Sophienburg Museum and Archives

PHOTO CAPTION: The first post office in New Braunfels, the home, hotel, and saloon of Arnold-Henkel von Donnersmark, 1847.

Postmarks tell interesting history

September 10, 2023

By Myra Lee Adams Goff — A young German count, Arnold-Henkel von Donnersmark, came to the New Braunfels settlement in 1845 with Prince Carl. He built a large frame building where he lived and conducted his hotel and saloon business. In less than a year he had accumulated several thousand

Photo Caption: Logan Summerville, Myra Lee Adams Goff Sophienburg History Award and scholarship recipient, with Myra Lee Adams Goff.

Sophienburg History Award 2023

May 7, 2023

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Tara V. Kohlenberg — Now in our 90th year of existence, 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, but to share the stories with the generations

Rededication of German pioneers marker at Canyon Lake

March 22, 2015

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff Next Saturday, March 28th at 11:00 a.m. a rededication of an historical marker will take place at the Canyon Dam Overlook. All are invited to view this beautiful view of the lake and dam. This site which was originally honored in 1968 with a Texas

Christmas icons help us celebrate the season

December 16, 2012

Around the Sophienburg, Sophienblog

By Myra Lee Adams Goff I’m writing about iconology, the study of icons. The word “icon” has been stretched thin over the years. Originally it referred to “a painting of religious personages on a wooden panel in the Eastern Church”. In advertising, we have icons for almost everything. Christmas icons