A joyful Christmas of Lions, angels and firemen
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — Have you ever experienced a Christmas where you thought you would get nothing from Santa? I am sure that there are several good children that have worried about getting gifts due to their parents’ circumstances. During the Great Depression, it was the generosity of angels that helped out needy children […]
Holiday memories
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — Ah … the Christmas holidays are nearing their end and I am feeling the peace and joy of the season. I am sitting back and reminiscing Christmases past. I tell myself that I should write some of this down; or maybe someday I will be recorded for all to remember! […]
Nikolaus memories
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — The small dining/living room was stuffed with my eight aunts, seven uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and my cousins. I think there were about 13 of us kids at the time. It was Christmas. Grandma’s tree was decorated with old ornaments that were not like our 1960s ones. And there were […]
New Braunfels Music Study Club celebrates 95 years
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — Of the many things that New Braunfels’ founders brought with them, one of the greatest is their love of music. Men’s choirs, singing societies and bands of all types, have been the focal point of entertainment and social gatherings in New Braunfels for more than 175 years. Now that we […]
Days of yule and yore in downtown New Braunfels
By Myra Lee Adams Goff — (Originally published December 13, 2006) I am sure you have seen our beautiful lighted Comal County Courthouse. The Grand Dame of Main Plaza buildings is 125 years old. In December 1898, the courthouse was inspected and given the seal of approval by the Commissioners Court. A translation of an […]
Early German immigrants faced tough times at Christmas
By Myra Lee Adams Goff — The year is 1849, just five years after the first emigrants arrived on the Texas coast. Hermann Seele has been invited to spend December 26th with Pastor L.C. Ervendberg, his wife Luise, their five children, and the 19 orphans left parentless by the devastating immigration conditions beginning in 1846. The […]
Christmas from Germany to New Braunfels
By Tara V. Kohlenberg — You might think it too early to speak of Christmas, but Halloween is over, Main Plaza is decked out in lights and we are now enjoying Wurstfest, the Ten-Day Salute to Sausage! Can Christmas be far behind? I think not. So, in keeping with the Sophienburg Museum & Archives’ mission […]
Away in a manger
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — Christmas morning had finally come! Presents, wrapped in shiny red or green paper and topped with ribbon bows, were stacked beneath the Christmas tree. But first, I looked on the coffee table where the Mary and Joseph figures had been reverently kneeling, gazing with love at an empty manger for […]
Serdinko’s story
By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — Request from Fargo, North Dakota: Do you know anything about a New Braunfels photographer named J. Serdinko? “Uhhh…yeah,” I thought to myself, “but not enough to answer this request!” The Sophienburg photograph collections contain several hundred thousand images; about 300 of those are impressed with Serdinko’s name. These take the […]
Decorative history
By Tara V. Kohlenberg – With Wurstfest in our rear-view mirror, the calendar and Hallmark Channels tell us that Christmas is but a short six weeks away. In the movies, it always looks cold and snowy with brightly lit decorations everywhere. I have only ever experienced a few white Christmases, and they weren’t here in […]
