History among the ‘stones — Comal Cemetery

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — When I was in junior high school, I sometimes would tag along with my dad when he drove my Oma to Comal Cemetery. She tended my Opa’s grave twice a month. While they were scraping the dirt and replacing the flowers, I would wander through

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“Tante Emmie”

By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — Emmie was not just any little girl. Born Sept 15, 1867, she was the daughter of civic and cultural leader Hermann Seele and his wife Mathilde nee Blum. Much was expected of Emmie. Hermann Seele was known as “The Soul of New Braunfels”, a name

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One heck of a House story

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — Okay, time for another House story. This House is not a stately manor made of brick, (or straw or wood, nor is it coveted by a wolf). This House is of flesh and blood. Umm, no, not horror movie style. Today’s story is about George

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Photo Caption: 1881 Birdseye View of New Braunfels showing the fields behind the Catholic Church and between Landa Industries' 3-story limestone building and the railroad tracks where the metal objects were found. The last little house on the left on Landa Street is the Meriwether Home.

History is everywhere

By Keva Hoffmann Boardman — This past March I was in Macedonia, Greece with my eldest daughter. No matter where we walked the ground was literally littered with history — bits of marble, colored tesserae from mosaics, tiny pieces of bronze and always, always pieces of pottery. History was everywhere.

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Chute! Remember where Clemens Dam and Stinky Falls were located?

By Myra Lee Adams Goff (Reprise August 9, 2006) — One hundred and one years ago H.D. Gode bought the first automobile here in New Braunfels. Most citizens believed this contraption would never replace the horse and buggy. Well, at least we don’t have horse and buggy traffic jams on

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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

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New Braunfels had a poor farm

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — As a child, were you ever told that wanting a special toy or dress or bike would land the whole family on the poor farm? I’m not sure it was said specifically to me, but I have heard it said. I wondered where these farms

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The Dittlinger legacy

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — Who would believe that a Union soldier residing in New Braunfels for a mere three months could leave a lasting mark on our city? Nicolaus Dittlinger did just that. In December of 1865, Nicolaus Dittlinger arrived in New Braunfels with his wife and youngest child,

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Flood of ’72 through 50-year-old looking glass

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — May 11, 1972. It was a normal Thursday in May. The New Braunfels Herald was filled with promise for the future – announcing top graduating scholars and graduation parties; preparations for the next day’s Lions Carnival at Wursthalle; and numerous choices for that special Mothers’

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Comal Sanitarium

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — I love driving through the tree lined streets of New Braunfels in the winter month(s). The absence of leaves invites a closer look at the buildings, the rooflines, the architectural details, the landscaping. Oddly, I have always been drawn to the properties lined with mature

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