By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

While scouring an old Herald-Zeitung for some trivial unrelated detail, I came across a photo of an early 20th century view of downtown New Braunfels. It was taken from a postcard of West San Antonio Street. The corresponding article described the names and locations of the businesses that would have been seen in that photo, alongside the same information from the view in 1973. I was able to find the color version of the postcard at the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

Today, we will do a little time-travel Tour of West San Antonio Street. Get your time-travel goggles on and try to keep up as we go block by block. Looking down West San Antonio from Main Plaza, the first building visible on the left side where the old Texas Commerce Bank stands, was the Robert Krause Building. Built in 1860, the red brick building with a covered porch housed the O.L. Pfannstiel Racket Store and the F.C. Hoffmann Jewelry Store, with both families living upstairs. It was razed in 1931 to build the art deco First National Bank.

Adjoining the first Robert Krause building was the Piggly Wiggly store, Keinburgs Restaurant then Ed Moeller’s Cafe and Pete Wagenfuehr’s barbershop. Together, the spaces became Krause’s Fashions in the ‘60s and ‘70s. That whole building was taken in by Texas Commerce Bank in their early 1980s expansion/remodel of First National Bank.

The corner of West San Antonio and Castell was the site of the Oberkampf Saloon and Beer Garden. Jacob Schmidt built a three-story building in 1922, housing the Jacob Schmidt Company on the ground floor until the ‘80s. It is now occupied by the Phoenix Saloon.

Across Castell, on the corner was S.V. Pfeuffer & Holm Department Store and the post office. Woolworth’s occupied the whole first floor of that building until sometime in the 80s. The building now houses the Downtown Antique Mall.

Next in line at 223 W. San Antonio, was Willie Ludwig Saloon which became JCPenney, now home to Scores. Next, at 233, was Charles Wells Bakery, which became Plumeyer’s Bakery and eventually Poll Parrot Shoes. Mode O’Day ladies’ fashions occupied the 239 W. San Antonio building in the ‘60s-’70s. Both of the buildings housing Poll Parrot and Mode O’Day are home to the Art League. Next to that was Peerless Pharmacy, which became today’s Dancing Pony. Keep in mind that the upstairs of all of these buildings were occupied by doctors, lawyers, and other offices.

Close to the middle of the block was the original grand Seekatz Opera House, which burned to the ground in 1941. The replacement building housed the Jacob Mendlowitz Company before being taken over by Paul Bruner’s in the 1970s. Bruner’s was noted for the large floor-to-ceiling display windows and a center island of display windows out front. Ron Snider remodeled the retail space into a venue, calling it the Seekatz Opera House in the ‘90s. It is now the home of Traveling Gypsy Antiques.

The little narrow building, Elizabeth James Salon, originally housed Seekatz Butcher Shop followed by New Braunfels Candy Kitchen in the ‘30s and Great Western Finance in the ‘60s-’70s. Heritage Supply occupies the 1918 red brick building which in past years was home to Braunfels Studio.

The current Lone Star Lounge was originally Rahe Grocery. Over the years it became the Depot Drink Stand and Ortiz’s Recreation Center and more recently The Cork Wine Bar. On the end, before the railroad tracks, there was originally something called Seekatz Candy Store which is where Staunch Rugged Clothing is located.

Beginning back at the Plaza to time travel down the right side of the street, where Moody Bank now stands, was a different (new) Krause Building. In the early 1900s, it housed the Streuer Brothers Saloon with a bowling alley in the back. After that, a slick new modern building was built to house the United Gas Company with lots of windows over black, glass-like panels. It was remodeled by Guaranty State Bank.

Next to that, was Streuer & Hoffmann Co. groceries, followed by William Tays Saddlery and harness Shop. In 1910, R.B. Richter built a two-story brick building to house Richter’s Drug Store with the family quarters upstairs. A narrow part of the ground floor was parsed out for Imperial Barber Shop which maintained that spot until at least the late ‘70s. Every teen girl of the ‘70s will remember that the vacated drug store space became the Hang-Up apparel store. It is now Remax Realty. R.B. Richter built a smaller two-story building next door in 1920. It housed Shellaby’s for 20 years and is now occupied by Capital Title.

The current Callaghan’s Pub is a collection of buildings. Originally the Gruene Building sat on the corner of Castell housing the Baetge Saloon. When two newer one-story buildings were built, the Jacob Mendlowitz Company occupied them with a small shop parsed out for Rachelle’s Fashions.

Across Castell, the original Voelker Drug Store, became Shoeland, Ray Allen’s Mens Wear, Chollett’s and then Red Stag. The adjacent new rooftop bar, Cowboys and Cadillacs, sits on a long history of tenants including Ludewig Furniture, Stehling Brothers, Paul Bruner’s, Anthony’s and Seguin Beauty.

Elite Barber Shop spot was at one time the site of Buske Restaurant. In the ‘60s it was occupied by Goepf Jewelers and then Johnson Barber Shop. The Scoop Street slot was occupied by Plaza Meat Market at the turn of the century. The latest building on that site has hosted M&M Jewelers and James Avery Jewelry.

Before it was Moonshine and Ale, it was Fritz Schumann Butcher Shop, H. V. Schumann Drug, and in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Connie’s Shoes.

The 1893 Louis Henne building has always housed Henne Hardware. Sadly, after more than 130 years, it is no longer a hardware store. Across the alley is the original Henne Tin Shop, the stucco building previously the home of Kneupper’s Music in the ‘30s, Kickin’ K and now Le Petite Sweet. Gourmage occupies what was Goepf Jewelers in the 30s, and possibly where Hoerster Goodyear Tire was pre-1968. Both of those buildings housed H&H Sales (fabric) and is where Ducky’s started out.

The old First National Bank building later became City Bakery, Ye Olde Music Shoppe and eventually Mayo Investments. The Brauntex Theatre was built in 1942 on the site of the old John Faust Company.

Our city changes constantly, but we have managed to hold on to our downtown culture. I have only hit on the highlights of the past 115 years. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I am sure that no matter your age, you will recognize a few of these places on West San Antonio Street. Perhaps it will jar a memory loose, like cherry phosphates at Peerless Pharmacy or new Easter shoes at Poll Parrot.

Source: Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

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

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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’ Day gift. Spring rains over the past week brought much needed relief to the area farmers. It was a great day and it was going to be a wonderful weekend. Until it wasn’t.

That same Thursday evening the rains came again, falling mostly below Canyon Dam and above New Braunfels. Rainfall totals reported were anywhere from 10 to 12 inches between 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. That is roughly 3.5 to 4 inches per hour or for clarity, 1 inch every 15 minutes! The torrential downpour fell on already soaked ground, running swiftly toward the lowest points – the creek beds. A massive amount of water plunged through the Comal and Guadalupe River channels in two separate waves.

The runoff collecting in Blieders Creek rose quickly, becoming a huge wall of water hurtling toward New Braunfels. The torrent washed over the Loop 337 bridge and blasted through the city road works yard at the base of Lakeview Blvd. It took out large utility trucks and ruptured tanks of liquid asphalt, all of which swept through Landa Estates toward the park and Comal River.

Residents of the Estates began noticing water lapping at their doors shortly before 11 p.m. prompting them to scramble to safety. Within minutes, the wall of water hit, blasting the cabins of Heidelberg Lodge off the foundations before making its way through the Estates. Further downstream, Camp Warnecke cabins were lifted off of their foundations washed over the Garden Street bridge. Power, phone and gas services were knocked out. Many people were left stranded on rooftops or clinging to trees, some lost their grip in the swift current. Screams for help and gunshots fired into the air could be heard for hours, adding to the horror of the dark night.

Similar events took place on the Guadalupe. By 1 a.m. on May 12th, a raging wall of water hit the Guadalupe, taking out multiple homes in Rivercrest and on Rio Drive below the I-35 bridge. People climbed to the rooftops, only to have the houses broken apart by the force of the water and anything carried from upstream, including trees, trucks, pieces of buildings. Several did not survive the night.

The Herald-Zeitung and KGNB radio were in the same building downtown. KGNB, required by FCC rules to sign off at sundown, signed on that night with Herb Skoog broadcasting emergency information. When Alan King, Herald Zeitung photographer learned what was going on, he called his dad, assistant manager of HEB, to open the store at 2 a.m. The morning of the 12th, food from HEB helped feed 600 people at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church.

The next morning, people who lived on the hill or anywhere NOT near the river were blissfully unaware of the tragedy that had unfolded in their town. The sun rose on a disaster the likes no one ever hoped to see again. Bare slabs were left where brick cabins and homes once stood. Landa Estates was covered with mud and debris. There was a layer of sticky oil and asphalt on everything. There were cars lodged against trees and underwater in the Estates and Landa Park pool.

Helicopters plucked people from rooftops and trees. Rescuers from San Antonio came with boats. Some searched for the missing through muddy debris, stranded fish, snakes and household goods. New Braunfels firemen, utilities workers, Texas National Guard, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Mennonites and tons of good neighbors came to help those in need. Donations came for those who had nothing left.

Wet, dazed, in shock, some covered in asphalt tar, the survivors filled the shelters. Some had lost children, wives, husbands and parents. There were many who shared harrowing stories of how they survived the night. More importantly, there are tragic stories of those who were lost: Hobart Gillmore, 65; Mrs. James Moos, 24 and her 1 year old son, Brian Moos; Clarence Knetsch, 51; Mrs. Joseph (Jean) Faust, 49; Leslie Engler, 42; Mrs. Leslie (Elaine) Engler; Carl Biesele, 49; Joseph Fowler, 34; Sarah Teague, 4; James Medford Hendry, 34; Lt. Col. (Ret) Charles Koons, 52; Mr. Melvin Nolte, 57 and Mrs. Nolte, 58; Carl Richter, 65; Julie Downs, 13; Mrs. Henry (Juanita) Parker, 63.

This flood event by the numbers? Sure. In 1972, the population of New Braunfels was approximately 19,000 people. Damages capped out at $15 million, which is $103.7 million in today’s dollars. 3000 people were affected/evacuated to shelters. At least 250 families lost their homes and 17 people lost their lives.

What’s different? Well, there are still big storms, rain events and floods, which we cannot control. But there are improvements. Shortly after the flood of ’72, Blieders Creek flood control dam was built. We now have warning systems along both Guadalupe and Comal rivers (listen on Tuesdays at noon!) and reverse emergency calling. We also have better weather services on every device known to man. Plus, the government has been a little more attentive to the FEMA flood maps. The flood of ’72 impacted New Braunfels residents and the economy for some time as they tried to recover. Those who lived through that night fifty years ago may have recovered but will never forget.

For more information, look for copies of the May 18, 1972 HZ on our website soon.

Source: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Alan King.

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Ron Snider has been awarded the Dr. Frederick Frueholz Comal County Historical Commission Award for his work in the restoration and preservation of downtown New Braunfels buildings. In the 1960s a trend of tearing down old buildings, remodeling them into modern buildings or using the property for parking lots caused the loss of many beautiful homes and business buildings downtown. This trend seemed to be growing but when civic minded people became aware of the trend, conservation groups began to pop up to save what was still left of the irreplaceable buildings.

Often it takes people from the outside to really see the value of what you have. Ron Snider was one of those people. Snider and his family moved to New Braunfels in1982 when he began a business called GYM-N-I, building wooden playground equipment. It was a good, safe and welcome business in New Braunfels. For years parents had been aware of the danger of certain metal playground equipment, especially on the school playground. One by one, these iron swings, slides and merry-go-rounds had been removed.

Snider grew up inner city but both his grandfathers lived on farms so he liked small towns. He had German roots and he chose New Braunfels to live in. With a background of ten years as a salesman for Lane Furniture, traveling to small towns made him aware of what was happening to downtowns especially the business districts. Beginning with the first purchase in 1996 by Snider and Darrell Sollberger under the name of S&S Properties and then with Dr. Frank Hampel as S&H Properties, he renovated eight buildings in the downtown area, built from early 1900s to the latest in the 1940s.

Seekatz Opera House

The first building to be renovated at 265 W. San Antonio St. was the Seekatz Opera House built in 1901. It was a big success as an events center, badly needed by the town. This building was severely damaged by a fire in 1941. By that time it had become the Cole Movie Theater. After that it became a clothing store but it never became what it was in its prime. After seven years of renovation, the Seekatz Opera House has once again become an important events center in downtown.

The Seekatz Opera House had a long history in downtown. In the late 1800s Louis and Otto Seekatz saw a need for a building with a stage and auditorium style seating, mostly for the traveling shows that came through town and local events such as New Year’s Eve Dances, July 4 Celebrations, Firemen’s Dances and Kindermaskenball.

Richter Buildings 1910 and 1920

In 1998 S&S purchased the two R.B. Richter buildings. These buildings had some renovations done by Ernie Lambert and Luke Speckman and the upstairs apartment had already been renovated when the purchase was made. The complicated history of these two buildings was given to me by researcher David Hartmann who knows more about the Richters than they do. Richter set up his first pharmacy at 143 W. San Antonio St. (next to the Phoenix) in 1901 and then ten years later in 1910 moved across the street to 142 W. San Antonio St. where there had been a one-story saloon. A. Moeller began construction of the building housing the pharmacy and a second floor that became the residence of R.B. and Emilie Weilbacher Richter.

Now the second Richter 1920 building. Next door at 168 W. San Antonio St. was a fachwerk house and in 1915 Richter bought the property and tore the house down. On this lot an L shaped brick wall was constructed with a large wooden floor. The back wall was plastered white and chairs were set up for an open-air theater showing silent movies. During the day, the floor was used as a roller skating rink. In 1920 the building was enclosed and a second story was added and rented out to doctors and attorneys. Downstairs was Oscar Haas Mercantile, Richters Grocery, B.F. Goodrich and Tom Oliver’s clothing store.

Palace Theater

The next purchase in partnership with Dr. Frank Hampel was a series of three connected buildings that few here can still remember. Located in the 100 block of N. Castell Ave., one of the three buildings was originally the Palace Theater, a movie theater whose grand opening was Dec. 23, 1924. Records show that it was built by A.C. Moeller (my grandfather) and Herman Moeller, his brother. The theater didn’t last long and closed in 1932, possibly because of the Depression. At that time it became the home of Ma’s Café. This café was a favorite of locals run by Ma Bloedorn and her son, Schimmel. It finally closed in 1982 after 50 years. Now these buildings are the upscale Myrons Prime Steakhouse and the Blue Artichoke.

Bingo Café

The next purchase in 2004 by S&S was the former Hinman’s Bingo Café at 277 W. San Antonio St. Homer Hinman owned many cafés on San Antonio St. He actually began his business at the age of 14 when he drove a wagon to Landa Park and sold 5cent hamburgers from a grill that he had on a wagon. His first indoor café was next to Peerless Drug Store, a very small deli called “Hole in the Wall” from 1912-1915. From 1918 to 1923 he owned the Bingo Café where his wife and two children lived on the second floor. Then from 1923-1926 he purchased the “A” Café, so named so that it could be first in the telephone book. It was across the railroad track on San Antonio St. in front of the Huisache Restaurant. Then in 1926 he ran Homer’s Lunch Bar next to the Bingo Café and then finally from 1932 to 1936 he owned the Longhorn Café across from the Civic Center.

Herald-Zeitung, KGNB/KNBT

The former Herald-Zeitung and KGNB/KNBT building at 188 Castell Ave. was purchased in 2009. This renovation took four years, as there was the relocation of the Salvation Army office involved. Today it houses the restaurant called 188 South, the Blue Moose Pizza, the office of S&H Properties and the Farmer’s Market office.

Historically the Art Deco Style building was built for Claude Scruggs in 1945.This building style was covered up in an imitation German fachwerk style. The New Braunfels Herald newspaper was first published around 1892 and merged with the Zeitung-Chronicle in 1966.The paper was renamed the Herald-Zeitung in 1979.

The Farmer’s Market

The purchase of the Herald building and the ownership of the back of the Seekatz Opera House used for parking led to the very popular Farmer’s Market. Snider built stalls and the market has grown to 60 vendors, usually 30 in winter. Ron Snider through an early influence of both grandfathers who were farmers became interested in this type of business and a recent demand for fresh produce has made this market very popular.

Odyssey of the Mind

Here’s something about Snider that you may not know: He also knows how to build robots. Here’s the story:

In the late 1980s an educational program was entered into for 6^th and 7^th graders called the “Odyssey of the Mind”. OM is an international competition. Student teams are given a problem to solve by using divergent skills, and creativity for the purpose of promoting team efforts. Not only teachers are involved, but parents are a must. A group of seven boys from New Braunfels Middle School chose a problem having to construct an actual robot. Guess who volunteered to help this team. Yes, you have it – Ron Snider. For six months this team met with Snider and they constructed a life-sized robot. When the competition came along, the team won first place locally, then at the regional level and finally the state winner. The next step was the world competition. Teachers, parents, and seven boys flew to the University of Tennessee and won 13th place. This was the first and last time that any New Braunfels team competed in a world competition.

And now, as you could guess, Snider has a “work in progress’. He is renovating the very popular Krause’s Café. Congratulations, Ron, anyone who can put together a robot with 7^th grade boys is destined to continue great things here in New Braunfels.

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Let’s talk bread – white bread, rye bread, pumpernickel and even a variety of different yeast breads that are sweet. All these goodies come out of the oldest continuous bakery in town, Naegelin’s Bakery.

Zuschlag

In early, early, early New Braunfels, the bread that was purchased was a real treat and the bakery was one of the first businesses in New Braunfels. Just like the love of beer, the Germans brought their love of bread with them. Prince Carl knew this, so he appointed an official baker for the Adelsverein immigrants. That baker was named Heinrich Zuschlag who had been a professional baker in Germany. Forty-four year-old Zuschlag and his fourteen year-old son, Conrad, emigrated to Texas and signed on with the Adelsverein to be bakers. They sailed on the brig Ferdinand, accompanied the first settlers from the coast inland and then drew town lot #115 out of a hat.

This lot #115 is located on the corner of Seguin St. and Mill St. It is the location of the old NB City Hall before it moved to Castell St. After it was the City Hall, the Sophienburg Archives had their collections there. Hermann Seele, when he first set foot on Seguin St., along with Dr.Wm.Remer, remarked, “We caught sight of a stoutly built man whose sleeves were rolled up above the elbows.” Seele went on to say that the man was kneading dough with his muscular arms while his son, a 15 year-old armed with a long shovel, kept the large fire burning by stirring the coals. It was Zuschlag’s bakery. Later Seele says that he bought bread at Dr. Koester’s bakery, operated by Zuschlag.

Dr. Ferdinand Roemer, another early walker of Seguin St. in 1846, noticed the Koester building had three shingles hanging out front. They read: Dr. Koester, Apothecary and Bakery. Roemer was curious about the combination of professions, but apparently Koester was the distributor of the bread by Zuschlag who actually baked it at the other end of Seguin St.

In 1850 Zuschlag is listed as a baker and so is his son. This home/ bakery was purchased by John and Henry Goldenbagen in 1865. The Naegelin story starts here.

Naegelin

Edward Naegelin, Sr. was brought to Texas by his parents from Hirschen, Alsace in 1846 when he was two years old. The family is not listed in the Comal County Census for 1850 or 1860. We know that at age 19, he fought in the Civil War and records show that after the war, he and a friend started a bakery in San Antonio. The partnership was unsuccessful and dissolved. Naegelin then came to New Braunfels in 1868. He rented the building from Goldenbagen who had purchased the building from Zuschlag. Naegelin said, “I came to New Braunfels with a sack of flour and a dollar”.

He must have made that flour and that dollar go a long way. In the 1868 Herald Zeitung there is an advertisement about this bakery located in the Goldenbagen house, which Naegelin rented.

In 1870 he moved his bakery to the site of the present Naegelin Bakery. At first he rented the building and then he bought the building in 1874 and the business has been at this site ever since. Naegelin was assisted by his wife, Francisca Seekatz Naegelin.

According to Sophienburg records, bread was delivered locally by a horse-drawn wagon. Regular deliveries were left on the porch of the customer. The driver would ring a bell notifying the customer of their arrival. The Sophienburg Museum has a display of some of the early Naegelin tools of the trade. The large cypress mixing bowl was hand-hewn by Naegelin. Many of the original utensils, were mostly made by Henne Hardware for the Naegelins, and the first display case, plus other small bakery pans are on display at the museum.

When Edward “Edo” Naegelin died in 1923, the business was taken over by his son, Edward, Jr. and his wife, Laura Kessler. They remodeled the building in 1935 and their son, Clinton, became the manager, and later owner. Edward, Jr. and Laura Naegelin continued to live upstairs over the bakery.

Laura Naegelin was well-known in New Braunfels. She was known for her frankness, especially to customers who were not from “her home town.” She was partial to her local customers. Most locals today can tell you “words of wisdom” from the mouth of Laura Naegelin. In 1963 the New Braunfels Herald requested a photo of Laura for a story they were doing on the bakery. She refused, saying that she hadn’t had a picture taken in 50 years, and she wasn’t about to start now. In spite of her “words of wisdom,” the product was so good that the business flourished. Clinton sold the bakery in 1980 to the Granzin family who still own it.

The Klein House

Right next to the Naegelin’s Bakery sits a small, old cottage that is one of the oldest buildings in New Braunfels. It’s known as the Klein House.

Early immigrant Stephan Klein drew the lot in 1845 and built his home on this lot. The fachtwerk cross timber house is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. Klein heirs sold the house in 1858. Eventually after several owners, the house was sold by the last owner, Carl Floege to Edward Naegelin in 1877. The house was occupied by the Naegelin family and is now a Bed and Breakfast owned by the Granzins.

Stephan Klein came to Texas on the ship Hershel. He was present for the original drawing of lots. Klein was perhaps the oldest immigrant to receive a lot in the new colony. He was 59 years old, born in 1875 in Roxheim Bad-Kreuzhaen. He married Margaretha Hoffmann and was listed as a vine dresser (one who trims and cultivates grapevines) and carpenter in Germany.

Early documents gave a complete description of the physical qualities of the immigrants. According to his papers, he was 5’ 7” tall, of medium stature, blond hair with white streaks and blond eyelashes. He had a round face and chin and a blind left eye. (Source: Everett Fey, archivist for the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church)

Granzin

In 1980 the Naegelin family gave up ownership of the bakery to another family with a bakery background. Wilburn Granzin and his sons had been involved in the bakery business in San Antonio for over 20 years. The Granzin family is very proud of the long history here in New Braunfels and the bakery is known all over Texas. Many of the recipes that they use are original.

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