By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

The Hinman House, the first stone house built in New Braunfels, is more than 150 years old. To tell the story of any great house, we must begin with the family’s story. Before the Hinmans came the Arnolds.

Peter Arnold arrived on the ship Ferdinand with the German Emigration Company in December 1844. He and his family were some of the original settlers of New Braunfels to arrive in March 1845. Through his contract with the company for the Fisher-Miller Grant, he drew Town Lot No. 76, which is the property located at 161 S. Castell. Most of the lots in town had a street frontage of 100 German feet (about 90 English feet) and a depth of 200 German feet. In my non-math brain, that is a little more than a one-third acre.

On his lot, Arnold, a blacksmith by trade, built a blacksmith shop and a log house where he lived with his wife and family. In 1855, Peter Arnold sold the property to Heinrich Hinmann (notice it is a double N on the end) for $550.

Heinrich Hinmann was born in 1819 in Lower Saxony in Germany. At the age of 17, he immigrated and travelled through America for several years before settling in New Braunfels. Hinmann, who was also a blacksmith, purchased Lot 76 the year after he married Therese Sickold. They went on to have 10 children, eight of whom survived.

The Hinman House was built in 1868. It is quite a step up from a log cabin. The builder of the cut limestone home is not recorded but was clearly an immigrant stone mason trained in the traditional construction methods of his German homeland. It is surmised that it was built by Heinrich Hinmann himself. One article I found purports that it was built by his son Charles Hinmann, but according to census records, Charles was only 7 at the time.

The original two-story home is rectangular with a small cellar and porches. It sits on a foundation of mortared stone walls to a depth below the cellar floor. The exterior walls are twenty-inch-thick stone masonry of squared, hammer-dressed local limestone with wide lime-mortar joints. The first floor sits on 7-inch-by-7-inch” rough-hewn joists … basically, cedar tree trunks.

The architectural feature that absolutely makes this house, in my humble opinion, is the porches. On the southwest side, facing the street, there are two porches running the length of the house. The lower porch is open with six wood columns supporting the upper porch. On the second-floor porch, solid wood columns support the roof. The upper porch is surrounded by a wooden railing. The original railing was lattice work. Now the railing is in a geometric pattern. There may have been similar porches along the back of the house.

Although the main structure of the Hinman House has remained the same, there have been wood-frame-additions made to the rear of the house to increase functionality. It is possible that rear porches were closed in to create those additions. It is thought that the home was originally heated with wood stoves as there has been no evidence of chimneys. With later renovations, a fireplace was built in the main room and a gas-fired furnace was installed in the cellar. Renovations also moved and reconfigured the interior stairwell.

Heinrich (Henry) Hinmann was a man of many talents. As a blacksmith, he made and repaired most anything made of metal, including farm equipment. He was also the inventor and manufacturer of the Hinman Plow, created specifically for the black soil of Comal County.

Heinrich was also a marble cutter. In the late 19th-century New Braunfels, marble was used for headstones. When Heinrich died in 1899, his son, Adolf, also a marble cutter, returned to New Braunfels to continue The Hinmann Marble Yard at the Castell address. His mother, Therese, lived in the limestone house.

Alexander J. Hinman (he officially dropped the extra N off the end of his name) was a well-respected physician and a prominent businessman in the New Braunfels community. He, his parents and siblings had moved into the Hinman family home to live with his grandmother after his grandfather Heinrich died. On October 1, 1913, Dr. A.J. Hinman bought the two-story home and surrounding property from his grandmother, Therese Hinmann. There, he raised his family, practiced medicine and lived until his death. It is believed that the bulk of the house renovations and additions were done to accommodate his medical practice in the early 1920s.

Hinman was notable not only for the care he gave to his patients, but the impact he had on New Braunfels. He was recognized for being president of the New Braunfels Independent School District school board, founding member of the New Braunfels Rotary Club and the first president of the New Braunfels Hospital. The Hinman Family owned what is known as Hinman Island, which is now part of Landa Park.

When Dr. A.J. Hin­man passed away in Oc­to­ber of 1960, an­other chap­ter opened for the Hin­man House. Of­fice space was leased out to var­i­ous en­ti­ties over the years, in­clud­ing real es­tate firms, med­ical prac­tices and United Way.

The Hin­man House was pur­chased by First Na­tional Bank (now Chase Bank) with the in­ten­tion of build­ing their mo­tor­bank fa­cil­ity on the ad­ja­cent prop­erty; how­ever, they se­lected an­other site. The bank opened the Hin­man House to var­i­ous or­ga­ni­za­tions for meet­ings and events.

In the early ‘70s, the Hin­man House was the venue for Garten­fest, a fundraiser held by the Con­ser­va­tion So­ci­ety dur­ing Wurst­fest. The event of­fered a lit­tle of every­thing — Ger­man food, mu­sic and rum­mage sale all in one. That is where that great Con­ser­va­tion So­ci­ety tra­di­tion of “Kartof­fel­suppe” and Iron Brew be­gan.

Chase Bank gifted The Hin­man House to Braun­fels Foun­da­tion in 1999. The Hin­man House was des­ig­nated a Texas His­tor­i­cal Land­mark in 2009 and is cur­rently used by Com­mu­ni­ties in Schools free of charge. Our city is lucky to have such a won­der­ful spec­i­men of early Ger­man Texas ar­chi­tec­ture on full dis­play in our down­town.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives; Handbook of Texas History Online.

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

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

New Braunfels historians have told us that the first immigrants arrived with very little in the way of belongings. And, unlike today’s new arrivals in New Braunfels, our founding ancestors had a lot to do before settling into a house. They had to secure materials (chop trees for lumber, make mud bricks, cut stone) to be able to build their own places to live. We are very fortunate to live in a place where so many of those early homes still exist. One of my favorites stands on a lot at 212 W. Austin Street in Comaltown, exactly where it has stood for over 150 years.

The story? It begins with people making life-changing decisions to build a new life, sell everything, move across the Atlantic Ocean and settle on the Fisher Miller Grant in the Republic of Texas. Like many, that is exactly what Johann Georg Moeller did.

Georg Moeller left Bremen aboard the ship Weser, arranged by Henry Fisher for the San Saba Colonization Company, in May of 1844. Once he arrived in Galveston in July 1844, he learned that the Fisher & Miller land grant had never materialized. He was stuck along with several others from his hometown of Michelsrombach, Hesse. Moeller did eventually end up in New Braunfels in late 1845.

Meanwhile, on similar track, Johann Peter Hoffmann boarded the Garrone, arranged by the Adelsverein, with his wife and children. They arrived in Galveston in December of 1844 and finally reached New Braunfels with the First Founders. Mr. Hoffmann died shortly thereafter, leaving Elizabeth Hoffmann to fend for herself and her two children, Charlotta and Alex. (Soap operas got nothing on true history!).

So fast forward to 1848, when Georg Moeller and widow Elizabeth Hoffmann married. Their instant family of four eventually totaled seven with the addition of twin sons, Franz and Johann, in 1849 and Louis in 1852.

The Moellers settled in Comaltown. At one time, they owned/farmed most of the Landa Estates area. Georg Moeller began building my favorite limestone house in 1859. He built it all by himself. The beautiful two-story is constructed of hand-cut hard limestone that was quarried locally. All the walls are constructed of hard limestone, cut into squares and rectangles with stone lintels across the top of each window.

The wood beams and roof rafters are of hand-hewn cedar logs and the floors are hand-hewn cypress planks. Although the outside walls are perfectly square and the floors and ceilings are perfectly level, there are no two rooms the same size, no two walls the same thickness and no two rooms with the same size floorboards. The walls range from 8 to 18 inches in thickness. The original house had two staircases: one leading to the basement, the other to the second floor. Each wood tread of the steps going upstairs is smoothly fitted into grooves in the supporting side boards. No nails were used. The stairs to the basement are solid rock. It is truly amazing that no cement was used to put the stones together. In some places, it is said to be plain black dirt mixed with straw; and in others, a mortar made of sand and lime was used.

The limestone house, begun in 1859, took 6 years to build. The family lived in a modest home where Our Lady of Perpetual Help is now located while their limestone home was being built. It was finally completed in 1866. Sadly, Johann Georg Moeller died in 1867, just weeks after the family moved into the new home.

In 1881, ownership of the house changed. Okay, this is where it gets sticky. Pay attention to the “OE” and “UE” here. The home was sold by the Johann Georg M”oe”ller family to Johannes M”ue”ller, known as “Mueller-Hanas” in 1881. He owned a freight company. Mueller-Hanas was a very interesting guy, but I will save that for another day. He raised his family in the home. Johannes Mueller died in 1908 followed by his wife in 1909. Oddly enough, Emma, daughter of Johannes Mueller, married Henry Moeller, the grandson of Johann Georg Moeller.

In 1910, the home was sold to Mr. & Mrs. Albert Nowotny. Their son Jerome, who was born in the home, bought it in 1947. He eventually built a very successful tourist attraction/restaurant around it — Bavarian Village. By coincidence, Jerome Nowotny’s son, Lionel, married Mary Lou Mueller, a great-granddaughter of Johannes Mueller, second owner of the house. The Moeller House is now owned by Schlitterbahn Waterparks/Cedar Fair.

There were many descendants of the Moellers in the area and many were builders. Most of the structures are still standing as they are very well built like the Moeller House. The following is a list just to name a few: Garden Street Bridge, Mission Valley Mill Dam, Old Fire Station, Richter Buildings, Wagenfuehr House, Celebrations, Comal Flower Shop, The Black Whale Saloon, Lamar School, Seele Parish House, Johnson Furniture, Main Plaza Gazebo, Gerlich Home (Borchers Office), Fischer House (next to the Civic Center), Corner Coffee Shop, Old New Braunfels High School, Citizens Ice House (Conway’s), numerous curbs and sidewalks, and hundreds of homes in the area and surrounding counties. They truly lived well-built lives.

The Moeller House became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1970; however, at some point the marker was removed. A new marker was sponsored by a Johann Georg Moeller descendant, Myra Lee Adams Goff.

The Moeller House Marker Rededication ceremony will take place Sunday, March 3, 4:00 p.m. at 212 W. Austin Street. The public is invited.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Comal County Historical Commission.

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By Myra Lee Adams Goff —

New Braunfels has an historic and active downtown. In order for that to happen, three things are necessary. First, the buildings themselves must be of lasting quality. Secondly, an active preservation philosophy must be prevalent. The third is to have creative successful business owners. We are fortunate to have all of three.

As I drove around Main Plaza, on Seguin Avenue and down San Antonio Street, I was surprised and pleased to count 17 buildings built in the early 1920s by my grandfather, A.C. Moeller. This prompted me to do research on the Moeller brothers of Comaltown.

The Moeller family has been involved in building since their immigration to Texas and the formation of Comaltown. The story began, as so many do, in a German town called Michaelsrombach. Several years ago, I was able to visit this beautiful tiny village where the emigrant, Johann Georg Moeller, was born. It was a charming place. The house where the Moeller family lived dates back to the 1600s. The stone house stands almost in the center of the village and is still occupied by Moeller descendants. Originally, cows lived on one side of the house to protect them from the winter elements but over the years, additions were made to the home and the cows are gone. A beautiful Catholic church sits on a small hill overlooking the village. The Moellers attended this church and went to school there. The adjoining cemetery contains many Moeller graves. It is a very strange feeling to realize that all those buried there are my ancestors. Michaelsrombach seemed like a fairy tale place to grow up in.

Johann was 25 years old when he left the harbor of Bremen and sailed on the ship Weser. His Reisepass (passport) stated that he was 5 foot 2 inches tall, had blond curly hair and blue eyes.

There were seven men and one woman aboard the Weser from Michaelsrombach. I wondered why they left such a beautiful town. Then I found a statement made by historian, Rudolph Biesele, from his research on emigration. He writes: “Generations ago when German tribes were still living in their primitive social development, they frequently undertook adventurous enterprises under leaders especially chosen for that purpose. These expeditions developed among the early Germans an adventurous spirit for which in a much later period they used the term ‘Wanderlust.’ This Wanderlust or desire to wander, has remained with them through all the ages as one of their national characteristics.” Sound familiar?

Most of the Michaelsrombach emigrants were young men in their 20s. One couple, Peter and Maria Reus, were each 50 years old. Others were Johann Georg Moeller, Johann Arnold, Valentin Fey, Johann Schneider, Johann Schwab and Thomas Schwab. Why so many Johanns? Looking over so many family trees, I noticed that the oldest boy was named Johann. In America, most of these Johanns were referred to by their middle name. So, from this point on, Johann Georg Moeller will be referred to as Georg Moeller. His first son, who was named after him, became the Americanized name of John.

These immigrants, and 84 others, had been asked to settle Texas by Henry Fisher who had arranged for them to sail on the ship Weser. They arrived in Galveston in July 1844, five months before the Adelsverein immigrants. Prince Carl was to meet the Henry Fisher group in Galveston, but he left to secure another port for the Adelsverein immigrants to disembark. He established a port at Indianola and by December 1844, 292 immigrants had landed and awaited their trek inland. On March 21, 1845, the immigrants crossed the Guadalupe River into New Braunfels. Many of those from Michaelsrombach came with this early group. Georg Moeller did not make the trek with the immigrants but arrived soon after and settled in Comaltown. We do not know why he didn’t wait with the other immigrants, but could he have given in to Wanderlust? Nevertheless, we know that he arrived in Comaltown soon after the March 21st group. In I846, Georg married the widow Katherine Hoffmann; her husband had died shortly after the family arrived leaving her with two children. Eventually, Georg and Katherine had one daughter that died and then three sons. They were twins John and Franz and then Louis (Ludwig).

Georg bought a large piece of property in Comaltown and it was on this property that he built a magnificent two-story rock house that still stands at 212 West Austin Street. Supposedly, the rock was hauled from a nearby quarry on Rock Street. All the walls are constructed of smooth hand-hewn limestone. Heavy cedar beam staircases lead to a basement. No nails were used. After Georg died in 1857, the house was occupied by family members and eventually sold by the three sons. The most recent acquisition was by Schlitterbahn. In 1970 the house received the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation.

It is in this second generation that fellow researcher David Hartmann and I branch off. We share Johann Georg and Katherine Moeller as our first ancestors in New Braunfels. My great grandfather was John Moeller and David’s g-g grandfather was Louis Moeller. John Moeller continued in the building trade, constructing homes in the area. He also built a Victorian home in 1894, on the corner of Union Avenue and Camp Street, which still stands. On the back of this property, John had a small lumber mill. It was here that John and wife, Anna Rauch Moeller, raised their four boys and exposed them to the building business. Adolph was the oldest, then Ed, then Herman and last Alwin Carl Moeller.

Adolph Moeller carried on the building tradition and was known as a commercial builder. Several well-known downtown buildings were built by him: Fire Station #1, the old New Braunfels High School on Mill Street and many houses including his beautiful home on Garza Street. Ed Moeller is listed for a short time as a builder but spent most of his time as the owner of the bus station where the Celebrations Store is on Seguin Avenue. He was also involved in politics and became sheriff for a time. Hermann was listed as a carpenter.

And now we have the story of the prime builder of the Moeller clan: Alwin Carl “Kid” Moeller. He was my grandfather. To this day, his name is imprinted as “A.C. Moeller, Contractor” all over sidewalks and cornerstones in town, especially downtown. At an early age, he learned the contracting business from his oldest brother Adolph. A.C. went into business for himself and from the early 1920s until he died in 1936, he constructed many buildings. About 17 buildings downtown have cornerstones which carry his name. Some notable buildings that you are probably familiar with are the Seele Parish House, the Richter Building, Johnson Furniture, the Phoenix Saloon addition, the complete remodeling of the Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home, Plaza Drug Building, Comal Flower Building, the Black Whale, the Bus Station and many others. He built the first annex to the Courthouse (for $73,000) in 1930, the Garden Street Bridge and the textile mill dam across the Guadalupe River. Aside from commercial buildings, he was an expert on homes in the bungalow, craftsman and Prairie style. Some of these homes have been converted into offices contributing to the conservation of downtown. The law office of Jack Borchers on Seguin Avenue is a good example of a converted home to an office. Another example is the red brick Prairie style home on East San Antonio Street, owned by descendants of the Wagenfuehr family. Hundreds of A.C. Moeller homes still stand in New Braunfels and benefit from his skill at building. In 1924, he was awarded a big contract with New Braunfels schools to build Lamar School, Carl Schurz Elementary, Steven F. Austin School and the Home Economics Cottage for the high school on Academy Avenue. One of his last projects was the remodeling of the bandstand on Main Plaza.

Alwin Carl Moeller died in 1936 and it can definitely be said that he was one of those who “left footprints on the sands of time.” Also, I’m right about what I said about what makes a viable downtown. The Moeller brothers built buildings that last and are worth saving and we have people in NB who recognize the importance of preservation.

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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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Next Saturday, March 28^th 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 Historical Commission marker was vandalized and the marker removed some time ago. It has been replaced. Words on the new marker read:

IN THIS AREA, NOW COVERED BY CANYON LAKE, GERMAN EMIGRANTS WERE THE FIRST SETTLERS. A SOCIETY OF NOBLES (MAINZER ADELSVEREIN) SPONSORED THE EMIGRATION OF 7,380 GERMANS TO TEXAS FROM 1844 to 1847. THEY FOUNDED NEW BRAUNFELS IN 1845. MOVING WEST, THEY ESTABLISHED FREDERICKSBURG IN 1846. THEIR COMANCHE INDIAN TREATY OPENED 3,800,000 ACRES BETWEEN THE LLANO AND COLORADO RIVERS TO PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT. FARMERS AND ARTISANS, SCHOLARS AND SCIENTISTS, THEY TRIUMPHED OVER EPIDEMIC AND PRIVATION TO HELP BUILD TEXAS AND THE WEST.

Sponsoring the marker are the German American Society of New Braunfels, Helgard Suhr-Hollis, John and Cindy Coers, the Canyon Lake Rotary Club, the Canyon Lake Noon Lions Club, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers/GBRA, the Comal County Historical Commission and the Texas Historical Commission. Installation of the new marker was provided by Don and Jean Koepp, Bob Warnecke, and John and Karin Brooks with Danny Zunker of Brooks Stone Ranch. The marker is mounted on a 2,000 pound limestone rock from the area.

It is appropriate to honor the German Pioneers in Texas at this site. Canyon Lake, filled by the Guadalupe River, was the settling place of so many.

The idea of constructing this dam to minimize flooding and conserve water goes as far back as 1929 when the idea arose. After a survey in 1935, plans were authorized and construction began in 1958. In 1964, the gates were closed and the lake began to fill. The water reached its conservation level of 909 ft. (ideal) above sea level in 1968.The flow of the upper Guadalupe, plus rainfall, constantly allows the Corps of Engineers and the GBRA to control the lake level. This is done by monitoring the amount of water flowing from the Guadalupe into the lake every day and the lake level. If the amount of water is too great, the amount released below the dam is increased and sent down to the lower Guadalupe River.

The spillway crest is 943 ft. At the dam’s outlet, a maximum release of water is 5,000 cubic feet per second.

The building of Canyon Dam and Lake has saved many lives and millions of dollars which would have been lost as a result of flooding. Flooding on the Guadalupe affects towns all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. When you drive out River Road next to the Guadalupe River, look up and you can see how high flood levels reached probably thousands of years ago.

The year 2002 saw the lake overflow the spillway for the first time in the history of the lake. With a recorded elevation of 950.32 feet, water went over the spillway in a very short time. This overflowing of the spillway, created the Canyon Lake Gorge. It has become a “true Hill Country treasure” unearthing fossils, 110 million years old, crustaceous limestone formations, dinosaur footprints, springs, channels, and waterfalls. For a small price and a reservation for a tour, the three-hour walk is available at canyongorge.org.

With the first flood above the dam in 1978, the lake reached 930.60 ft. Another 20 feet and it would have been over the spillway. Another flood in 1987, the lake reached 942.67 feet and another in 1991 reached 937.77. In 1997 an elevation of 937.60 feet was attained. The 2002 level was the flood of record.

When the lake level is under the conservation level, the gates below the dam are adjusted, waiting for rain on the upper Guadalupe to flow into the lake. The lowest the lake has been was 892.70 in 2009. This, of course was the result of the drought.

In 2011, I wrote an article for the Sophienburg column printed in this newspaper called
“So, what exactly is under Canyon Lake?” I think some of the information bears repeating:

Imagine the Canyon Lake area with no lake. What would it have been like? Ranchland, farmland, trees, cemeteries, the Guadalupe River and the site of two very small communities, Hancock and Cranes Mill. These two communities would eventually be under the lake.

Hancock was named after John Hancock, who in 1851, was granted land on the north bank of the Guadalupe River. Although a thriving little community, the population of Hancock had dwindled to 10 in 1940.

The community of Cranes Mill was the other community that is under water. James Crain established a cypress shingle mill along the Guadalupe River in 1850. Crain changed the spelling of his name to Crane in the Civil War. No one knows why, but it’s been Cranes Mill ever since.

Where there are communities, there are cemeteries. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1958 was responsible for the re-interment of approximately 89 bodies from 16 cemeteries along the Guadalupe that would be under water. These remains were moved to various other cemeteries like Comal Cemetery, Fischer Cemetery, Mt. Sharp Cemetery, Twin Sisters Cemetery, and some smaller family cemeteries. Each plot was researched and next of kin contacted in order to get permission as to where the remains would be moved. Many opted to not have the remains removed, which was their choice.

Two years ago John and Cindy Coers, who are members of the Comal County Historical Commission, decided to trace the re-interment of John’s great- great- grandparents, Heinrich and Karoline Startz Coers. What they found out was not only where the Coers lived, but where they were buried. Their bodies were re-interred to the Fischer Cemetery.

Heinrich Coers emigrated from Germany in 1846 and settled in the Guadalupe River Valley. He and his wife were buried on the Coers property along the Guadalupe River. John Coers was able to locate photographs of the original interment sites along with headstones for both Heinrich and Karoline. She died in 1864 and her tombstone was destroyed. The family decided to leave her stone, but move the body. The tombstone is now under the lake. Heinrich’s stone was in good condition and it was moved intact to the Fischer cemetery. A beautiful inscription on the tombstone in German, here translated in English, reads:

You have quietly carried your burden through the Pilgrim’s Valley. Christ was your life and dying your gain.

The Coers have partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and have scanned all of the re-interment documents. They will be soon available for research purposes at the Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

“Rest in Peace” seems quite appropriate.

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Besides the Plaza Hotel on the Main Plaza, another grand hotel was built around the turn of the century, the Comal Hotel (now Prince Solms Inn). What was the reason for more large hotels in the little town of New Braunfels? Hotels are built to fill a need. The coming of the railroad bringing visitors to the quaint little town, with its Landa Park, was actually the big boost to tourism. At one time Emilie and Theodore Eggeling ran the Plaza Hotel on the Main Plaza and decided that a second large hotel was needed. Let’s go back to the roots of the family that made this second hotel possible.

Joseph Klein

Immigrant Joseph Klein built a little German house in New Braunfels in 1852. That house still stands but not where it was built. It started its 115-year-old life on the property where the Prince Solms Inn is now located on the corner of San Antonio and Market Sts.

Joseph Klein, a single 26-year-old bachelor from Germany first lived with his parents, Stephan and Margaretha Klein who had built their small house next to the Naegelin Bakery on Seguin St. in 1845. This house is also still standing.

Stephan Klein helped his son Joseph construct his corner lot house on San Antonio St. Joseph married widow Johanna Freitag and they moved into the new house.

William and Friedricke Kuse

Records show that Joseph sold his house in 1859 to William Kuse who became a naturalized a citizen the next year. His family consisted of his wife Friedricke, his ten-year-old son Carl, a daughter Emilie, aged six and a son Friedrich, one year old. All the children were born in Prussia except Friedrich. Daughter Emilie would have a big impact on New Braunfels.

Theodore and Emily Eggeling

William Kuse was a shoemaker and had set up his shop in the house that he bought from Klein. About 40 years later the house was moved to the north of the same lot and resituated about 100 feet from its original location. Then it faced Market St. The reason for this move was an economic one instigated by Emilie Kuse now married to Theodore Eggeling. They had a general store across the street from her parent’s house on the corner of San Antonio and Market Sts. (Look at the photo) Theodore and Emilie Kuse Eggeling were successful business people. Together they ran the very successful Plaza Hotel around Main Plaza. Particularly Emilie was considered a successful business woman in New Braunfels.

Around the turn of the century New Braunfels began to attract thousands of visitors who often spent the night in local hotels. Emilie was familiar with what was happening in town and decided that another large hotel was needed. Her parents had been living in the little house on the corner of San Antonio and Market Sts. all this time. Her father had retired from the shoemaking business and she convinced her parents to allow her to move the house to the back of the large lot. Emilie and Theodore would construct a large hotel on this spot.

The Comal Hotel

The Comal Hotel, sometimes called the Eggeling Hotel, built over a period of two years from 1898 to 1900 was another masterpiece by builder Christian Herry. Built in Texas Victorian style, the two story brick building has maintained its original exterior walls to this day. The bricks were made in McQueeney where a certain clay was located. The walls are 18” thick, the window sills of white limestone with cypress wood boards are 20” wide. The building consists of a full basement, two floors and an attic.

Rooms had no closets but were provided with private basins, pitchers and chamber pots. In the back yard was a privy. At the front of the building on the second floor was a luggage hoist, a pulley used to raise and lower trunks to the upstairs porch. There was a large dining room/parlor that became a favorite of townspeople.

Upon completion of the hotel, the Eggeling family, consisting of four children, moved into the hotel. As these children grew older, they became a part of the operation of the hotel. Son Adolph drove a dray (stout cart or truck) to haul luggage from the train to the hotel. Two carriages were driven by family members. With time, family members were involved in running the hotel.

The Comal Hotel (now the Prince Solms Inn) is situated on a half-acre lot. The Eggeling family utilized the lot for their business. They would serve food from the garden and kept pigs, cows, and chickens. They had a feed store. Stories tell of guests wanting fresh milk, and Emilie would go out to the cow lot, milk the cow, and bring it to the guest.

For a brief time in 1919, a hospital was set up in the hotel by Ida Heulitte, R.N. complete with operating rooms, emergency ward, and private rooms. All doctors were welcome to use the facilities.

Bill and Nan Dillen

After the death of both Eggelings with Emilie in 1930, family members helped run the hotel until the property was sold to Bill and Nan Dillen They bought the hotel, the Klein house, and the feed store. The Dillens refurbished the hotel and brought the structure up to modern standards with electricity, heating, and plumbing. Bill and Nan Dillen were responsible for saving many historic buildings in New Braunfels.

Dillen was the one who named the hotel, “The Prince Solms Inn.” The Dillens added historic features from other structures. Cypress shutters inside were joined by wooden pegs and purchased from the original courthouse in Marlin, Tx. The doors leading to the basement were obtained from the Sam Bennett mansion in San Antonio. When the Dillens added a patio next to the outside basement entrance, stones from the old original Comal County Prison that was torn down were used. This prison building was located behind Chase Bank building and the words, “Comal County Prison” can be seen carved in the entry of the basement. For the cover of the patio, old cypress and cedar timbers were obtained from the first woolen mill-steam laundry on Comal St. Also from that site are two large doors that are used as entrances from the patio to the storage area.

The Dillens sold the property, but the sale was unsuccessful and the Dillens reclaimed the property in 1977. They sold it that same year to Betty Mitchell and Marg Crumbaker. Much of the information for this story came from research of these two ladies.

Present owner is Al Buttross who has owned the Inn since 2007. New Braunfels is so fortunate to have some of these original structures and thankful for the people that made that possible.

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I walked into Henne Hardware and the bell rang above the door alerting the clerk that someone had entered. I was immediately greeted by two cats named Clifford and Eugene, so named by owner of the store, Paul Martinka. These cats, or at least their names, will bring back memories to those of you who remember the Henne family. Clifford and Eugene were the last of that family to own the business and that was years ago. Perhaps Paul named the cats after the Hennes to remind him of the roots of that store. Cliffy and Gene certainly brought memories to me and it will to a lot of you that were hanging around in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s.

The roots of Henne Hardware, as were so many of the stores that have local roots, began in Germany. Johann Henne, his wife, Henrietta Deppen, and their five children boarded the ship Hercules with 152 other passengers from Germany and arrived in Galveston in August of 1845. From there they were taken by schooner to Indianola where they engaged wagons to move inland to New Braunfels. They were fortunate to have survived the first Texas winter that took so many lives on the coast, on the inland trek, and in New Braunfels.

Johann was a tinsmith and in 1846 he bought a lot on San Antonio St. for which he paid $120. He opened a tinsmith shop and had a thriving business. Electricity wasn’t in homes and streets until after the 1900s, two years after Harry Landa introduced electricity to NB. Until that time there was a big demand for tin oil lanterns inside and outside. Just imagine San Antonio St. without any electric lights or lights from the inside of buildings. Repairs on the Austin, San Antonio Stage Co. coach lamps were made at Hennes. Tin roofing was made a necessity in 1893 after a city ordinance was passed requiring tin roofing in the city.

In 1857 Johann died and when he did, his son, Louis Henne, took over the tinsmith business. He was only 17 years old at the time, but it became his responsibility to take over the business and support his mother and siblings. He was the only child of Johann and Henrietta that married. Louis then named the business Louis Henne Co., Tin and Sheet Iron Ware, Stoves, House Furnishing Goods and Mitchell Wagons.

With time, Louis Henne began other businesses such as a lumberyard on the corner of Castell and Coll Sts. and a plumbing business. In 1893, right next to where the tinsmith shop was located, Louis built a beautiful Victorian-style business building sitting right in the middle of the business district where it remains today. It was built by contractor Christian Herry. Herry came from Germany to New York after serving two years in the German army during the Franco-Prussian war. He had the reputation of being a master at building trusses of cathedrals, building them on the ground and raising them completed into place. He came to New Braunfels in 1881 and one of the first projects was the addition of frame wings to the limestone New Braunfels Academy.

The building still retains much of its original décor, inside and outside. The walls are brick, the flooring is oak and the ceiling is pressed tin. The inside of the store is ornate, as the Victorian architecture called for. Still on hand are some original display cases and nail bins. There are revolving cabinets for small articles. The shelves containing merchandise reach from floor to ceiling. Way up at the top, next to the ceiling, the original old shelves hold antique items and then under those shelves are newer items. The sliding ladders are still there in order to reach the top shelves. The ladders slide on steel runners. Near the cast-iron cookware section, you can look up and you can also see some wooden water pipes used in early New Braunfels. Now where else can you see that?

Before banks were well established, mercantile stores provided those services. The office area at the back of the building with its large built-in safe is a reminder of this practice. Cash registers were not used. Still visible are the remnants of the money trolleys.

There is also an elevator going upstairs and downstairs into the basement. Many of the immediate downtown buildings have basements. I had heard that the basement at Hennes was a favorite spot for card-playing men. Going down a steep set of stairs into the basement, I can see how a secluded area, half the size of the building, would be an intriguing place to get together to socialize. Glass tiles from the sidewalk let in a small bit of light. In the basement is a well about 25 feet deep that fills with water according to the amount of rain. Paul Matinka pointed out it reflects the water table and when there was lots of rain, the well would fill up and even spill over. The well was dug before the building was built.

Over the years, Louis Henne acquired more property on the block where the store is located. His family’s two story home was built at the back of the property on Mill St. He also maintained a camp yard for customers who came into town on weekends by wagon. They would camp there and return home the next day. It was one of several such campgrounds complete with wagons and campfires and of course, lit by tin oil lanterns. The large barn-like building behind the store was the lumber storage.

Louis Henne was the only one of his seven brothers and sisters that married. He married Emilie vom Stein and they had five children. He was active in the formation of the Volunteer Firemen’s association. One of Louis’ sons, Adolf, succeeded his father as head of the store when Louis died in 1912. Adolph remodeled the store, adding the show windows and adding interior shelving and display cases. He carried on his father’s interest in fire prevention. When he died in 1945, the business went to his three sons: Clifford, Eugene, and Norman. Clifford and Eugene took over the store and they were the last Hennes to own the store. Clifford became the sole owner in 1962.Ten years later the business was sold to Donald Stott and James Goodbread and then to the Bob Schima family. The present owner bought the business in 1996 and the property in 2000.

Paul Martinka has managed to have merchandise that you can’t find anywhere else and even some that is no longer available. Look for well-made unusual toys for Christmas. There is a very large collection of cast- iron cookware and pottery from Marshall, Texas. Martinka has devoted his time to maintaining historic Henne Hardware.

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Felipe Delgado had a dream. It was during WWII when he was in the U.S. Army Air Corps stationed in India. He dreamed of home in New Braunfels and of creating a place of entertainment for the Hispanic people. He and his wife Elisa fulfilled that dream by building the West End Hall and West End Baseball Park.

Elisa Saenz (Delgado) was born in Seguin after her parents had come from Mexico in 1926 to find work. At age 7, Elisa and her family moved to Dittlinger or as it was called, “La Calera” meaning “the limestone”. That’s what it was, a community for employees at the Dittlinger limekiln. It was one of the businesses owned by Hippolyt Dittlinger. In 1931, he formed the Servtex Material Company.

A community grew up around the lime and rock-crushing company. Houses were provided for the workers and a building that housed both a church and a school, called the Rosa Mystica School. The teachers of the school were brought in from Our Lady of the Lake Convent. Elisa did not finish school because she, like many other children at Dittlinger, took off to be migrant workers with their families, traveling on the back of big trucks to other states to pick fruit. Those who became migrant workers were gone about three months every year during the school year.

Elisa looks back to those days at Dittlinger with fond memories. There were lots of children to play with. Her father would often make barbeque, skinning a pig with every bit of the pig used for something. Elisa also remembers how hard her mother worked washing her father’s lime-covered clothes outside in a big pot over a fire. Every day the clothes had to be washed twice to remove the lime.

Felipe Delgado and Elisa Saenz met at a baseball game being played at Carl Schurz School here in New Braunfels. As a young man, Felipe joined the U.S. Army Air Corps where he became a radio and Morse Code operator. Elisa joined him when he was on furlough in 1944 and they were married. When Felipe got out of the service, the couple remained in New Braunfels. Here they would fulfill Felipe’s dream.

Elisa had a talent that provided her with a good job. She could sew. She worked at Cater Frock, sewing top-quality children’s clothes. That business was located in the present Recreation Center in Landa Park. When that business closed, Elisa kept on sewing for other people. She sewed the ornate Mexican Folk Dresses for the Ballet Folklorico that her granddaughter was in.

After WWII, Felipe came home to New Braunfels determined to build an entertainment center for the Hispanic people in the West End. He felt that there was a need for such a business. He worked at various jobs, finally ending up with a Civil Service job. But he devoted his spare time to working on the West End Park.

The property in the West End Subdivision #2 was owned by Charles and Laura Wallace and the Delgados bought the large piece of land, about four acres, in 1947. The City gave permission for parts of Katy and Michigan Sts. to be closed to traffic because Felipe needed that property to complete his plans for his West End Park.

First, a large concrete slab was poured by the light of lanterns because there was no electricity. The park eventually contained not only the large hall, but a ballpark, a large field for outdoor activities and carnivals, and a cantina. The park became popular very quickly with its dances and special events like weddings, anniversaries, birthday celebrations, Diez y Seis celebrations, boxing matches, and the Quinceanera celebrations for girls. At times the hall with its concrete floor became a skating rink. There was a rink outside as well. Elisa cooked hamburgers inside a small area next to the stage in the hall and in the cantina.

The baseball field with its grandstand encouraged the love of baseball and many games were played with other New Braunfels teams. The West End team was called the Cardinals and later the Lions. Many teams from Mexico played on that field as well.

A tragedy almost closed the hall in 1962 when the hall burned down on New Year’s Eve. All the band instruments burned. The Delgados had two daughters, Estella and Rosalinda, and that year Estella was to celebrate her 15th birthday with a Quinceanera. The hall was rebuilt by May and the celebration went on as planned.

The Quinceanera is a Hispanic tradition celebrating the 15th birthday of a young girl’s coming of age. It recognizes her journey from childhood to maturity. The custom highlights God, family, friends, music, food and dance. Naturally when Estella’s Quinceanera was finally held, it was in the new West End Hall. It is a very formal affair with elaborate dresses, tiaras and flowers. Fourteen girlfriends are chosen by the honoree. They are dressed alike and become part of the ceremony. It begins with a religious ceremony followed by a reception and then a dance. The honoree dances the first dance with her father.

Another very important celebration at West End Hall and all over Texas, for that matter, was the Diez y Seis de Septiembre. This event celebrates Mexico’s Independence from Spain in 1810. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla launched the Mexican War of Independence from Spain on September 16th. Hidalgo set out to spread the word, carrying a staff affixed with an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. It became a symbol of the Mexican liberation movement. The struggle against Spain had to do with the rights of the “Creoles”, those who were born in the new world with Spanish ancestry, but not given the same privileges as those born in Spain. After the war, those Spanish born Europeans were expelled from Mexico. Locally this celebration includes a queen and her court for the evening.

The Delgados leased the complex in the 1970s and the hall was torn down and sold in the 1980s. West End Park and Baseball Field fist the old saying, “Gone but not forgotten.”

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