I mentioned in an article that I needed to look into the history and creation of the grottos at our city’s lovely Catholic churches. A grotto is a small mountain – El Cerrito or Die Grotte – which is created from concrete or stone and includes openings or niches that are reminiscent of caves. In New Braunfels, parishioner-craftsman built them of locally-sourced stone. They are unique to each church family and are an extremely precious part of our city’s public art offerings.

The oldest grotto is found behind SSts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church. After 45 members of his church had died in the 1918 influenza epidemic, Father Wack led the congregation in a vow to build a replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes if there were no more deaths. No other parishioner died from the flu.

Father Wack went to France to get specifications for the grotto. J.J. Scholz from Nebraska was hired for $10 per day to do the work, but he was helped by many parishioners. Farmers hauled limestone rocks from the Wenzel, Friesenhahn and Schumann ranches. Flint stones were gathered from nearby yards. All the stone was carefully washed before taken to the construction site where work began in April 1921. The grotto was finished that June and the dedication, on the Feast day of SSts. Peter and Paul, was a grand and beautiful event.

The vine-covered honey-combed limestone grotto features an arched opening where a stone altar holds a cross and prayer candles. Up and to the right, a life-size statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands at the top of a “waterfall” that empties into a small pool. At the edge of the pool kneels a likeness of St. Bernadette. Above the Virgin is a white rose bush and a flying dove. The grotto illustrates the story of a 14-year-old French peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, who saw visions of the Virgin at a natural grotto near Lourdes in 1858. On one of these occasions, Bernadette was to dig in the ground and drink from a spring. This spring formed a pool that became the site of pilgrimage and miraculous healing. SSts. Peter & Paul’s grotto includes the elements of water, faith and healing making it a perfect congregational offering of thanks and a stunning memorial to their faith during the flu epidemic.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church began their grotto in 1949 and dedicated it on Sept 15, 1951. The most naturalistic of the three, it truly looks like a little mountain. Parishioners were sent “up the hill” to find stones and rocks to create El Cerrito. The grotto rises up in a wonderful, jumbled pile of stone: honey-combed and cretaceous limestone rocks, fossils of shells and even broken bits of cave formations. The rocks, varying greatly in size, shape and color, form two arched openings. The top niche, painted like a bright blue, cloud-streaked sky, holds Our Lady of Guadalupe. To her right kneels Juan Diego with his apron, or tilma, full of roses. The bottom niche is much larger and the rock altar and walls within are painted a clean white. A crucifix is surrounded by statuettes of the Virgin, a bust of Christ, and St. Jude Thaddaeus. Thornless prickly pear, barrel and ocotillo are a few of the cacti that grow out of the rocks. Vivid pink and yellow artificial roses frame both niches with a riot of color.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the story of the Virgin Mary’s appearance in the New World. It is viewed as an event of vast significance and a powerful reminder that God accepts all peoples. A poor Indian, Juan Diego, first saw the apparition of the Virgin on a hill near Mexico City. She was dressed like an Aztec princess and was surrounded by a radiant cloud. She spoke to him in his own language asking him to tell the bishop to build a chapel on the hillside. The bishop needed proof. When Juan next met the Virgin, she filled his tilma with roses to take to the unbelieving bishop. On December 12, 1531, Juan unrolled his tilma to show the roses to the bishop and a miracle occurred — as the roses fell to the ground an image of the Virgin was left on the robe.

Holy Family Catholic Church added the largest NB grotto to their grounds in 1982. Dedicated by Archbishop Flores, this native limestone rock structure is semicircular in plan with terraces and a central arched niche. In this niche, Our Lady of Guadalupe floats effortlessly amongst the clouds of a blue sky with an angel at her feet. She is surrounded by an aureola or radiant cloud of glory just as in Juan Diego’s vision. Juan appears kneeling to her right cradling his apron full of roses. Real and artificial plants and flowers adorn the terraces and the small wooden altar where fresh flowers are often left at the feet of a statuette of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A large stand of thornless prickly pear and another of agave blend the structure gently into its surroundings. Positioned in a bench-filled enclosure, the grotto is utilized by the congregation for feast days and special celebrations.

Each grotto was created as an act of faith by their parishioners and still plays an important role in festivals and events throughout the church year. Please check the church websites for their calendars and more information regarding opportunities to participate and enjoy the culture, traditions and pageantry of celebrations around these fantastic and marvelous works of art.

Sources:

• The History of Saints Peter and Paul Church and Parish; Furhmann, Monica
• NB Zeitung, NB Herald, NB Herald-Zeitung newspaper collections — Sophienburg Museum & Archives
• “Reflections” Oral History #1054 – Ayala, Adelio, and Acevedo, Rey
• Phone interviews with staff of the following:
  • Holy Family Catholic Church www.hfnb.org
  • Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church https://olphnb.org
  • SSts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church https://sppnb.org

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School is out and summer is here, heralding the throngs of visitors that will be descending upon our beautiful rivers and lakes. They come because they are drawn by the water, not unlike people who have come here for hundreds of years. Or they come because they like the atmosphere, but they don’t always know about the history of New Braunfels or what New Braunfels went through to become what it is today. In the twenty-six Around the Sophienburg columns a year written first by Myra Lee Adams Goff and now by Sophienburg staff Keva Hoffmann Boardman and Tara Voigt Kohlenberg, we try to share the history of New Braunfels. A lot has happened here since 1845 (173 years), so there is no lack of subject matter. This column will tip its hat to Naegelin’s Bakery, the oldest continuously operating bakery in Texas. One hundred and fifty years ago, Edward Naegelin arrived in New Braunfels. With “a sack of flour and a dollar”, he opened his own bakery on the corner of Mill Street and Seguin Street (aha… not where you thought!). As his business grew he relocated to the current location on Seguin Street. Three generations of Naegelins held the reins before passing them to the Granzin family. This little bakery is not only on the “must stop” list of every tourist, it has remained a favorite of locals.

One local in particular, MacKenzie Minor, wrote about her love of New Braunfels and Naegelin’s bakery. MacKenzie is a Canyon High School graduating senior and recipient of the Myra Lee Goff History Scholarship given by the Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

As a girl born and raised in New Braunfels, Texas, this small town holds a big place in my heart. I have watched the town grow and meanwhile, I have grown up with it. My roots stem from Landa Park, the public library, and Naegelin’s bakery. These are the places I have left small pieces of my heart at, and even as a go on to bigger adventures, I will always remember my roots.

The most infamous piece of my childhood is sitting outside of Naegelin’s bakery once a week underneath the blue umbrella tables eating a chocolate cupcake surrounded by my two sisters and our mom. We would play all morning long at home, and then head to the small rock bakery on the corner of the circle to make memories that, little did we know, would last forever. Every Tuesday was our day to sugar up on our choice of a special treat. My typical treat of choice was a cupcake topped with a plastic ring; I only chose it because being the fashionista I thought I was, I wanted to wear the ring. To this day, although my two sisters are in college and away from us, my mother and I continue to find ourselves grabbing a quick kolache after a doctor’s appointment down the road or satisfying our cravings with a half price donut in the middle of the afternoon. Naegelin’s will continue to be our favorite bakery. Now, as a senior about to graduate and pursue a degree in Fashion, I find myself reminiscing on these sweet moments of laughter, summer days, and stylish plastic rings more than I ever realized I would. With Naegelin’s 150th Anniversary quickly approaching in April, the Granzin Family is more than deserving of a heart felt thank you from myself and the rest of the town of New Braunfels who loves our small little bakery more than expressible.

A “Thank You,” particularly for helping upkeep the atmosphere of the small town I have always known despite the population growth and for letting me reminisce on my childhood memories each time I pass by or through. Beyond Naegelin’s, I am proud to be a frequent customer of Granzin’s BBQ and the Granzin’s Meat Market. Further than the quality of food that is made, the service I receive is always welcoming and worthy of praise. The Granzin family has continued the preservation of their three locations in New Braunfels and continues to spread joy whether it’s by making and serving breakfast tacos on Comal County Parade Day or a sweet tea on a summer day.

With the changes and growth that my beloved town is constantly experiencing I love attending these regular places with the same smells and memories that they have always held for me as the years go by. Whether I’m smiling because it’s a good day or because I’m treating myself to a legendary smiley face cookie, I always have a smile if I’m at one of the three places.”

Happy Birthday to Naegelin’s and Thank You to the Granzin family for maintaining the proud history. You can learn more about Naegelin’s Bakery on https://sophienburg.wpenginepowered.com/naegelins-bakery-still-baking/ or stop by Naegelin’s to feed your own sweet memories.

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Don’t know your early NB history? No excuses, people. There are many outstanding works of art and memorials you probably see every day just driving through our beautiful downtown. Pack up the kids or load up your Omie and Opie and take a mini field trip or two. Enjoy the summer weather and connect with your community’s past.

Start with a trip to the NB Civic Center on S. Seguin St. for a really good overview of New Braunfels’ beginnings. Out in front is a bronze of our city founder, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels. Did you get that? Solms-BRAUNFELS. There. You know how we got our name. We are the only city in Texas founded by a Prince!

Walk up on the front porch and you will find an entire wall of metal plaques that lay out the basics of our town’s history. There are 20 etched metal “photos” of early NB sites and leaders and four rectangular metal etchings of the German immigrants’ journey from Indianola. It’s a lot to take in, but there is more.

Go around the left side of the building. You will pass a blue-tiled fountain that honors citizens who have been designated as “Legends”. These individuals have given countless hours to make our city better. Maybe one day your name will be etched into our history.

Continue to the back entrance and find a long polished grey granite marker in the flower bed. Check out the towns the immigrants passed through as they followed the Guadalupe River up from the coast. That trip took almost six weeks to walk. I just drove that route with a group of fellow citizens; it took us a day in an air-conditioned van. I can truthfully say that I would not have made it to NB. No apology.

Another concentration of art, architecture and memorials is found on our beloved Main Plaza. On the north side, find the rough pink granite rock with a plaque from the City’s 150th Anniversary; it has an outline of the changes made to the Plaza. Having been planned from day one to be the City Center, the Plaza is almost overflowing with information of our past.

And flowing in front of you is the Plaza Fountain, bought and installed in 1896, with funds from the City’s 50th Anniversary celebration. The fountain has not only survived time, it has survived being hit (and badly damaged) several times by drunk or speeding drivers. Did you know that the fountain has not always been black?

The Bandstand has been New Braunfels’ centerpiece since 1905. Just imagine that for over a century, singing and shooting society festivals, presidential and gubernatorial visits, community meetings, concerts and city anniversaries have been celebrated in its shadow. It has witnessed hundreds of 4th of July, Dies y Seis, Loyalty Day, Comal County Fair and Kinder Maskenball parades. Innumerable wagons, carts, bicycles, automobiles and trucks have circled around the octagonal red-roofed little building. Just stand in it and you are a part of that history!

Near the Bandstand is the “Friendship Tree” (Freundschaft Baum) dedicated to YOU, the citizens of New Braunfels. If you circle the Plaza, you will find four polished pink granite markers for the 150th Anniversary. Take some large sheets of paper and some crayons and make rubbings of the crests. Can you figure out what the symbols mean?

At the east end of Main Plaza are two memorials to Comal Countians who fought for our rights and freedoms in the Civil War and WWI. Note that the Civil War monument honors all men who died, both North and South. I like what that says about our town.

If you still haven’t had your fill of history, you can read the marker on our century-old, restored Comal County Courthouse. Take time to go inside and explore the exhibits and spaces of this unique and stately structure; believe me when I say there will be some fun surprises.

Cross Seguin St and grab a cup of coffee at Crosswalk in the former lobby of the Schmitz Hotel where you will walk on floors that knew the footsteps of Texas Rangers, Civil War officers and men, cotton merchants and so many more. I suggest you park yourself in a chair on the front porch. Take a little time to watch present day history happen right before your eyes and be thankful for the all the people who have made New Braunfels so wonderful.

FYI: Saturday, May 19th is FREE Museum Day from 1-4pm. Take advantage of this once a year freebie.

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Imagine it’s 1920. You’re making your way north on Seguin Street and you can just see the roofs of Landa’s flour mill and cottonseed oil gin over the tree line. You get to the “Y’ where Landa Street and N. Seguin split and you stay right because you’re going to catch the morning train to San Antonio on the Missouri – Kansas – Texas (MKT) rail line. The last time you came to the station was last year when you met your older brother coming home from France and The War to End All Wars.

The pale green “Katy” depot in front of you was built in 1900, on the ridge above the Dry Comal Creek, after tracks were laid the year before. The white NEW BRAUNFELS sign sits on top of the roof below a decorative diamond-shape attic vent which in later years would hold the MKT logo. Tracks run down the long sides of the depot because both freight and passenger trains use the station. Directly in front of you is the baggage area with double doors, but you are headed for the passenger waiting room. Here it gets tricky.

If you are white, you walk to the left side (trackside) and go in through the door with a white and black sign above the lintel designated WHITE. If you are black, you will make your way to the right side and enter through the door marked COLORED. In 1920, you still have to choose the correct door because “Jim Crow laws” (separate but equal) pertaining to train travel were passed in Texas in 1891. Those laws said “white and colored” could not share the same waiting room, water fountain or the same coach. This was true in most of the country. However, as early as 1893, black passengers began filing suit against the railroad companies when they had bought 1st class or Pullman tickets and had been moved to the black only coaches. More often than you’d think, the courts ruled damages be paid to the plaintiffs.

Part of the problem lay in the fact that some railways followed the Jim Crow laws and some did not; a black passenger would be allowed to ride in the car he purchased a ticket for, but when he changed lines, he might be asked to move. For the Pullman company, having a second set of coaches for segregation was just too costly so they tended to not enforce the rules as strictly. Then again, there weren’t that many people who could afford 1st class let alone that many prosperous black passengers.

Providing “separate but equal” coaches was the law, but railroad corporations usually just provided the “separate”. Black coaches did not always have working windows or a toilet. They were usually pulled at the front of the train where the soot and steam rained down on them from the engine; white coaches were attached at the rear where it was quieter and the air quality was better.

While economic concerns continued to push rail companies to disregard the Jim Crow laws in many states, it wasn’t until WWII’s need for national unity and economy that gradual desegregation on trains really took off. This happened sooner in Texas than in the rest of the deep South because of our military bases. However, waiting rooms and depot cafes continued to be segregated until desegregation legislation in the 1950s (Brown vs. the Board of Education) and the 1964 Civil Rights Act ended the Jim Crow era.

The Sophienburg Museum & Archives recently acquired the WHITE sign off the old Katy depot. The big Katy steam engine, No. 719, made its last trip through NB in April of 1952. By the mid-1960s, the MKT had abandoned the use of the depot. Standing proud but in disrepair, the old depot lost bits and pieces of memorabilia to the public. In 1969, the WHITE sign was taken off the building to be used in college American history classes. For 45 years, it has served as a tangible relic to impress upon students the injustice of segregation. Now at the Sophienburg, it will be used as an emotional survivor of our history.

The Katy depot building was eventually bought and moved over to Loop 337 to be used as a restaurant, but it was destroyed by arson soon afterwards. There may be other pieces of this building in New Braunfels homes, but as far as I know, this sign and a pair of doorknobs (NB Railroad Museum) found in its ashes are the only surviving artifacts. If you have stories, photos or artifacts regarding the rail roads in NB, please stop by the Sophienburg or the Railroad Museum and share your part of history with us!

Sources: Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. CV, No. 3, “Curtains for Jim Crow”, T. Lindsay Baker, Kermit Baese (New Braunfels Railroad Museum), “Reflections” #196 – Charlie Burr, SA Express, Sunday, April 13, 1952, txtransportationmuseum.org

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New Year’s Eve was known in the New Braunfels area as Sylvester’s Abend even by my dad who was a child of The Great Depression. Myra Lee Adams Goff wrote an article, published Dec 30, 2012, on the tradition of grand, dress-up dances held on Sylvester’s Abend. Locations such as Matzdorff’s Halle (present-day Eagles Hall), Sweet Home Hall at Solms, Walhalla at Smithson’s Valley, Teutonia Halle, Anhalt, Landa Park, Reinarz Hall, Schwab Hall, Lenzen Hall and many smaller halls hosted Sylvester’s Abend celebrations. Matzdorff’s was an early venue in the city that held numerous dances, singing festivals, and concerts of all kinds throughout the year. On February 25, 1878, Mattzdorff’s was the scene for a grand concert by the internationally known pianist and celebrity, “Blind Tom”.

Thomas Greene Wiggins was born a slave in Columbus, GA, in 1848. Born blind, he was left to wander around the Bethune Plantation. Sound was his passion. He would mimic the cries of animals, birds and men – even drag chairs across the floor or bang pots and pans to make noise. At age four, Blind Tom was able to repeat a ten-minute conversation, yet he could not communicate his own needs; he resorted to whines, grunts and gestures. After hearing one Bethune daughter play piano, Tom found the outlet for his creative soul. By age five, he composed his first tune, The Rain Storm, after listening to a torrential downpour on a tin roof. He had an encyclopedic memory for sound, be it spoken word or musical notation, and could imitate anything he heard. The little slave boy was installed in the Big House and Bethune brought in music tutors. Tom was licensed out to Perry Oliver, a travelling showman, who marketed Tom as “The Wonder of the World. The Marvel of the Age”.

By age six, Blind Tom performed to sell-out houses throughout Georgia. His performances earned him an invitation to play before President James Buchanan making him the first African-American musician to officially perform in the White House. He was eleven years old.

During the Civil War, Blind Tom became absorbed by the sounds of war – the crunch of marching feet, the beating of drums, the pops and booms of artillery were all music to his gifted ears. He composed his most celebrated composition, The Battle of Manassas, at age fourteen.

After the war, Blind Tom toured across North America and Europe. His performances included beautiful classical pieces, popular folk songs, imitations of banjos and other instruments, and playing two songs at once – one with each hand! Audience members would test his memory of a tune and he perfectly met each challenge. As they enthusiastically applauded his efforts, Tom would perform spectacular leaps across the stage and howl along with them.

There was a dark side to the fame. The joy he felt on stage was countered by the treatment of his managers. They kept him locked up alone in hotel rooms and after years of social and physical isolation, he became suspicious of strangers. Having no concept of money, he was easily exploited and manipulated by his guardians. Even though he was an emancipated slave, the Bethunes continued to manage his affairs. It has been estimated that he would have earned $5 million during his career; he, of course, never saw a penny. When the last Bethune son died, his estranged and angry wife traced down Blind Tom’s mother and persuaded her to mount a legal challenge to free Tom from the Bethunes. In 1887, the press announced that “The Last American Slave” had been set free. That freedom was fleeting; his mother naively handed Tom’s guardianship over to the Bethune ex-wife.

Tom spent his last years touring small towns across North America and even appeared on the vaudeville stage. In 1908, he died of a stroke at the age of sixty and was buried in a pauper’s grave in Brooklyn.

So what did the New Braunfels folk think about Blind Tom’s concert? I had only to look in the March 1, 1878 issue of the Neu Branfelser Zeitung. Under the headline, “A Wonder of Nature”, the article stated, ”…the performance far exceeded our expectations…a physiological riddle. [With] one distinct expression…this baffling creature plays the piano with virtuosity…he sings with a clear resonant voice. This person has the extraordinary perception and talent to repeat whatever is handed him…with passion that is astonishing.”

Blind Tom then sang the song Wenn die Schwalben heimwärts ziehen (When the Swallows Come Flying Home) in perfect German complete with proper emotion.

Today, Tom would be labeled an autistic savant. It is said that his unusual rocking and twitching and blank open-mouth expression would vanish the moment his fingers touched the piano keys. To the people of the mid-19th C, Blind Tom was seen as an eccentric oddball and gifted wonder of nature. They watched and listened in astonishment as his hands recreated a composition on the piano after only hearing the piece one time. They marveled and were inspired by the pure pleasure and joy he exhibited whilst playing and singing.

Tom Greene Wiggins was a very special man.

Sources:

• NB Zeitung, Feb 22 and March1, 1878; The Ballad of Blind Tom, by Deirdre O’Connell
• The Ballad of Blind Tom: Slave Pianist, America’s Lost Musical Genius — http://www.blindtom.org

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