2026 Myra Lee Adams Goff Scholarship Award Essay – by Jaelynn Davidson

The Texas Hill Country was a stunning and dangerous arena of cultural conflict in the mid-19th century. To the Texas nobility of the Adelsverein, it was a fantasy of a “New Germany”; to the German peasants who arrived on the shores of the Texas coast, it was a last hope of a new life; but to the Penateka Comanche, it was the Comanchería, their ancestral domain. Although Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels is said to have founded New Braunfels, it was his successor, John O. Meusebach, whose brilliance of diplomacy ensured that Comal County would not only survive, but flourish. The Meusebach-Comanche Treaty of 1847 was the single most important event in the early history of the county, an extraordinary occasion of mutual respect and unbroken peace in the American frontier.

Upon John O. Meusebach’s arrival in New Braunfels in 1845 to assume the position of Commissioner General, he found a colony on the brink of disaster. The colony’s finances were in shambles, and the people were dying from disease and starvation. More urgently, the land grants that the settlers received were located far within Comanche territory, well north of the Comal Springs. Although the zeitgeist of the time was one of military conquest and displacement of Native Americans, the intellectual pragmatism of a scholar and bureaucrat like Meusebach dictated that if New Braunfels was to survive, it could not be an island of Europeans at war with their neighbors.

Meusebach went on an expedition with only twenty men as an entourage to the very heart of the San Saba hills. This was viewed as a suicide mission by most. However, Meusebach knew something that his contemporaries did not: the importance of “The Word.” He was determined to meet the Comanche chiefs, namely Buffalo Hump, Santa Anna, and Old Owl, without the Texas Rangers and the U.S. Army. This was a level of respect for the Comanche that was unheard of at the time.

The treaty that came out of this was revolutionary. It was not a treaty of surrender, but of co-existence. The Germans agreed to share their land and their resources, and in return, the Comanche agreed to allow the settlers to farm and travel through the area. Perhaps most importantly, the treaty allowed the Comanche access into the town of New Braunfels to trade. This brought a unique cultural exchange to Comal County, where Comanche men were often seen in the town plaza trading skins for German goods. This would have been unthinkable in other parts of Texas.

The importance of this occurrence cannot be overstated with regards to Comal County. While other frontier settlements were marred by decades of “Indian Wars,” New Braunfels was spared the bloodshed that defined the Texas borderlands. This gave them the space needed to concentrate on the development of the infrastructure that defines the county today: the mills along the Comal River, the Sophienburg, and the educational system. The treaty gave the area the literal and figurative “breathing room” that was needed for the German culture to take hold and thrive without being strangled by the specter of violence.

Today, the legacy of Meusebach’s diplomacy is incorporated into the very fabric of the identity of Comal County. It is a reminder that the history of the county is not simply one of European settlement, but of American adaptation. As Myra Lee Adams Goff so often said in her historical writings, the history of Comal County is the history of “grit.” It took grit to cross the Atlantic, but it took a different kind of courage – the courage of diplomacy – to walk unarmed into the hills to shake hands with a supposed enemy.

In sum, while the physical features of the New Braunfels heritage site – The Gruene Water Tower, the Faust Bridge, and the Comal Springs – are integral to our heritage, it is the Meusebach-Comanche Treaty that is the unseen foundation upon which all of these rest. John O. Meusebach’s decision to reject the status quo of violence in the 19th– century frontier in favor of a more peaceful approach has made Comal County a shining example of industry and culture. It is a testament to the fact that peace is not merely the absence of war but a function of respectful and courageous negotiation.

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

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

A drive through downtown New Braunfels is somewhat like a visual history of architecture course comparing different architectural styles from 1845 to mid-20th century. It may just look like a bunch of old buildings sitting side by side to some, but they tell the cultural and socioeconomic timeline of our city.

Take the old city hall building on the corner of Seguin Avenue and Mill Street, before the Wiggins Hospitality Company began transforming the historic building into its newest eatery, the building did not seem to fit in with the more traditional Italian Renaissance-style structures of downtown. It had no distinctive curvilinear parapet, no arched windows, no fancy metal cornice. Simply put, the building was rather plain. Why is it so different?

While we do generally think of government buildings being more about function than aesthetics, the design differences of our old city hall had more to do with the era in which it was built.

The good citizens of New Braunfels had established a government consisting of two elected commissioners and a mayor to handle the city’s business. For a number of years, the city commission and the city clerk occupied space in the courthouse, a massive 3½-story Romanesque-style structure built in 1898.

By early 1929, New Braunfels had grown so much that the city required more clerical help and more space. The county closed in the west courthouse porches to office the city clerk. The need for a real free-standing city hall with adequate space for city staff and records was evident.

Grown? Yep! The decade of the 1920s saw tremendous growth in Texas and New Braunfels due to several key factors. The Second Industrial Revolution took place in the U.S. from 1890 to 1930, infused by innovations in electricity, steel, railroad expansion and oil. The Comal Power Plant was built and came online in 1926, creating new jobs. The end of World War I in 1918 saw soldiers returning armed with new skills. They flooded the urban areas seeking jobs and homes. Our proximity to San Antonio military bases helped. New Braunfels’ population increased by nearly 74 percent in 10 years! Yikes! The little town was becoming a city and had nothing more to their name than a couple of desks, chairs and some records in an office they did not own.

In May of 1929, a bond issue of $35,000 passed to construct a city hall and to acquire the necessary land. Several sites were considered: the Peter Nowotny site (Seguin and Mill); the Landa residence (now County Annex), a lot at Bridge and Seguin, the Comal Hotel (now Prince Solms Inn), Eggling Market Square (possibly Markt Platz as Eggling was previous the name of Comal Hotel), and a lot near the City Hospital (Sts. Peter and Paul Thrift area). Obviously, they chose the corner of Seguin and Mill. Good choice!

By mid-July the City Commission had not only purchased the lot, they had also chosen architect Jeremiah Schmidt. Schmidt was busy between 1929 and 1933, designing and supervising a number of buildings in New Braunfels, including the First National Bank, Comal County jail and courthouse, Seele Parish House, Fire Station No. 2 on Coll Street, and Sophienburg Museum, all in varying styles.

Schmidt’s designs for the old city hall are Classic Moderne, a sub-class of Art Deco architecture. True to the Classic Moderne distinguishing features, the original old city hall has a flat roof with a small ledge at the roof-line, horizontal lines and geometric designs, decorative stone banding, metal casement windows, and glass-block windows used as front door accents. Most importantly, it had prominent outdoor steps rising to a centered, arched entry door on three sides to give the square building a powerful presence. For those of you who have looked at that building all your lives, yes, it originally had an over-sized arched front door.

The contract was let to Sipple Construction, and they broke ground on Tuesday, October 22, 1929, with 110 days to complete work. The stock market crashed exactly one week later, Tuesday, October 29, 1929. The Great Depression took a little while to trickle down to New Braunfels, but they were told to rush the work in December.

The city hall was finished and opened on Tuesday, May 7,1930, at a cost of $30,000. The building housed the city staff of four, Chamber of Commerce and the Board of City Development offices. Summer came and their new building was so warm that the city commission paid to have electric ceiling fans and desk fans installed. The final payment on the 1930 city hall was made in September 1955.

City hall became home to other departments over time. The police department, originally based out of Central Fire Station, moved into the basement. In 1955, an exterior light was added to the basement door since they went in and out at night. The police department moved into their own little white brick building next to old Central Fire Station in 1959. (That little building was later torn down for the new Central Station). New Braunfels Independent School District moved into the city hall basement offices vacated by the police department.

At some unknown point before 1959, renovations were made to the old city hall. They replaced the front doors, bricked in the archway, and hung a metal canopy over the entrance. They installed metal awnings over the windows and, although more efficient, completely changed the clean Art Deco styling.

When the city offices moved into a new home on Castell Avenue in 1992, the Sophienburg Memorial Association purchased the 1930 city hall building to house the ever-growing archives. Following the completion of a new city library, the City of New Braunfels gifted the Dittlinger Memorial Library to the Sophienburg Memorial Association in 2001. The old city hall building was sold to fund renovations to the Dittlinger library building, creating an archives library and museum exhibit hall.

Since that time, the old city hall building at Seguin and Mill has served as office space and restaurants. I’m looking forward to the new Old City Hall Restaurant, making something old new again.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum and Archives.

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

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

Emmie was not just any little girl. Born Sept 15, 1867, she was the daughter of civic and cultural leader Hermann Seele and his wife Mathilde nee Blum.

Much was expected of Emmie.

Hermann Seele was known as “The Soul of New Braunfels”, a name given him in honor of his impact on the newly founded town. In German, Seele means soul – his name was quite prophetic. He was the first school teacher in NB, holding classes in an elm grove on Coll Street just three months after the emigrants’ arrival to the banks of the Guadalupe and Comal Rivers. Seele organized traditional German societies to protect and keep the cultures of the “Old Country” alive. Vereins (Clubs) and parades like the Gesangverein (singing club), the Drama Club, the Türnverein (gymnastic club), Maifest (May Day) and Kindermaskenball and Parade (children’s masked) promoted both health and culture and kept the German language and literature alive.

Hermann Seele petitioned and got one of the State’s earliest school charters from the Texas Legislature for the formation of the New Braunfels Academy, the first public school in NB. He also helped win the lawsuit of the Veramendi heirs vs the citizens of NB, giving townfolks peace of mind and continued ownership of their property.

Seele was mayor and alderman, preacher and teacher and statesman — a tough act to follow, but Emmie did just that.

Emmie grew up amongst the second generation of the families who had immigrated to Texas. Her father’s stature in town assured her place in town society. She learned, played and worked with members of leading families such as Clemens, Faust, Moreau, Lindheimer, Voelcker, Forcke, Klappenbach and many more. Emmie attended the New Braunfels Academy, however, her father was no longer teaching. She was taught to sew, play several instruments and speak and perform in public (Declamation was a subject in school). Emmie participated in parades, played bridge and performed in plays.

In 1893, she married John Faust, one of the sons of Joseph Faust. Joseph, along with Mr. Clemens and Mr. Tipps, founded The First National Bank in 1881. Son John was also in banking, as well as merchandising, cotton buying and other lucrative endeavors. Throughout their marriage, John and Emmie travelled extensively, taking ocean liners to Europe, and trains to Mexico and parts of the US. Local newspapers record a 1904 trip to Mardi Gras in NOLA and to the St. Louis World’s Fair. They had one of the first automobiles in town and drove to San Antonio to watch “motion pictures”.

Emmie gave birth to twins within their first year of marriage; sadly, one child died at birth leaving them with only their daughter Stella. Stella contracted malaria and the Fausts took her to several health resorts including San Antonio and Mineral Wells and to doctors in San Antonio and Houston.

In 1905, the Fausts moved into their grand new home built on the 300 block of W. San Antonio Street. Still standing, this lovely, ornate, Queen Anne-style home cost $6,700 to build. The contractor/builder, Adolph Moeller, reportedly fell off a 20’ scaffolding while working on the home and ended up with “a slight head injury”.

Emmie and John doted on little Stella. She had tea parties with friends and her Seele cousins. They bought Stella wonderful life-size plaster statues in Germany of Rotkãppchen und der Wolf. These graced the landing of the ornate main staircase of the Faust Home. They were later given to the Sophienburg Museum where they still delight children and adults alike.

Stella Faust died in 1908 at the age of 14 years. It was not unexpected but hit the parents hard. John died in 1926 at the age of 65. Emmie dove head-first into philanthropic works, many benefitting the children of New Braunfels. Her tireless good works and generosity soon earned her the name of “Tante Emmie” (Aunt Emmie) from the many real and “adopted” nieces and nephews in the community.

Tante Emmie was a founding member of the Sophienburg Memorial Association in 1925, and a major contributor and donor to the building of the Sophienburg Museum in 1933. Through her time, efforts, planning and money, she built the city’s first public library in 1938. The cost of $7,500 was paid by her alone as a gift to the children and citizens of New Braunfels. No wonder they named it the Emmie Seele Faust Library in her honor.

Tante Emmie then bought and had installed the first traffic light in New Braunfels. Placed at the intersection of W. San Antonio and Academy Streets, it provided safe crossing for the schoolchildren who had to walk from the Academy to the new library on Coll Street.

Tante Emmie served on city anniversary and various parade committees including Maifest, the May Day celebration begun by her father. She was a major organizer of the 1946 Texas German Pioneer celebration, which included the unveiling of the bronze and granite German Pioneer Monument created by the sculptor Hugo Villa. It stands in Landa Park.

Tante Emmie was a longtime member the NB Bridge Club, the NB Garden Club and the Concordia Gesangverein (singing club). She was instrumental in the formation of the NB Parent-Teachers Association and a member of the NB Music Club.

Tante Emmie was one of the tireless ladies of the Womens Civic Improvement Club and a donor to their projects, some of which were a shelter out at the cemetery and building a women’s bathroom under the Bandstand on Main Plaza. As a woman, having a bathroom on the Plaza was/is a stroke of genius!

Tante Emmie was also generous to New Braunfels hospitals. She donated “a new electrical suction and ether apparatus” for use in the old Krankenhaus which made it easier to remove the tonsils and adenoids of children. She later made the largest single donation towards the building of the new New Braunfels Hospital.

Tante Emmie was a member of the German Protestant (First Protestant) Church. She was active in the adult choir, the Frauenverein (womens club) and served as church organist for 14 years. She attended services regularly until a few weeks prior to her death; on cold Sundays she could be seen sitting at the back with a mink stole around her shoulders. She also contributed to the construction of the Seele Parish Hall which was named in honor of her father.

Emmie Seele Faust died quietly at her home in New Braunfels on Sept 28, 1957 — just two weeks after her 90th Birthday.

An Oscar Haas article in a 1950 edition of The Austin American newspaper contained this quote from Tante Emmie:

“All my life, my heart’s desires have been centered in the civic interests of my home city, the city my father helped to establish in 1845. Here, he married. Here, he reared his family. Our family grew up with this community.”

In German we have a saying, “Die Apfel fãllt nicht weit vom Stamm.” (The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.) Tante Emmie, like her father Hermann Seele, gave to her community in ways we still enjoy today. As one of a later generation of adopted “nieces and nephews” of Tante Emmie, I am thankful for her energetic generosity and truly proud of her amazing legacy in New Braunfels.

Well done, Emmie.

Sources: Neu Braunfelser Zeitung, New Braunfels Herald, New Braunfels Zeitung-Chronicle, The Austin-American; Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

How we honor our dead says a lot about who we are. It embodies what we believe and how we live and die. For Hispanic Heritage Month, the Sophienburg Museum and West Side Community Center and Library have partnered to focus on where local Hispanic families have laid to rest their loved ones. We have discovered many stories to share with New Braunfels at our second Fiesta Patria event, “Jardin de las Almas” or Garden of Souls. This free event will be held Saturday, September 10, 2022, on the Sophienburg grounds from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include food, entertainment, exhibits and activities for the kids.

The graves of men, women and children of Hispanic descent can be found in each of the five main city cemeteries: New Braunfels Cemetery, Comal Cemetery, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, Panteon Hidalgo and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Cemetery. We started with the information recorded in Sexton records. With the incorporation of birth and death certificates, city land deeds, newspaper accounts, photographs, church records and Morales Funeral Home records, we began to build a story of early New Braunfels and how we lived — and died — together.

Concentrating on finding the oldest references and markers, many hours were spent this lovely warm Texas summer visiting, over and over, these places of history and culture. Each cemetery has its own unique identity.

New Braunfels Cemetery, located on West Nacogdoches between Peach and Grape streets, began in 1845 and received many of those early pioneers who founded NB. It also is the resting place for the almost 400 people buried in mass graves who died from hardship and illness like cholera. The oldest existing marker is of Johann Justus Kellner (1821-1851). The first recorded Hispanic burial was of the two-year-old son of Antonio Urdiales in 1885; four other Hispanics are recorded prior to 1900. Like so many of the souls in New Braunfels Cemetery, these are now unmarked. Many of the burial markers in this sacred ground have deteriorated over time and worse, been heavily vandalized. The identity of this relatively forgotten cemetery is one of perseverance through hardship.

Comal Cemetery is across town on Common Street and Peace Avenue. Located on land donated in 1868 by John Torrey, the first recorded burial was Fredrich (Fritz) Hartwig in 1873. However, people were using the nearby hillside covered with cedar trees (Die Peines) prior to that. A search in the sexton records revealed 33 people with Hispanic surnames were buried here between 1874 and 1900. Dionicio Lira (1879-1903) is the oldest existing marker and is located very near to Daniel Murchison’s (1809-1867) elaborate pink granite obelisk. Lira shares the immediate area with Martina Azares (1862-1906), Petro Hinojosa (1885-1919) and Pedro Dominguez (1899-1921). From its inception, Comal Cemetery’s layout made space for African Americans and Hispanics. Its identity is gracious and formal, rooted in its respect for each soul and their contributions to NB history.

Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church first had a cemetery in the late 1840s near New Braunfels Cemetery on the city’s west side. A lawsuit over polluted water resulted in a land trade that gave the church a new burial ground near Comal Cemetery. Located next to the NB Public Library on Common Street, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery was opened in 1889 with the internment of ten souls from the old cemetery. It is laid out on a strict grid with a center monument. The earliest part of the cemetery is the northern half which fronts Common Street. This half is divided equally between Hispanic and German/Anglo. This equality sparks joy!

More joy is found in the ways each half is culturally represented. The German/Anglo side is formal, dignified and focused on solemn remembrance. Their markers manifest the hard-won success of the citizens and honor them. The Hispanic half is less traditional. Honor is given but with a greater sense of creativity. Personality, color, and unique-shaped concrete markers with added decorative materials express the cultural inclination to celebrate life as well as honor death. The identity of this cemetery is one of freedom as the two cultures exist side-by-side through shared beliefs.

It wasn’t until after World War I, that the Hispanic community created their own cemetery. Panteon Hidalgo was begun through the efforts of a group of influential Hispanic men who saw the need to accommodate the growing population. Opened officially in 1920, Panteon Hidalgo is located across Dittlinger Street from the Catholic Cemetery and across Peace Street from Comal Cemetery. Hidalgo is a world of colorful tiles and artificial flowers with Its traditional concrete crosses crowded together. Unlike the German population, family plots here are rare, but it is rather fun to crisscross the cemetery finding family members and also seeing the graves of other old friends. Its identity is friendly and warm with remembrance.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church was begun in 1926 and by 1930 had grown to the point it decided to have its own cemetery. Perpetuo Socorro or Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cemetery was officially opened in 1931. This cemetery shares the block on Peace Street with Panteon Hidalgo and in many ways is similar in look and style to its neighbor. I think there are more flowers, more colored tiles, more family mementos and childrens’ toys which makes this cemetery feel very alive and cared for. It’s personal. Dignified but fun. Its identity is rooted in love of family.

We have gotten to know each of the cemeteries — each delightfully different. We have gained an understanding of how New Braunfels has grown from that early influx of pioneering Germans in the 1840s-1850s to include the African-Americans who became free in the 1860s and the Mexican citizens migrating up through Texas in the 1890s-1900s. The intensive look into our cemeteries has shown us that New Braunfels was built through the hard work and sweat of all its ethnicities. Together we have built New Braunfels and together we have died and been buried here.

Sources: Comal County Historical Commission, Sophienburg Museum & Archives

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By Tara V. Kohlenberg —

We have become somewhat accustomed to seeing motor homes, mobile homes, and tiny homes as they move down the highway to their new resting place. However, seeing a stucco building moving through downtown is more of a spectacle. That is exactly what I saw one morning in December.

As I watched the building moving along Comal Street, it brought to mind photos of the Joseph Faust home being moved to make way for a new hotel in 1929 (currently Faust Hotel). The home, a three-story classical revival beauty, was stripped of its bricks and rolled down the muddy South Seguin Avenue to its current location at 305 S. Seguin. (Read more on that story online in Around The Sophienburg November 30, 2010.)

So why move an entire downtown building deemed insignificant to save? The answers (and ultimately more questions) lie in the history. At the beginning of our story, Harry and Helena Landa purchased milling interests in New Braunfels. They developed an enterprise which became the forerunners of Dittlinger Feed & Flour Mills (now ADM Milling) and Servtex Materials (Parker Brothers and CEMEX). Their grand estate became Landa Park and the Highlands Addition on the Hill. They also owned many properties in town. The Landa homestead, about two acres, was situated between East San Antonio Street and Mill Street and behind the Courthouse and other business properties facing Seguin Avenue. In 1851, Joseph built his bride a nice wooden home, complete with outbuildings, along with the Landa Store that sat on the corner of Main Plaza and E. San Antonio. In 1891, their son, Harry Landa, razed the home and built a grand mansion for his parents on the same site (now Comal County Landa Annex). The Landa businesses continued to operate and grow under Helena and son, Harry, after the death of Joseph in 1896. Helena died in 1912, leaving her estate to Harry and his four sisters. The terms of her will ordered the sale of the property ten years after her death.

Okay, so on with the little building. Harry married in 1913 and continued to live in the Landa Mansion. Sometime about 1925-26, Harry built a 22’ x 42’ stucco office building located at 173 E. San Antonio St. directly behind the Landa store. It had windows all around, along with doors on the front & back. It also had a side door to slip into the big store through the alley. So, why would you build a new building on property that had to be sold?

The Landa Milling Company was finally sold in June of 1926. In reading a copy of the will, it explains that only the business properties had to be sold. There were other tracts of land bequeathed to each of the children/heirs that were not included in the “ten year” requirement. Harry received the two-acre main plaza property from his mother. I suspect that Harry may have built the building for his own personal office as his office phone was listed at the 173 address in 1928. He had posted “new stucco store for rent” for the same address.

In January of 1929, the Herald announced that the City Library was being moved from the corner Landa store to another location. Harry completely re-did the big store to accommodate Montgomery Ward in a long-term lease (which lasted less than a year due to the Crash). The stucco building behind Montgomery Ward, the Landa residence and Mill St. cottage were listed for rent. Harry Landa died in 1951. His holdings around Main Plaza were sold in 1954 to Jac Eisenberg (owner of Eisenberg Furniture in old Montgomery Ward Store). He then old the properties to First Federal Savings & Loan in 1957. First Federal occupied the Landa Mansion from 1948 until they moved into the renovated corner building in 1958. The mansion was torn down in 1964.

A myriad of entities rented the little stucco building through the years. The Landas hosted the Public Library at 173 E. San Antonio in 1931, before it moved to the Sophienburg Museum in 1933. In 1940, Tip Top Cleaners occupied the building. And as a side note, Fred and Maria Luna and Modern Beauty Salon were listed in the adjacent fachwerk building at 189 E. San Antonio (now gone). In the late ‘40s, the stucco building was the site of the Casa Blanca Café & Bakery, also associated with the Maria Luna Meza family.

In the ‘50s, it housed Comal Insurance, Hoppe School of Music and Guadalupe Valley Memorial Park sales office. In 1966, the building was remodeled with the memorable tile and mansard roof. Modern Beauty Salon and owner Maria Meza, became the longest resident of that address. Somewhat like the Landas, Maria Mena Luna Meza established her own family enterprise and legacy. As a young woman, she began her first hair salon in January of 1935. She opened Modern Beauty Salon two doors down in 207 E. San Antonio. The shop moved to the 189 address, operating there for about twenty-six years before moving into the 173 address, which lasted about fifty-four years. Eighty-five years of Modern Beauty Salon, plus all of the other family café’s, bakeries and homes that took place in that one little strip of downtown New Braunfels, is quite a legacy, which has almost all been demolished in the name of progress. The little stucco building, built by one ambitious merchant and taken up by another ambitious business owner, was worth saving!

On the cold, drizzly morning of December 15, 2020, the little stucco building was loaded onto a specialized trailer, like a giant pallet jack. They estimated the weight to be about 35,000 pounds. Surprise! It was more like 85,000 pounds. The little building made its way down Comal Street, made the corner at Coll Street, and on to its new spot, right behind Dr. Fred Frueholz’ stately home located at 305 S. Seguin. See how I did that? The building will be restored and used for historical education. We are beyond grateful to those involved in the restoration.

Sources: Sophienburg Museum & Archives; Around the Sophienburg by Myra Lee Goff

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman –

So, I read an article by Daniel Vaughn about just where and when Texas got its first barbecue joint. Vaughn has been looking into the history of Texas barbecue for many years. According to his research, there was a big post-Civil War wave of butcher shops across the state and this eventually led to commercial barbecue. The first mention of commercially smoked meat occurs in the October 25, 1878, Brenham Weekly Banner; the advertisement states that a butcher in Bastrop had a ready stock of barbecued meats and cooked sausages at his stall. When, I wondered, did this crowd- pleasing favorite make its debut in New Braunfels?

Submerging myself in the historic newspaper collections at the Sophienburg, I came up with some clues to follow.

Barbecue, or in most cases smoked beef and pork, was very popular in Comal County. As early as July 4th, 1855, barbecue was reported as the featured entrée at large community gatherings. On this occasion, it followed a day of patriotic parades, singing, target shoots, gymnastics and dancing. Later that same year, barbecue becomes a part of political rallies and improving voter turnout. Who wouldn’t listen to a politician prattle on and on if you had a heaping helping of FREE BBQ on your plate?

Throughout the 1870s and into the 1900s, barbecue always made an appearance at club socials, school festival days, more political rallies and new business openings. In July 1906, H.D. Gruene opened his brand new two-story red brick and wood store with a community barbecue consisting of five steers and one hog along with an undisclosed number of barrels of bread and pickles. The newspaper said “thousands” consumed the fare in “less than and hour”.

Prior to 1900, there were several local men who are mentioned repeatedly in the newspaper for their BBQ-ing skills: William Wolfshol, Walter Rauch, Charles Jonas and a Mr. Allen. These guys were in demand by various individuals, groups and dance halls to provide barbecue for consumption during events.

I digress. My original question is when did we get a barbecue joint in NB? Turns out, that like that first barbecuing butcher in Bastrop, the first “advertised” local barbecue man in New Braunfels was also the owner of a meat market.

In 1890, Harry Mergele bought the butcher shop of Carl Waldschmidt. In 1901, Harry opened a new meat market in Wetzels’s Store on Seguin Street. For more information I listened to the “Reflections” oral history recording of Edna Mergele. Harry was her uncle. Her grandad Otto and dad Charles were also butchers.

The family lived on Comal Street. They kept their livestock — – steers, hogs and other animals — – on property up on Sophienburg Hill near Carl Schurz Elementary. In other words, pretty dern close to where the Sophienburg Museum is located. On specific days of the week they slaughtered animals and then took the meat to the little Marktplatz on Comal Street to sell. The butchers in town had erected a shed at the west end of the plaza with slatted sides to provide air flow to keep the meat cool.

Edna remembers that prior to 1910, they had a building in their backyard that had three rooms: half was divided into two rooms with floors, the other half was one room with a dirt floor. In this room, they would bring the slaughtered animals from “the Hill” and would clean and prepare the meat for sale. They would make “meat” sausage year round, but would only make blutwurst, liverwurst and hogshead cheese in the fall. Her father Charles also ran a saloon which sold beer, soda water, homemade bread, butter and brick cheese. Charles was a well-known barkeep and worked at several saloons in New Braunfels.

Uncle Harry Mergele’s meat market got a telephone around February of 1903. He advertised that you could now just phone in your meat orders by calling number 33. But, it’s the advertisement that appears in the NB Herald on September 14th, 1906, that made me smile. “BARBECUED MEAT. Every Saturday and Sunday at Harry Mergele’s meat market.”

So there you have it. As far as I’ve been able to find, this is the earliest mention of commercially produced barbecue in New Braunfels!

If, in fact, Harry was the first to realize the profit potential of barbecue, he was definitely not the last. In the early 1900s other meat market owners joined him in setting up their own barbecue pits.

Thank God, they did.

Sources: “The First Barbecue Joint in Texas,” Daniel Vaughn; Sophienburg Museum & Archives historic newspaper collections; “Reflections” program #120, Edna Mergele.

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By Keva Hoffmann Boardman —

New Braunfels, founded on March 21, 1845, traditionally celebrated the city’s anniversaries in May, because of agricultural and weather issues. The 25th Anniversary was held Sunday and Monday, May 15-16, 1870. Jubilee committees worked from March through May to plan the event. At 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, the committee handed over the festival grounds to the Jubilee president. A cannon shot, fired by first founder Fr. Heidemeyer from the Sophienburg, was answered by cannon shot, fired by first founder Hugo Loep, from the festival grounds. First founders Seele, Rennert, Wetzel, Lindheimer and Moreau signed a telegram to J. von Wrede in Wiesbaden: “Send the following dispatch to Prince Carl Solms Braunfels: All hail from the Citizens of New Braunfels at their Jubilee!”

Sunday hadn’t even dawned when at 4 a.m. twenty-five cannon shots were fired from the Verein cannons on Sophienburg Hill. People were stirring bright and early on that partly cloudy, breezy day. The Catholic and Protestant churches held shortened services with sermons based on Deut.28: 3-4: “Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field…”. After services, 37 young ladies presented an embroidered white silk banner to the Türnverein in front of the old courthouse (Chase Bank corner of Main Plaza).

Mrs. Edna Faust (first director of the Sophienburg Museum) translated Lindheimer’s musings on that day.

As Lindheimer went through the streets that Sunday morning he saw many decorated residences and business houses. There was a triumphal arch at the entrance and exit of each main street [4 at Main Plaza]. There were many inscriptions and symbols. A few of the houses were decorated only with American and German flags, but most of them were decorated with garlands, wreaths, and festoons. The dates 1845 and 1870 could be seen on many of the houses and on the triumphal arches. At the entrance to San Antonio street the arch showed a view of a log hut with an Indian nearby and a wilderness out of which the tents of the immigrants were showing. On the arch reverse, a woolen factory was painted with its high chimney. A farmer was returning from his field, and from the blue sky a cornucopia was blessing the land with its gifts.

Hermann Seele’s home on San Antonio Street was richly decorated and on its front was the coat of arms of his native city Hildesheim. It bore an inscription in Latin: “Give peace, O Lord, in our days!” A rope was strung from Pfeuffer’s Store diagonally across to Gruene’s Store with garlands, wreaths, and streamers and a United States flag right over the middle of the street. A large US flag thirty feet long was fastened to a cable strung from the courthouse to the two-story house of Halm and Mueller. The stores of Wetzel, Scherff, and Simon were tastefully decorated. Over the entrance to Bernhard’s Store was a scene depicting an immigrant under the figure 1845 who was grinding his corn into meal on a mill fastened to a tree. Moreau’s Store was decorated with columns and festoons to resemble a Greek temple. It reminded Lindheimer of “Die Götter Griechenlands,” a poem by Schiller.

A verse from a church hymn was lettered [in German on a slate] above the door of the Protestant Church. The front of the Neu Braunfelser Zeitung building was decorated with foliage and festoons, and in a large wreath of roses and foliage appeared a verse. On the front of the New Braunfels Academy the following verse in German could be seen: “Long live New Braunfels! May future generations find here a site for morals and right!”

There were triumphal arches at the east end of Seguin Street between Brun’s house and Forke’s Store, on Comal Street between the residences of Julius Rennert and H. Lister, between the homes of Ziegenhals and Boerner, between the homes of Lawler and Mergele, on Market Square between the residences of Floege and Landa, and on Mill Street between the homes of G. Weber and Goldenbagen and those of W. Ludwig and Dr. Lehde [7 crossing over the streets].

Sunday’s procession formed at 10 a.m. in front of the school at Academy and Mill streets. Turning left on San Antonio, it was led by Grand Marshall Friedrich Hoffmann, the US flag and a 12-member City Band. Citizens followed in specific order:

1. Eight white-dressed girls strewing flowers
2. First Founders and their descendants
3. County officials (Governor Davis and legislators declined invite)
4. Mayor and city council members
5. Principal, teachers and pupils of the NB Academy with a blue silk banner
6. Teachers and students of the Catholic School, Wipprecht’s School, and Union School of Comaltown
7. NB Gesangverein with two banners
8. Schuetzenverein men marching with their rifles
9. Guests from Fredericksburg, Boerne, Comfort, San Antonio, Bastrop, Austin, Seguin and San Marcos
10. Citizens of New Braunfels and their families
11. Group of men on horseback made up of sons of Comal County farmers
12. Decorated coaches and carriages of rural families from Comal County

The procession passed through three arches on the Plaza before turning right on Comal Street. Proceeding south through four more arches it turned right again to Seguin Street and headed north to Mill Street passing under another three arches. Turning right at Mill, the procession crossed the bridge over the Comal to the festival grounds. Another arch had been constructed over the bridge upon which bore the words, “Vivat Neu Braunfels!”.

The festival grounds (Prince Solms Park area) were entered through a large triumphal arch. Further back was a smaller arch painted with 1845 and a vase of wild flowers and 1870 and a vase of cultivated flowers. To its right was a tall flagpole flying an American flag with the cannon furnished by General Reynolds of San Antonio at its foot and to its left were wooden scaffoldings for fireworks. A sixty-foot dance floor had been laid, with railings and a platform for the speakers and musicians. The gymnastic equipment of the Türnverein was set up behind it.

Passing through the triumphal arch, the individual groups placed their flags, banners and standards at designated spots around the dance pavilion. The City Band played “Hail Columbia!” and Hermann Seele gave a welcome address to the 6000 people on the grounds! After the band played “Yankee Doodle”, lunch was served from tables piled with platters of barbecue, knives and forks and “new” plates.

The New Braunfels Gesangverein and other singing groups serenaded the crowds with “The Shepherd’s Sunday Song”, “The German Fatherland”, “The Rhine”, “Hunters”, and “Farewell and Homecoming from France”. At 3 p.m., Hermann Seele delivered the Julbilee speech which was followed by a shooting contest won by William Habermann. Later, Türnverein members wowed the crowds with horizontal bar routines and there were games for the children.

A Bürgerball (Citizens’ Dance) began at 7 p.m. and included a grand march. The first day ended with a fireworks display of red and white Bengal’s Fire, Roman candles, fire wheels and firecrackers.

Next time: 25th Birthday, Day 2

Sources: Faust Collection, Heilig album, Seele collection, Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung: Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

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The articles of the Verein zum Schutz detscher Einwandrer in Texas (also known as the Society of Noblemen or the Adelsverein) required that the spiritual needs of the immigrants were to be met. The calendar and customs of church life were an important part of the Germanic culture. After their arrival and founding of New Braunfels on March 21, 1845, it is said that the people broke into two groups, Catholic and Protestant, and gathered under the shade of trees to literally say, “Thank you, God, for getting us here.”

And now, a little more info on the congregations. Please use the numbered photos for reference.

The Protestants chose to meet in a grove of elms at the foot of what became known as Sophienburg Hill. By 1846, a wooden church (1) with an onion-shaped dome (Zwiebelsturm) had been constructed on the corner of Castell and Church streets (Church later became Coll). The first pastor was Rev. L. C. Ervendberg. The present limestone First Protestant Church, at 296 S. Seguin St., was begun in 1875 and dedicated in 1889. The stately church has seen several renovations but remains alive and well.

The Catholics elected to worship under an oak tree near Comal Creek. The legendary Catholic Oak still thrives. The congregation moved into a small wooden chapel in 1847. This was quickly replaced in 1849 by a larger church built of black walnut (2); Father Claude Dubois led the first Mass. The present limestone Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, at 386 N. Castell St., was constructed around the black walnut church so that masses were not interrupted during the building process. It was dedicated in 1888. The church added a school in 1871 which educates young New Braunfelsers to this day.

As more immigrants settled in the area, other churches began appearing that reflected more specific denominations and congregations. In 1851, Theobald Kleiss, a German missionary, organized St. Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Neighborsville area across the Guadalupe River (roughly the Milltown area). A wood church building was constructed in 1851, on Church Hill Drive, to house the growing congregation. In 1880, the main door was moved to the end of the building, the pitch of the roof was increased and the bell tower was added (3). The neighboring Church Hill School met the needs of the parish children. St Martin’s was moved to its present location in Hortontown Cemetery in 1968. Visible from Loop 337, St. Martin’s, the “oldest Lutheran church in Texas”, watches over its past congregation.

The New Braunfels German Mission, based on Methodism, was founded in 1853 in the Comaltown home of J. Hirschleber. In 1858, the first Methodist church building was erected at 124 N. Union Street (4) and held services until 1912, when the Karbach Memorial Methodist Church was constructed at 572 W. San Antonio Street. The present First United Methodist Church building replaced the Karbach church in 1952.

By the 1860’s, German-speaking Jews began to establish businesses in the area. Families usually worshipped privately in their homes but made several trips each year to celebrate with the larger Jewish community in San Antonio. There has never been a Jewish synagogue in New Braunfels (5).

The Colored Methodist Church, built in 1900 at 225 E. Commerce Street, was organized in 1890 by H.P. Evans. Though born a slave, Evans could read and write and had a desire to begin a congregation for the African American community of New Braunfels. The church first used a house on the corner of Comal and Castell. In 1907, the church took the name Allen Chapel A. M. E. Church (6).

Rev. Lucky McQueen organized The Colored Baptist Church under a live oak tree at the corner of Houston and Camp Sts. in 1900. By the end of that year, the 14 original members were worshipping in a new church building at 355 N. Washington Avenue (7). The church was built by Sam and Tim Williams and was renamed Live Oak Baptist Church in honor of its founding. Eventually, a cast steel bell was purchased and hung in the bell tower. During renovations in 1983, the weight of the bell was found to be too much for the historic structure and it was removed. The congregation gifted the bell to the Sophienburg Museum in 2008. This small church still holds services and is a testament to the faith of the families which have called it their spiritual home for generations.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church was organized in 1926 by Sts. Peter & Paul as a mission church to serve the growing population of Mexican farm workers settling in the Comaltown community. By December 5, 1926, 40 Spanish-speaking families celebrated Mass in a new church building at 138 W. Austin Street (8). Two years later, a fire destroyed the first church. It was rebuilt along with a school building. The present O.L.P.H. Catholic church was constructed in 1969 near the original location. In 1944, the old O.L.P.H. “Sisters’ House” was dismantled and moved to the corner of Hidalgo and San Antonio Sts. to be used as the first building for Holy Family Catholic Church.

Obviously, these are not the only churches in New Braunfels, but they are among the earliest founded within the city. Other churches, founded around the same time in townships and settlements in Comal County, will have to wait for another time. You can see photographs and artifacts from these early churches in an exhibit at the Sophienburg Museum & Archives.

Today, New Braunfels residents can worship in churches reflecting many denominations and faiths. The Adelsverein did well to uphold the right of freedom of religion in their new colony which was destined to become part of this great country we call home.

Sources: Newspaper collection, Sophienburg Museum & Archives; History of New Braunfels and Comal County, Texas 1844-1946 and First Protestant Church Its History and Its People, Oscar Haas; A Journey In Faith, Gregory and Goff; The History of Sts. Peter & Paul Church and Parish 1844-1974, Monica Fuhrmann

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It’s been reported that Texas has more buried treasure than any other state. There are 229 sites within our borders with an estimated total of $348 million in unclaimed treasure.

Generations of Texans and starry-eyed treasure hunters have sought for the hidden loot of famed robbers like Sam Bass, secret Spanish gold and silver mines, or even buried Confederate gold. I’ve stumbled across a couple of treasure finds that have occurred right here in our neighborhood. Here’s a good on from long ago.

Johahn Steiner had chosen his 320 acres at the upper spring of Coyote Creek on the Guadalupe River watershed near Cibolo. One day in October 18–, while hunting turkey, he stopped to look at some unusual rock formations and noticed the entrance to a cave about six feet above the creek bed. Scrambling up to take a look, Johahn (as all good Texans do) first poked inside with a big stick. Sure enough, he heard the loud rattling sound of a coiled up rattlesnake. He killed the rattler with one well-aimed shot, then carefully reached in to obtain the rattles for a trophy (again, how Texan!). His hand fell upon a smooth rounded object. Bringing it out into the daylight, Steiner was greeted with the hollow eyes and toothy grin of a skull.

Johahn carefully crawled into the cave and found the complete mummified remains of a Native American. An assortment of arrows lay near him — stout ones with heavy stone points good for buffalo hunting and lighter arrows for use in warfare. There were also two bows, a spear, a tomahawk and “a buffalo-hide shield fringed with scalps of coal-black straight hair.” Just a little away from the body, lay a buckskin-wrapped and tied bundle. It was heavy!

Taking the bundle to the cave’s entrance, he unwrapped the buckskin and found 20 small metal bars, about 2 pounds each, with a brownish tint of dust and grime. Johahn took his knife, carefully scraped the grime off a bar and revealed shiny yellow metal — GOLD!

Steiner’s head began to swim with thoughts about what to buy. A stove? Cattle? A rocker and bed? A sombrero with silver conchos, silver spurs and a fine saddle with silver trim?

Steiner repackaged the small bars into two bundles. The next morning, he rode into San Antonio to see a dealer located near the Alamo. He gently placed the bundles on the counter. The dealer unwrapped the bars and thought for several moments.

“I’ll give you $8.” Steiner blinked, “You mean, $8000. Is it not gold?”

Without saying a word, the dealer placed a gold ring into a bowl and set it next to Steiner’s metal bars. He picked up a bottle of “saltpetresaure” (nitric acid) and dribbled the liquid over the ring and the bars. Nothing happened to the ring; Steiner’s bars began to dissolve.

“It’s bronze, a kind of brass,” explained the dealer. “The Spanish brought it in great quantities to trade with the Indians. The Indians, not knowing the difference in the metals, traded their Mexican gold rings and necklaces for the bigger bars of finely polished brass.”

Poor Mr. Steiner. But his was not the only story of gold treasure I found.

On August 24, 1964, Frank Luna was working with a water pipeline crew 10 miles south of New Braunfels. He spotted a corroded copper chest hidden under mesquite brush and called over his foreman, C. A. Ruppel. The men pulled the chest out of the bushes.

“We thought it might be a bomb,” Ruppel was reported to have said. However, the two men obviously thought it could be something much more valuable since they first agreed to split the contents 50-50 before they opened it. Cutting through the brass rod which made the lock, they forced open the chest revealing tidy stacks of gold coins under a metal grate.

The 84 golden coins on top were inscribed with “Hispan Arum Rex” and “Ludovicus 1 Dei Gra”. The Spanish coins of King Luis 1 of Spain covered stacks of 2, 436 — wait for it — brass washers with milled edges to give the illusion of stacked coins!

Luna and Ruppel contacted Sheriff Fellers who put the chest in his office at the courthouse. Folks came in the hundreds to gaze upon the mysterious treasure chest. Sheriff Fellers was reported saying that he wished, “someone would legally determine who owns it and get it out of my office!” The news went viral. Ruppel and Luna spent the afternoon smiling for photographers from TV stations and answering questions from reporters. Newspapers across the state and even one from Chicago, were asking the big question, “Are they real gold?”

Many believed that the coins were real, for hadn’t the chest been found on the El Camino Real? Surely each of the 84 coins was worth $2000 which made the whole chest worth over $1 million. By late afternoon, almost 300 “prospectors” were digging along the road near the site of the find.

Dr. William Burns came up from the Witte Museum. He examined the chest and found shiny screws. It weighed in at 122 pounds. “Too light,” he declared, “the chest an elaborate hoax.” Just in case, he tested the metal coins and found them to be brass. Still clinging to the hope of some reward, Luna and Ruppel placed the chest in Guaranty State Bank and hired themselves lawyers to keep track of each man’s claim. Two coins were reported to have been sent to the US Mint for further analysis.

A week later, the mystery of the “gold” treasure chest still made headlines. The hoax had been implemented with great skill: two dies had been engraved to make the coins and all those washers had milled edges to look like coins. Several thought that the chest must have been part of a Hollywood stunt or promotion. William Mahon, a professional gold digger from Garland, said it would have cost “$10,000 to pull off such a fantastic stunt.” He told Ruppel and Luna to get bids on the value of the chest and then call him, he was ready to buy the ‘truly worthless masterpiece of bamboozlery” for $500.

The mystery continues. After the first blush of excitement, the treasure chest hoax fades from the news. I would love to know the rest of this story, so if you can shed some light on this, please contact me at the Sophienburg Museum 830.629.1572 or post on the Sophienburg Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/sophienburg.museum/).

Sources:

• The New Braunfels Herald
• The New Braunfels Zeitung Chronicle
• The San Antonio Express-News
• The Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung Jahrbuch, Fred Oheim, Editor
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/

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I ended the last article talking about Oscar Friedrich, the brother of the old naturalist, Otto Friedrich. I continued looking into this family of naturalists, artists, and come to find out, big game hunters.

Oscar’s son, was named Frederic Louis, but he went by the name of Otto Jr. (Little Otto must have really liked his butterfly-chasing uncle!) Otto Jr. became very well-known for being a bear hunter and a crazy good shot under pressure. His escapades were immortalized by his father, Oscar, in pencil and oil art works and in newspaper stories.

During the last days in November, my son Otto was roaming around looking for turkey; he was about 1 ¼ miles from his place near the Rohde Farm when he caught sight of four bears — a male, female and two half-grown bears — on a cedar-crested hill on the other side of the road near a deep creek. After a quick decision and with full confidence in his Winchester, he carefully crept toward this spot and saw a young bear which seemed to have noticed him … with a single shot, the bear was dead. Quickly another cartridge was put into the gun. At the outcry of the shot young bear, the mother bear came forward and with another well-aimed shot, that bear lay dead. The second young bear was attacked by my son’s dog and climbed up a tree. My son killed this bear with another shot. The bear, just wounded, needed a shot to the head.

Four shots. Ten minutes time. Otto had killed three bears only ten miles north of the city on the Guadalupe. Before you get upset that he killed them, consider the times. It’s November 1880. People hunted for food, for skins, and to protect their families and animals.

Oscar Friedrich painted “Four Bears at Sundown” and hung it in the Guadalupe (Schmitz) Hotel. It showed his son, Otto, standing with his Winchester and the three dead bears. In 1866, he added a companion painting to the hotel exhibit, “Four Deer at Dawn”, which portrayed a scene of his son and four downed deer.

The Sophienburg Museum has a pencil and ink drawing on painted canvas by Oscar Friedrich. It too tells a story of Otto’s marksmanship. Oscar related the story to the press in detail.

On the evening of May 24, Otto Friedrich, Frank Schlather and Theodor Meckel, all on horseback, went hunting for raccoons and other small animals accompanied by seven hunting dogs. At about 10 pm, the dogs scented the tracks of a larger animal and soon their peculiar barking indicated that they had brought their prey to bay. As the hunters came to the creek bottom, they saw an immensely big bear in a cedar tree. Otto was the only one with a gun, a breechloader with small-shot shells. Their position was about 3 miles from the farm where Friedrich had his much-needed Winchester.
On foot, this already well-known bear hunter, took a stand about 12 steps from the bear and fired a salvo at the bear’s throat. The bruin was only angered by it and came down from the tree to fight his way through the pack of dogs and escape into the night. The horse-mounted men and the dogs rushed after the bear in a wild race plunging through dense brush, over steep hills, and through creek beds. Night had come and with the moon obscured by thick clouds, the creek bottoms were cloaked in darkness making the chase troublesome. Never-the-less, the hunters pressed on until the barking dogs had cornered the bear in a big black walnut tree.
As the hunters neared, the bear jumped down and fought with the dogs which forced him back up the tree. Once more the bear came down and this time got through the hounds to escape in the darkness. The dogs and the hunters were in noisy pursuit, over hills, through valleys, by cliffs, and down rough slopes. The race stopped with the bear cornered in a tall live oak tree along the limestone cliffs of the Guadalupe River. Only Meckel’s hunting dog and two others had endured the 3-hour chase.
Meckel left to get the Winchester and a hunting lantern from Friedrich’s nearby farm. Even with the lantern, the darkness prevailed at the treetop and the bear was hard to see, but Otto discerned the black mass of the bruin among the foliage. After the crack of an apparently well-aimed shot, the beast tumbled down from a height of more than 20 feet, breaking two tree limbs in its fall. The bullet had only disabled one of the front legs. In a moment the bruin was fleeing into the brush and darkness with men and dogs in pursuit. Frank Schlather’s shirt and pants were torn into shreds. Horses, dogs, men and the beast were exhausted but the exciting pursuit continued.
Again the dogs cornered the bear who turned and began to fight. Meckel’s best hunting hound was killed and Otto shot the bear just about 150 steps from the location of his earlier bear hunt. The bear stopped and turned toward Friedrich who was on his white horse. A second shot and the bear fell dead. The wild and dangerous night chase on horseback had lasted from 10pm to 3am. Two prize-winning hunting dogs were dead. The bear, fat with a fine shiny pelt, weighed 450 pounds. The bear meat was offered to New Braunfels residents as a delicacy.

The museum’s picture, named “The Dominating Bruin”, commemorates this 1883 tale with remarkable detail and skill. It depicts a huge bear, standing on his hind legs advancing on his attacker. Otto is in front of it, bravely raising his Winchester to dispatch the massive creature. The landscape is replete with rocks and trees, hills fading away in the distance, several hogs running off to one side and a lone bird in the sky. A news article in July 1886, praises the talent of Oscar Friedrich and how amazing it was that a man, untrained in art, could show superior ability in his hunting scenes.

My romantic theory? This family of brothers were immersed in the wonder and beauty of their Texas. Old Otto studied its variety in the insects and butterflies he so carefully collected. Oscar loved its color and detail and capturing the life and death drama of his son’s hunts. And Otto Jr.? He found joy in the abundance and provision of creation.

Sources:

• Neu-Braunfelser Zeitung
• Comal County Census, 1860, 1870, 1880
• Oscar Haas collection
• Frederick Oheim collection
• Roemer’s Texas 1845-1847, Ferdinand Roemer
• A Life Among the Texas Flora, Minetta Altgelt Goyne
• A New Land Beckoned, Chester William and Ethel Hander Geue
• Wanderer’s Between Two Worlds, Douglas Hale

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