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 both exciting and necessary for the next generation to come back and share with us.

In an effort to promote the love of history, the Sophienburg Memorial Association established the Sophienburg History Award honoring Myra Lee Adams Goff for her dedication to the community and her steadfast love of history. The award, established in 2013, recognizes a student who demonstrates a love and passion for New Braunfels history. The 2025 recipient chosen by the Sophienburg Memorial Association is Rebecca Zuniga. She is a senior at New Braunfels High School and will be attending Endicott College in Massachusetts in the fall. The following is an essay about a historically significant event or person in Comal County submitted as a requirement of the scholarship application.

By Rebecca Zuniga

On the heels of Women’s History Month, I want to recognize someone who has worked together with our community to pave a pathway to honor and dignify those who have come before us and perhaps easily forgotten through the rigors of life. New Braunfels has had many great people who have worked to mold and shape its community to be what it is today and left a profound impact on our identity as a community and on us as individuals. One person near and dear to my life and a living historian, has been at the forefront of a grand partnership with the Sophienburg Museum to expand the documentation of the rich history and cultural heritage of New Braunfels, and carry out its mission of telling the stories about real people in our community.

Estella Delgado Farias is my grandmother. She is a humble woman who has always had a giving heart, especially when it comes to family. Growing up, she would ensure I understood that family had existed before me who shaped who I was, even if I didn’t know who they were directly. She ensured that I knew where our ancestors had come from, and how far my family and I have been able to get today because of them, and the many partnerships they developed in our community along the way. Her passion for ancestry and heritage, has been a driving force for her work in establishing a genealogy database for people in New Braunfels that are of Mexican descent. She had a vision, and through the work of equally visionary community members, she brought it to life. Because of her leadership, she gave our community time to pause and reflect upon the many Mexican American New Braunfelsers, whose families transcend generations, and lived to lay the foundation to the New Braunfels we know today.

As a young child in elementary school, my own experience through her efforts seemed minimal at the time, but as I have researched, interviewed and learned more about her work, I have been in awe of all she has accomplished. One weekend, my grandmother asked my sister and me if we would like to help her with a project she was working on. Not thinking much of it, we said yes, and so she took us along with our cousins to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cemetery. At the time, none of us truly understood why we had to tell her the names on gravestones as well as that person’s birthdate and death date, however, I now understand what she was doing. She was completing records for the cemetery and securing the resting place for the many people who were lost because of incomplete records. There were some graves that hadn’t been formally documented, but she knew that leaving the records as they were was not an option. She wanted to ensure that everyone was accounted for and had their special resting place known. She validated the many lives of people she did not personally know. My grandmother believes that no one should ever be forgotten and their work has shown exactly that.

Through the years, she has been able to give a voice to a section of the New Braunfels community that has always felt forgotten. Estella Farias’ work isn’t only of historical preservation, but of also giving hope to the Mexican-Americans of New Braunfels that their history is important enough to be documented and recognized along with all others.

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

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The Sophienburg Memorial Association is proud to bestow the Sophienburg History Award, established in 2013, honoring Myra Lee Adams Goff for her dedication to the community and her steadfast love of history. The award recognizes a student who demonstrates a love and passion for New Braunfels history. The 2022 recipient chosen by the Sophienburg Memorial Association to receive the award is Joshua Wesloh. He is a senior at Smithson Valley High School and will be attending the University of Texas in the fall. The following is the essay about a historically significant event or person in Comal County submitted as a requirement of the scholarship application.

John O. Meusebach

By Joshua Wesloh

This is one of my favorite historical figures that I have learned about in my life, and he lived just a few miles away from me. Versatility, resolute and multifaceted are not fabricated adjectives or false praise; this man was truly all of those things. It is a shame that I only have a thousand words to talk about who I believe should be called the “Father of New Braunfels”. That person is John O. Meusebach, also known by his shorter name, Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach. Friends of the Brothers Grimm, polyglot, lawyer, Bürgermeister, Commissioner-General, delegate for Native American treaties, founder of Texas settlements, this list of Meusebach’s achievements is getting too long. I need another sentence. Meusebach was a state senator, special state commissioner, botanist, mercantile business owner, justice of the peace, winemaker, postmaster, and outspoken opponent of slavery all in his lifetime.

Meusebach was born on May 26, 1814, in Dillenburg, Duchy of Nassau, a long way from the change he was to cause in Texas. Meusebach was born to scholar, Karl Hartwig Gregor von Meusebach and pianist Ernestine von Meusebach née von Witzleben. Karl, his father, was great friends with the notable folk storytellers the Brothers Grimm, who “sent compilations of their immortal fairy tales to the Meusebachs when the children were young”(King 12). When it came time for Meusebach to begin his perpetually long list of jobs, he enrolled in the University of Bonn in 1832 where he studied law. While at University, John became a polyglot, as he learned to read in five languages and speak English fluently. During this time, Meusbach noted the hypocrisy that America was founded on the ideas of liberty while continuing to allow slavery to exist. Meusebach continued working for cities in Germany, eventually becoming the Bürgermeister, or chief executive, of the city of Anklam in 1841.

I know, that got very repetitive, but it is now 1845 and Meusebach is finally in Texas. He signed his contract with the Adelsverien on February 24, 1845. Meusebach paid his $2,000 membership fee, which, calculated for inflation, is about the cost of a single piece of wood nowadays. Technically, it is still The Republic of Texas for a few more months. What matters, however, is that Meusebach is there, and from the looks of it, he is there to fix some problems. I do not mean problems like low Wi-Fi signal or low battery like we must deal with today, but problems of the 1840s. Just to name a few: “Lack of cash, the arrival of too many immigrants in too short a time, the shortage of the necessary vehicles for transporting them to the interior of Texas, the outbreak of war with Mexico, an unexpectedly severe winter, and disease” (Smith and Tetzlaff). However, as they say, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Even though I am sure that saying did not exist in 1845, Meusebach was definitely tough. He solved the financial problems of New Braunfels that Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels caused and provided food, shelter, and protection for the incoming colonists. Also founding the settlements of Fredericksburg, Castell and Leiningen during this time, he really was the Tom Hanks of 1840s Texas. In 1847, Meusebach signed the Meusebach-Comanche Treaty, a treaty in which Meusebach met with, you guessed it, the Comanche tribe. This treaty, apart from being that type of treaty that really makes it easier to learn history (looking at you, 67 Treaties of Paris), was one of the most important works of the Germans in Texas. After signing the treaty, Meusebach, whose name I really should have mastered the spelling of by now, resigned from being Commissioner-General. In 1851, he was elected to be a Texas State senator, where he represented Comal County and fought for a public school system. Meusebach eventually became a special state commissioner because, apparently, this guy did not know how to say “no.” He learned five languages and not one of them taught him the word “retirement.” After settling land disputes for a few years, Meusebach moved to Fredericksburg. He then moved back to New Braunfels, before settling in Loyal Valley, north of Fredericksburg. When he moved to Fredericksburg, Meusebach finally settled down and retired. No, I am just joking, of course, Meusebach kept working. He ran a stage stop where, in 1875, he was shot in the leg by vigilantes during the Mason County Hoo Doo War over cattle rustlers. That roller coaster of a sentence might just be the most Texas Wild West sentence ever written. Meusebach obviously survived the gunshot wound and became a justice of the peace in Loyal Valley as a result. This is where the life of John O. Muesebach finally slows down. In his last years, he tended to his vineyard and rose garden before dying in Loyal Valley on May 27, 1897.

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The Sophienburg History Award was established in 2013 and honors Myra Lee Adams Goff for her dedication to the community and her steadfast love of history. The award recognizes a student who demonstrates a love and passion for New Braunfels history. The 2021 recipient chosen by the Sophienburg Memorial Association to receive the award is Mia Weidenbach. She is a senior at New Braunfels High School and will be attending Texas A&M University in the fall. The following is the essay about a historically significant event or person in Comal County submitted as a requirement of the scholarship application.

By Mia Weidenbach

Julius F. Schwandt Jr. helped shape New Braunfels while sharing his authentic German heritage with the community. I cannot help but share my excitement in learning about the impact Julius F. Schwandt Jr. had on New Braunfels! My mom is Michelle Schwandt. While she was not born in the Schwandt family, she married into it.

You can imagine how shocked we were when we learned that my mom’s favorite home, in New Braunfels, actually belonged to Julius Schwandt Sr. and then belonged to Julius F. Schwandt Jr. While traveling down Mill Street, my mom always pointed out the welcoming little green home with the large porch swing and gingerbread architectural features. One day, my mom spoke with the owner and to her amazement, my mom learned that Julius Schwandt Sr. built this home in 1900. In fact, the home is still known as the Julius Schwandt home!

The Schwandt family is steeped in German heritage and has invested in our community for over a century. By serving as the Mayor of New Braunfels, for two terms, Julius F. Schwandt Jr. played a vital role to the citizens of New Braunfels. He served on many committees and commissions in the area. Julius F Schwandt Jr.’s childhood home has been restored to its original beauty and was honored with the prestigious Historic Landmark designation in 2012. The New Braunfels City Council voted unanimously to approve the home as a designated Historic Landmark. This has preserved the history and highlighted the importance of the Schwandt House to the original Folk Victorian Architecture.

Our once small town is quickly losing our heritage to parking lots and commercial real estate development. We must do all we can to honor those who came before us and preserve the heritage that has made New Braunfels that special German town that so many have come to love and call home.

Let’s go back a hundred or so years and learn a little about the Schwandt family. Shortly before 1900, Julius Schwandt Sr. left Germany and headed to the promise land of the United States. Having traversed the countryside, Julius found Comal Town and decided to put his roots down. Not long after arriving in New Braunfels, Julius married Clara Rahe. According to the 1900 Census, Julius and Clara were full time residents of New Braunfels. At that time, the Schwandt’s had two children Julius F. Schwandt Jr. and Norma Schwandt. The 1900 census states that Julius was a blacksmith.

Prior to building their home, the Schwandt’s were able to purchase lot #9 from William Geue for $300.00. The lot was from the original 10acre farm lot #2 that was sold by Charles Seibert. William Geue bought the 10-acre parcel for $800.00 and then platted the land to create a subdivision. What makes this property unique is that it is located in the first subdivision beyond the Original Town Lots. The subdivision was located off Ferguson Road which is still in existence today. You may be wondering how this has any relevance to our community now.

My parents, Scott and Michelle Schwandt are in real estate. New Braunfels real estate is one of the most sought-after assets in all the state. The preservation of historic real estate may be one of the most important factors in being able to protect our heritage. To know that my parents share the Schwandt name but also have a love for our town and the desire to protect our most beloved heritage makes me so proud!

In order to honor the Schwandt Family name and preserve our German Heritage, I hope to serve our community one day by buying a piece of history. I plan to protect what I can from the constant destruction that growth is bringing to New Braunfels. My college career is just starting but I plan to raise my family in New Braunfels because no matter what it will always be home. My deepest hope is that we will maintain the culture, heritage, history and architecture by protecting and preserving it rather than tearing the homes down to make room for parking or office buildings. One day, I will make an impact just like Julius F. Schwandt Jr. has!

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New Braunfelsers were giddy with joy when snowflake clusters fell on December 7th. Waking up that next morning was a “blessed event” of sorts for us locals. Some newcomers amongst us wondered at our ecstasy over snow, and in trying to explain, I realized that just like people in ancient cultures, we use weather events to mark the passage of time in New Braunfels.

If you have been here long enough you will have heard old-timers talk about the Comal Springs going dry in ’56; we talk about it during every dry spell, especially when it happened again in 2013. The memory of the ’72 Flood is firmly cemented in the minds of many. There was also the ’98 Flood that nearly cancelled Wurstfest and the ’02 Flood that did cancel the 4th of July. We have had many floods since record-keeping began; eight of them were over 30 feet!

Snowfall in NB, being infrequent, has the same aura around it. I found a listing of officially recorded snowfall for San Antonio and Austin from 1895 to 2011. Using the dates, I spent a couple days looking through the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung and the New Braunfels Herald to test the theory that if it snowed in these cities wouldn’t it have snowed here? I was not disappointed.

The Zeitung (German) reported snowfall even if it was in trace amounts along with weather temperatures. Like today, the town had people who sent in official amounts from different areas around the county. Rainfall amounts, in which snowfall figured, were very important in more rural early NB. Ice was reported as a separate occurrence. (There are many, many ice photos of the Plaza Fountain in the Archive’s collection.) Weather reports did not make front page news but ran in the Lokales (local news) section behind world, national and state headlines.

The Herald (English) only mentioned snowfall if it was substantial. Not sure about that difference, but larger snowfalls did make front page headlines. Even though the Herald began publication in 1895, I found no mention of snowfall until 1929, and snow photos don’t appear in print until after the merger of the two newspapers in 1957.

Enjoy the stats and photos. The chart is probably not error free, but it is as close as I could come for now.

• Feb. 14, 1895 — 4 to 5 inches
• Jan. 25, 1897 — 0.2 inches
• Dec. 18, 1906 — 2 inches
• March 8-9, 1915 — 1 to 2 inches
• Jan. 10, 1918 — 0.4 inches
• Feb. 4-5,1923 — 5 inches
• Dec. 28, 1925 — 1 inch
• Jan. 23-24, 1926 — 3 to 4 inches
• Dec. 21, 1927 — 0.5 inches
• Jan. 21, 1928 — 0.2 inches
• Dec. 18-19, 1929 — 4.6 inches
• Jan. 21-22, 1940 — 2.8 inches
• Jan. 14, 1944 — 2.5 inches
• Jan. 30, 1949 — 4 to 5 inches
• Feb. 1, 1951 — 0.2 inches
• Feb. 14, 1951 — 1.5 inches
• Feb. 11-12, 1958 — up to 2.5 inches
• Feb. 21, 1964 — 2.5 inches
• Feb. 22-23, 1966 — 3 to 7 inches
• Jan. 11-12, 1973 — 0.3 inches
• Feb. 8-9, 1973 — 0.5 inches
• Jan. 2, 1985 — 1.5 to 4 inches
• Jan. 12-13,1985 — 5 to 12 inches
• Feb. (?), 2010 — 0.1 inches
• Feb. 4, 2011 — 0.3 to 0.5 inches
• Dec. 7, 2017 — 3 to 4 inches

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