By Tara V. Kohlenberg

St. Nikolaus is thought to be the forerunner of our modern Santa Claus. Like other old legends, there are many variations of the St. Nikolaus story. He was from Turkey and in the 4th century entered the seminary. He soon became the Bishop of Myra, Asia Minor, and won many converts. Because of his popularity, the Romans imprisoned him. Finally, the new emperor, Constantine, released him from prison and even made him a church council member. He was known for selling off his own items and then giving the money to the poor. He would commonly leave coins in peoples’ shoes and dedicated his entire life to serving people who were sick and suffering. This is how he gained his saint status, and is what inspired St. Nikolaus Day celebrated on December 6.

One well-known story of St. Nikolaus involves a dowry for a father’s three daughters. In the third century, it was common for fathers to offer money to prospective husbands. However, one poor father with three daughters did not have money to do this. St. Nikolaus paid for all three daughters’ dowries by leaving gold in their shoes.

St. Nikolaus Day was celebrated in different ways. In Italy, this day was celebrated with feasts, gift-giving, and festivals. In Germany and the Netherlands, children would leave their shoes in front of the fireplace or front door the night of the 5th and find presents in them in the morning. Because of Nikolaus’ generosity, he became the patron saint of children in several countries.

During the Protestant Reformation, St. Nikolaus was banished from most European countries. The Dutch made him the protector of sailors and began the tradition of children filling wooden shoes with treats. Americans went from wooden shoes to leather shoes to long socks, even stretchable panty hose. In American New England, where the Dutch settled, they spelled St. Nikolaus “Sint Nikolass” which, with time, became “Sinterklass” and finally Santa Claus.

Clement Moore wrote the poem, “The Night Before Christmas” and he described St. Nikolaus as a little man in a red robe with a belly that “shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly.” This description contradicted the vision of a tall, stately man in a red Bishop’s robe trimmed in fur with a long white beard as described before. It also smashed St. Nikolaus into Christmas Eve and away from his saint day.

Then cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a picture of what he thought Santa looked like for Harper’s Weekly in 1881. Nast’s picture definitely put on weight. He looked like the Santa of today. As with the Christmas tree, St. Nikolaus was brought to Texas by German immigrants. For the last fifteen years, our St. Nick at the Sophienburg has been a combination of several versions from those stories. He wore a hooded red robe trimmed with animal fur and had a long beard. Nikolaus speaks only German and hollers out to the children, “Kannst du beten?” or “Can you pray”? and without even understanding what he said, the wide-eyed children say, “Yes, I can pray”.

The Sophienburg Museum & Archives has hosted St. Nikolaus for forty-plus years, with several versions of the Saint. We wish to pay tribute to one of them — the quiet, unassuming man who brought life to St. Nikolaus here for the past fifteen years, Michael Gene Krause.

Michael was born in New Braunfels, Texas, and raised on the family ranch about 15 miles outside of town. A descendant of several German families who helped found New Braunfels, he learned to speak German first and learned English in elementary school. He grew up on the ranch as an only child and only grandchild on both family sides. He was an inquisitive child and as a teen became interested in herpetology. He actually had a functioning snake stick. Michael chose to wear a white shirt and tie every day of high school to honor his father who was in a management position at City Public Service in San Antonio. His father held a BS in Mechanical Engineering from UT-Austin and was involved with the planning of the South Texas Nuclear Plants.

Michael was a 1974 graduate of Canyon High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with specializations in Nuclear and Heat Transfer from the University of Texas at Austin — with highest honors. Michael finished his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering with the same nuclear specialization at UT in 1984 and then went on to work for 36 years at the University of Texas at Austin at the UT TRIGA Nuclear Research Reactor. Michael was very good at his job managing and maintenance of the UT TRIGA Nuclear Reactor. He often gave training demonstrations and lectures to nuclear operators in other countries, including Egypt, Malaysia, Morocco, Thailand, and Algeria. During his work at UT, and after retirement from there, he continued operation of the family ranch, eventually becoming its owner.

Michael and his wife Connie, were active in New Braunfels’ historical community. He was a member of several local organizations including the Sophienburg Museum and Archives, the Comal County Genealogy Society, the German-American Society, the New Braunfels Conservation Society, and the German-Texan Heritage Society where Michael was president for several years. Michael was also well-known in helping folks locate ancestors’ graves using divining rods. He was a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and along with his appearances as a German-Texan Saint Nikolaus at the Sophienburg, he played the part for many other Central Texas groups since 1995. Michael Krause passed away in July after a short illness, leaving his wife Connie and many, many friends to miss his sense of humor and wry smile.

St. Nikolaus will be at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives again on Sunday, Dec. 5. Call the museum to RSVP for either the 5pm or 6:30pm session. $5 per family.

Sources: Around the Sophienburg, Myra Lee Goff; Michael Gene Krause by Connie Krause; Sophienburg Museum personal recollection.

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Growing up in New Braunfels, I was well acquainted with the name Giesecke. I knew the names of all the watering holes from early age on – Landa Park pool, Camp Ulbricht, City Park (later Cypress Bend Park), Camp Warnecke, and Camp Giesecke. Camp Giesecke across the street from Camp Warnecke (now Surfenberg) changed its name to “The Other Place” long after I plunged into the icy 71 degree Comal River.

The name Giesicke is not an easily pronounced name. Like most German names, the accent is on the first syllable and it sounds something like “Gee sick ee”. Later owners changed the name from Camp Giesecke to The Other Place because tourists were constantly asking if they were at Camp Warnecke. “No, this is the other place.” And that’s what it became.

Fredrick Ernst Giesecke was owner of the 60 acres on the Comal River. He was born in Latium, Texas, on a farm near Washington-on-the Brazos in 1869. He was the son of Capt. Julius Giesecke, Fourth Texas Confederate Cavalry, and his wife Wilhelmina Groos. After the Civil War, Capt. Giesecke moved his family to New Braunfels in 1873. He became the technical manager of the New Braunfels Woolen Mills. After this mill declared bankruptcy, Capt. Giesecke became one of the owners of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung and their bookkeeper. The Sophienburg is the owner of the original desk made by Jahn furniture maker for Julius Giesecke. When he moved out of the mill, he took the desk with him to the Zeitung office.

The house in which Julius Giesicke’s family lived is still standing at 276 E. Coll St. on the Comal River. It was built in 1881. Growing up near the Comal probably had an effect on Julius’ son, Fredrick. He entered school in New Braunfels after the move from Latium and graduated from the NB Academy in 1882. Then he entered the German-American school in San Antonio.

Fredrick enrolled in Texas A & M College and received his first degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1890. Throughout his college years, he was head of his class and maintained the highest military rank at A & M. He won both the physics and mathematics medals. During his senior year at age 19, Fredrick began teaching at A&M and became head of the department. When Fredrick married Hulda Gruene in 1891, he designed their home of the campus. Hulda Gruene was the daughter of Ernst Gruene, Jr., a prominent family in New Braunfels.

In 1910 Fredrick and Hulda purchased a 60-acre piece of property that that had been the Reeh farm. The location of the land can be described more easily using today’s landmarks. Across the river from New Braunfels and across from the old Woolen Mill, the Comal River makes a bend towards the Guadalupe River forming a peninsula. The property went all the way to San Antonio Street on the northwest side. This area later became The Other Place and Camp Warnecke property. Camp Warnecke became part of Schlitterbahn, making up the 60 acres. The Gieseckes would use the property as a family summer retreat. Since both sets of grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Gruene, Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. Julius Giesecke lived in New Braunfels, this would give the four children an opportunity to be with their grandparents.

At first, the only way to get to the town of NB from the Gieseke property was by a suspension foot bridge until a permanent bridge was located in the same spot at Garden St. The bridge still stands.

Professor Giesecke started a summer school on the 60 acres for A & M and UT students to prepare them for college entrance or for those with a deficiency. On the peninsula, the family and faculty lived in small cabins and Giesecke built his house on the tallest point on the peninsula. That house is the only one still standing and has never been flooded. It is on The Other Place property. The students stayed in tents on the river and helped in the construction of small cabins that were added gradually.

Some of you might remember the water wheel (gone with a flood) at the rapids area at Camp Warnecke. In the late 1800s, Harry Landa had created the first electric power plant. Electricity did not extend across the Comal River into the Gieseke property. Gus Tolle furnished the water wheel and his wheel was to furnish electric power for lights. Giesecke borrowed a motor and generator set from A & M College the first summer. The light produced from the waterwheel was unsatisfactory because the paddles were water-logged on one side and the wheel ran with a lope that caused the lights to dim and flare up with each revolution. The second year, Harry Landa had a power line run to the camp from his power plant at the entrance of Landa Park.

Drinking water was hauled from the headwaters of the Comal. Classes were held in the shade of the trees along the river where blackboards and seats were arranged according to the direction of the light. The A & M football squad trained there for two seasons under Coach Chas. Moran. (100^th anniversary edition of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung in 1952)

In 1912 Professor Giesecke left A& M College and accepted a position as head of the University of Texas, Austin, Dept. of Architecture. He wanted his three daughters to be educated there and also his son would be able to do graduate work. Aside from teaching at U.T. and running the summer school, Giesecke had time to study at the University of Illinois and receive his PhD.

Realizing that 60 acres was a lot of land, more than he needed, he sold all but four acres to Otto and Martha Warnecke, who developed the famous Camp Warnecke, home of the rapids. Eventually 103 cabins were built on this property plus a screened dance hall and a restaurant run by Martha Warnecke.

In 1927, Dr. Giesecke was back at A & M College and became the director of the Engineering Experimental Station. He was also a professor of architecture and appointed as the college architect. As architect he was responsible for designing over 15 buildings on campus, most of which are still standing.

When Dr. Giesecke died in 1935, his daughter Alma Hodges managed the property and moved from the Camp Giesecke home that had been turned into a motel, to the original Julius Giesecke home on E. Coll St. She managed Camp Giesecke until 1946 when the camp was sold to Dr. Stanley Woodward, Jack Krueger, and William Hovestadt. The new owners named the camp “The Other Place”. The present owner is Woodward’s daughter, Sarah Shea and her husband Barry.

As I have said many times before, “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end.”

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