watson schools. The San Geronimo school house was moved to the Goodwin Rural High School campus. It now resides at Conservation Plaza. That still doesn’t explain the Freiheit, but hang with me.

Near the San Geronimo School, at the crossroads of Eberling Lane and Prairie Lea Road, a store was opened in about 1898 or 1990 by Robert Schuenemann, the son of pioneer Fritz Schuenemann, to serve the farmers of the area. The community was known as Schuenemann Settlement. The store changed hands among Schuenemann family and ended up with Ernst Schuenemann. In 1906, Alonzo and Bessie Nolte bought the store. In January of 1910, the Noltes leased to the Freiheit Kegel Verein (Freheit Bowling Club) a 22-foot by 108-foot strip of land adjacent to their store at the cost of one dollar for 99 years. The Freiheit Kegel Verein drew up formal by-laws and elected officers in August of that same year.

This is where I tell you that the Freiheit Kegel Verein was a 9-pin bowling club. There are many differences between 9-pin and 10-pin bowling. Bowling began in 200-300 A.D. when German monks introduced bowling as a religious ritual, whereby one’s ability to knock down cones (Kegel in German) representing sins determining the need for penance. Martin Luther called the game “Kegels” and standardized it to nine pins. Nine-pin bowling was popular up until the late 19th century. Nine-pin was outlawed to stop people from gambling, but a tenth pin was added to get around the law and now we have 10-pin bowling.

In 10-pin bowling, each individual bowler throws ten frames, in the same order each time. The individual scores count. Pins are set up in a triangle where the goal is to knock down all pins. In 9-pin, it is a team sport with six team members who throw six frames. The pins are set up in a diamond configuration with the goal to knock down all but the center “kingpin”. The team captain decides the order based on the skill of each member since the frame is not reset until every pin is down. Only the team score counts. 10-pin alleys were found mostly in saloons and places frequented by men. 9-pin bowling alleys were most often built by clubs that catered to families. Freiheit Kegel Verein became synonymous with the area, and Freiheit, Texas was born.

The first Freiheit bowling building was built by club members of wood on cedar post foundation with wood shingles. The two lanes were constructed with 1-by-8 maple lumber purchased from Henne’s Hardware. Lighting was by kerosene lamps. Heat was provided by a potbelly stove. Cooling was provided by opening hinged push-open board windows.

In 1946, the club built a new, bigger building using the two old maple lanes installed in the new building along with two lanes that were purchased and moved from a San Antonio church basement. In 1963, the club broke ground on a third (current) building on adjacent acreage. Even though it is a modern facility they still use human pinsetters.

And the store? Noltes sold the store to Max and Bertha Meyers. After Hermann Ludwig returned from World War I in 1920, he and his wife Linda purchased the store from the Meyers and called it Ludwig’s Store. There was a store and a house with dance hall between. In 1927, the dance hall burned down. The store survived the depression and prohibition. In 1949, the Ludwigs tore down the old store and built the current Freiheit Country Store out of the salvaged materials. Both the store and the neighboring bowling alley often served as a polling place for Election District #16. In 1975, Kermit and Laverne Kraft bought the store, doing away with the dry goods part and promoting the bar. The next owners were Shorty and Rosie Haas in the ‘80s, who began serving burgers and promoting the family atmosphere. Freiheit Country Store was purchased by Mike Reimer and partners in 2006. They expanded the food menu and added music, becoming a restaurant and popular music venue. While being surrounded by the New Braunfels urban sprawl, the Freiheit Bowling Club and Freiheit Country Store continue to keep the community’s past alive.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Sophienburg Reflections Oral History Program #849; Freiheit Kegel Verein 100th Anniversary by Karen Saur Lackey; Rural Schools and Teachers in Comal County, 1854-1956 by Alton J. Rahe; www.tshaonline.org/handbook.

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

There’s been a lot of chatter on a local Facebook group recently about Queen of Hearts. In an effort to satisfy inquiring minds, I did a little research. The Queen of Hearts is an age-old tradition of a bygone era (which is really hard to say and harder to see in print since I was around for some of it). Queen of Hearts was a week-long New Braunfels High School fundraiser that took place each February. It was THE social event of the year, featuring competition between the classes to finance the Unicorn yearbook. The week of competition culminated in a formal dance and crowning the winner, Queen of Hearts.

The very first Queen of Hearts was held in 1937. The Unicorn Band came up with the idea to hold a concert and dance to raise funds for the band. Along with it, they sponsored a contest to elect the Queen of Hearts. It was open to any girl in the area. Votes could be purchased for a penny a piece with votes being cast at Peerless Pharmacy, Richter Pharmacy, Plaza Drugs or in the Principal’s office. The winner that year was Mary Louise Hobson. The total amount raised was $17. That may not seem like a huge amount, but it was a lot in the post-Depression era.

In 1938, Queen of Hearts was promoted as a Valentine Carnival featuring a dazzling floor show, Games of Luck, Games of Skill and a supper which was sponsored by the Future Homemakers and the Senior Class. Instead of buying votes for the Queen, classes competed to raise funds to help finance the yearbook. One girl representative was selected from each class. The class earning the most money through their projects had their representative crowned queen. New Braunfels High School was located on Mill Street at that time and housed six classes of students 7th through 12th grades.

Queen of Hearts continued to be held annually, but the class competition projects changed and grew with the times. In 1940, participants from all six classes took part in the floor show entertainment for the coronation. The identity of the Queen was secret until coronation. At that time money was raised through service type activities. LaVerne Schwab Pearce remembers that during WWII, the classes collected/sold scrap newspapers, aluminum and iron and turned it in for money. She also remembers that cake bakes, which have always been a staple of Queen of Hearts class projects, did not take place during the War Years because sugar was rationed. Although the fundraising competition was held, there were actually no annuals produced for class years 1943 and 1944 due to shortages and rationing of supplies.

For many years the upper classmen would easily win the competitions, but in 1944, the 8th grade class stunned everyone by getting their candidate, Rachelle Mendlovitz, crowned Queen . In 1948, the designation of monies for yearbook changed slightly to include campus beautification.

By 1950, the funds raised were strictly to help offset the cost of printing the yearbook. Myra Lee Adams Goff remembers that one of the reasons that she was crowned Queen of Hearts was because her mother made “thousands of pralines” to sell. They were more popular than cakes or pies.

The Class of 1951 was the last class to graduate from the high school on Mill Street. The following year only the top three grades moved to the new Guenther Street high school. Mill Street became the junior high with grades seven through nine. In addition to having fewer classes competing, the 1952 Queen of Hearts decided to include the election of a King of Hearts in same manner as queen. Apparently, it had a surprise ending as Senior Esther Kanz was voted Queen and Sophomore Malcom Bartels was voted King. That did not set well with the classes. The following year, Class representatives were chosen as a pair. The first King and Queen of Hearts chosen as a pair were Juniors Mary Lou Obercampf and Charles Hower. Queen of Hearts celebrated their Silver Anniversary in 1962, also the year the current NBHS opened on the hill. They raised $2484.04 that year. By 1972, the classes easily raised $5260.09.

The 1970s and 1980s saw little change in the format or the money making projects, some of which included singing valentines, car washes, bake sales, Rent-a-Kid, and Queen of Hearts supper. The coronation ceremony had all the pomp and circumstance of any coronation in Europe. The trumpeters still heralded the entry of the court into the gym. The queens, each in ball gowns of white, performed a Texas Dip (deep extended curtsy) to her escort at center court before taking their place on the stage. In 1995, that all changed. The students still raised money through projects and competed for points in a “fun night” of games, but the annual dance was done away with. The coronation took place right after Fun Night and the girls wore casual street length dresses. As time progressed, Queen of Hearts popularity waned. There were multiple factors contributing to the decline, one of the most important being the inability to serve or sell homemade goods after a city hepatitis outbreak. Another was the district’s contract with an outside food service company that prevented any outside food sales on campus or use of the cafeteria for the spaghetti supper. The culture of the high school also changed, with overtaxed teachers and administrators no longer willing to support a tradition that did not directly benefit them. Queen of Hearts disappeared for a couple of years. In 2000, it made a return in a very pared down version that consisted mostly of Fun Night and the casual coronation. It lasted only a few more years before sputtering to a stop. The final Queen and King of Hearts were crowned in 2003 with monies going to Habitat for Humanity. According to what I can find, Queen CandiZeitungce Box and King Jody Walker will forever hold that notable distinction. The list is too long to print in the Herald-, but there is a complete listing of all of the Queens and Kings of Hearts from 1937 to 2003 below.

Request: The Sophienburg Museum and Archives is missing some NBHS annuals from our collection. If you have annuals from 1977, 1978, 1994-99, or anything after 2003 that you would like to donate to the Archives, we would gratefully take them.

New Braunfels High School Queens and Kings of Hearts

• 1937 — Marry Louise Hopson
• 1938 — Freddie Robertson
• 1939 — Martha Dietz
• 1940 — Elvira Kinser
• 1941 — Trilby Schnautz
• 1942 — Mary Ann Stollewerk
• 1943 — Mary Lynn Williams
• 1944 — Rachelle Mendlovitz
• 1945 — Jeanelda Denmark
• 1946 — Carolyn Karbach
• 1947 — Peggy Ludwig
• 1948 — Kathleen Karbach
• 1949 — Jane Warwick
• 1950 — Myra Lee Adams
• 1951 — Bonnie Ann Knox
• 1952 — Ester May Kanz, , Malcolm Bartels
• 1953 — Mary Lou Oberkampf, Charles Hower
• 1954 — Linda Larkin, Franklin Demuth
• 1955 — Mabry Otto, Fred Kappel
• 1956 — Carol Jean Hanz, Bop Reeh
• 1957 — Marjorie Hansmann, , Lawrence Stephens
• 1958 — Virginia Weisser, Maurice Fischer
• 1959 — Sandra Kneupper, James Norwood
• 1960 — Mary Ann Voigts , Kenneth Fiedler
• 1961 — Joan Wilkinson, Randy Heinen
• 1962 — Nancy Becker, Bill Oberkampf
• 1963 — Betty Jean Moellering, Kermit Forshage
• 1964 — Barbara Bean, Ronald Zipp
• 1965 — Barbara Eikel, Leroy Schleicher
• 1966 — Georgia Lynn Moore, Patrick Cobb
• 1967 — Connie Jo Hill, Marvin Klein
• 1968 — Renee Reinarz, Sam Kneuper
• 1969 — Vicki Alves, Jon Eikel
• 1970 — Debbie Kohlenberg, Donald Klein
• 1971 — Cheryl Sweet, Barry Buske
• 1972 — Lynda Kohlenberg, Kent Lohman
• 1973 — Suzanne Sacco, Jay Schriewer
• 1974 — Patty Goff, Rudy Gutierrez
• 1975 — Toni Castilleja, Clay Aguirre
• 1976 — Mary Burrus, David Shelton
• 1977 — Cheryl McCampbell, Randy Caddell
• 1978 — Donna Cook, Bob Simpson
• 1979 — Kim Pinson, Bryan Richardson
• 1980 — Pam Dunks, Alan Fischbeck
• 1981 — Gwen Thomas, Rory Duelm
• 1982 — Suzanne Nolte, Tony McKee
• 1983 — Susan Scheffel, Chris Lacy
• 1984 — Inez Villanueva, Paul B, rotze
• 1985 — Yvette Haegelin, Alan Matney
• 1986 — Jan Zimmerman, Derek Seidel
• 1987 — Melissa Garza, Tim Zipp
• 1988 — Misty Brink, Lonny Aleman
• 1989 — Kim Bing, Jimmy Simmonds
• 1990 — Kimber Streety, Cody Moos
• 1991 — Lynn Ann Carley, Wade Lindeman
• 1992 — Joleen Evans, Kevin Painter
• 1993 — Analicia Morales , Omar Hernandez
• 1994 — Alison Bruemmer, Brook Cavert
• 1995 — Diana Torres, Richard Perez
• 1996 — Stacey Kuhn, Scott Campos
• 1997 — Bryndy Zaeske, Chris Millett
• 1998 — N/A, N/A
• 1999 — N/A, N/A
• 2000 — Amy Eichmann, Bryan Vargas
• 2001 — Tasha Granzin, Chance Herblin
• 2002 — Stephanie Ramirez, Burton Speckman
• 2003 — Candice Box, Jody Walker

Sources: The Sophienburg Museum and Archives; Myra Lee Adams Goff; Fritzi Richter; LaVerne Pearce; Stephani Ferguson; Amy Kohlenberg Schorn.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

One of the things I really love about New Braunfels is the way folks have of helping each other and sharing information. I was recently contacted by the New Braunfels Public Library about two children’s books which had been pulled from the library’s general collection. Would the Sophienburg like them? They were by the same author, Fritz Toepperwein. A bell sounded in my crowded brain. Toepperwein? Wasn’t that the author of Little Miss Crinoline? Heck yeah, we want the books!

Ok, I’m a little geeky when it comes to books. I blame my mom. As an elementary school teacher, she taught me to read well before I started school. (A good thing, but it actually contributed to my getting Ds and Fs in deportment.) Both my brother and I can easily waste — no, enjoy — hours of time by reading.

Little Miss Crinoline (1951), was a book we read in school. It’s about a little girl who lives in New Braunfels! She goes through various difficulties, (the result of the teasing of several boy schoolmates) while her mom works at the Schmitz Hotel. The story is set in 1876, and brings early New Braunfels to light in a charming way. The book is only 47 pages long, including the illustrations which are zinc etchings by Fritz Toepperwein’s wife, Emilie. I loved the story as a child, and I just reread it again. And yes, I have a personal copy.

The trip down memory lane triggered an interest in Fritz and Emilie Toepperwein. “Googling” brought little to the surface so I went to the source: Boerne, Texas. It was Fritz’s hometown and he had deep roots there. Conversations with the local experts at the Patrick Heath Public Library led me to vertical files of news clippings and a list of Toepperwein books in the rare book collection. Rare books? Yep, they were only printed once. The Toepperweins had a fervent desire for producing quality children’s books, so they set up their own printing company, The Highland Press, in Boerne. Their books, printed from the 1940s into the 1980s, were meticulously researched and most were completely hand-crafted: hand-cut block and engraved zinc illustrations with hand-colored frontispieces; handset type printed on a hand press one page at a time, hand-gathered, sewn and bound. So far, I’ve come up with a list of 13 books written and illustrated by the two as well as collaborations on at least 11 more books, booklets or newsletters.

Most of the titles reflect the Toepperwein’s passion for Texas history: Little Deputy (1945), Jose and the Mexican Jumping Bean (1965), or I Want To Be a Cowboy (1947). Long-time members of the Texas State Historical Association, Fritz and Emilie were a well-known and respected part of the Texas history crowd. They were reviewers of Texana books for the Southwestern Historical Quarterly. They traveled all over the country talking to groups, selling books to schools and libraries and conducting oral histories. Several of their books were used at the New York Public Library as readers for non-native English speakers.

When the Buckhorn Saloon in San Antonio was acquired by Lone Star Brewing Company in 1957, the Topperweins designed and set up the dioramas and exhibit halls. Years later, working once again for Lone Star, the two designed and led the installation of the Hall of Texas History Wax Museum in the Lone Star Pavillion at Hemisfair ’68. We had season passes for Hemisfair, and going to the Hall of Texas History was one of our favorite spots — that and the guys from Mexico that swung down a pole on ropes after sacrificing a topless lady. The Lone Star Pavilion was free, but it cost 50 cents to go into the wax museum. There were 15 life-size wax dioramas depicting “historical actions” from 1532 onward. Along with exhibits of Sam Houston, the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the invention of barbed wire, there was an exhibit depicting the scalping of a man. I remember it vividly because the horror of it totally fired up some part of my brain.

Early on in their author-illustrator-publisher careers, they encouraged children to write by sponsoring contests like the “Best Letter to Santa Claus Contest” during the 1940s. First open just to Boerne school children, the contest proved so popular that the Toepperweins opened it up to the entire state. In the 1946 contest, thousands of letters flooded into Boerne’s post office; the “St. Nick’s Mailbox” reportedly held a half-ton of letters! What did children ask for? A San Antonio Express article quoted Fritz saying, “anything from imported perfume for an older sister to a new car for Pop … usually, too there was the generous urgent plea, ‘Don’t forget all the other little boys and girls.’”

The Toepperweins regularly authored articles for the Ladies Home Journal as well as an article for the London Times. They wrote and produced several centennial pageants in Texas, including New Braunfels. They also produced the homecomings of Lyndon Johnson in Johnson City, and Dale Evans in Uvalde.

I’m now on a quest to gather up copies of the Toepperwein books. The Sophienburg has three Little Miss Crinoline, Handicraft Printing in Texas (1954) and one phenomenal book, Charcoal and Charcoal Burners, (1950) reprinted for the Texas Sesquicentennial, about cedar chopping along the Guadalupe which I hope share with you in the future.

In 1954, in a presentation to the annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association, Fritz had this to say:

I will tell you about our humble effort in handicraft publishing in Texas … not visible, but surely there, are the songs of the birds outside our studio windows, as we work over the setting of the type, and the printing of the page. Many nights when it is late, the songs of the night birds filter onto the printed pages and it always makes that particular page mean so much more to us in our books. It is the poetic compensation, which we count for most in our publishing of books at our Highland Press in the green hills of Boerne … We are very certain what we will be doing for years and years to come, and that is this. We love to gather historical data on which we can write a children’s story …

Emilie Toepperwein passed away in 1986 and Fritz left us in 1995. They truly were Texas treasures.

Sources: Fritz Toepperwein Collection, Patrick Heath Public Library, Boerne, Texas; “Handicraft Printing in Texas”: a paper shared at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Texas State Historical Association, 1954.

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