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Willow City, Texas

Everything Willow City is known for

1 song mention this city

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Music in Willow City

Songs About Willow City

Sacramento Blues
Dolly Shine
52%
"Well I came here from Willow City"

Artists From Willow City

No artists from Willow City in the database yet.

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Rivers & Roads in Song near Willow City

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Willow City.

Pedernales River 6 songs Texas State Highway 71 2 songs Blanco River 4 songs Texas Colorado River 6 songs Guadalupe River 18 songs Interstate 10 36 songs

Musical Heritage

Luckenbach dance hall and townsite RoadyGoat

Luckenbach isn't really a town — it's a wide spot outside Fredericksburg, a dance hall and a couple of buildings under the oaks. German farmers settled it back in the 1840s; the Luckenbach family gave it the name, and there's been a dance hall here since the late 1800s. Then in 1970, a rancher and self-appointed clown prince named Hondo Crouch bought the near-dead little place outright and turned it into outlaw-country holy ground. In 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker hauled a mobile studio out to the open-air stage and cut "Viva Terlingua!" live. Willie Nelson brought his Fourth of July Picnic here in the late 1990s. Hondo's daughter, Cris Crouch Graham, still tells the stories. Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach — that was always the joke, and the point.

RoadyGoat → · 13.4 mi away

History of Willow City

Eckert, TX RoadyGoat

The town of Eckert, Texas, was originally named Nebo, after the nearby Nebo Mountain. However, in 1903, when Wilhelm Rudolph Eckert opened a store in the location and became the first postmaster, he requested that the town be renamed in his honor, and thus, Nebo became Eckert.

Eckert, TX RoadyGoat

In 1875, white settlers arrived in what is now Eckert, Texas, and established a log church called Mount Zion. This church became the nucleus around which the small community of Nebo grew, named after the nearby Nebo Mountain. The town's history took a significant turn in 1903 when Wilhelm Rudolph Eckert opened a store and became the first postmaster. It was at his request that Nebo was renamed Eckert. The population reached its peak in 1925 with 100 residents, but today, Eckert is a ghost town, a shadow of its former self.

Eckert, TX RoadyGoat

One of the key landmarks in Eckert's history is Mount Zion, a log church built by white settlers in 1875. This church was the foundation around which the community of Nebo, and later Eckert, grew.

RoadyGoat →

Hugo and Anna Gold Crenwelge House

1905

Jacob Gold, Jr. (d. 1914) gave this property to his daughter, Anna (1878-1957), and her husband Hugo Crenwelge (1877-1948) in 1902. Three years later the Crenwelges built this home. Constructed of hand-cut limestone quarried near the site, the house features large ashlar blocks and lintels, a two-level gallery, and jig-sawn wood trim. An outstanding example of a rural German-Texan farmstead, the house remained in the Crenwelge family until 1965. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1990

Historical Marker →

Enchanted Rock

1841

From its summit, in the fall of 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company, repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they fled. Marked by the State of Texas 1936

Historical Marker → · 9.7 mi away

Nine Miles West is the Enchanted Rock

1841

From its summit, in the fall of 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company, repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they fled. Erected by the State of Texas 1936

Historical Marker → · 9.9 mi away

Johnson, Lyndon Baines

1908

Lyndon Baines Johnson, president of the United States, the eldest of five children of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. , and Rebekah Baines Johnson , was born on August 27, 1908, on a farm in the Hill Country near Stonewall, Texas. His father had served in the Texas legislature, and young Lyndon grew up in an atmosphere that emphasized politics and public affairs. Lyndon's mother encouraged her son's ambition and sense of striving. In 1913 the Johnsons moved to nearby Johnson City. Lyndon was educated in local schools in the area and graduated from high school in Johnson City in 1924. During the next several years he tried various jobs in California and Texas without success. In 1927 he entered Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University), where he was a history and social science major active in campus politics. He earned his elementary teacher's certificate in 1928 and for one year was a principal and teacher at Cotulla. His work with the destitute Hispanic students there had an important effect on his attitude toward poverty and the role of government. Johnson received his B.A. degree in 1930. He had already taken part in several political campaigns. Late in 1931 he became the secretary to Congressman Richard M. Kleberg of Texas. During the four years he held the position he gained valuable contacts in Washington. On November 17, 1934, he met and married Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor , daughter of Thomas Jefferson Taylor II , a prosperous planter and store owner in Marshall. Two daughters were born to the Johnsons, during the 1940s. Mrs. Johnson proved to be an effective political partner. Her business acumen was an important element in the success of the radio station that they acquired in Austin in 1943. Johnson's first important political position was as director of the National Youth Administration in Texas from 1935 to 1937. Construction of his system of roadside parks put young Texans to work and quietly introduced the participation of African Americans in some NYA programs. When the incumbent congressman of the Tenth Congressional District died in 1937, Johnson entered the race as a devoted supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. He spent eleven years in the House and became intimately familiar with the legislative process. He was a supporter of Roosevelt's programs and policies and a close ally of majority leader (later speaker of the House) Sam Rayburn . He was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1940 and helped the Democrats retain control of the House. In 1941 he ran for the Senate from Texas but was narrowly defeated in a special election. When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Johnson joined the navy as a lieutenant commander. He saw combat during an inspection tour of the South Pacific in 1942. He left the navy in response to President Roosevelt's directive that congressmen should remain in Washington. Johnson made another race for the Senate in 1948 against popular former governor Coke Stevenson . Texas had lost its earlier affection for the New Deal, and Johnson stressed his own conservatism in the election. The runoff primary in August 1948 was very close. Amid charges of ballot-box stuffing and other fraudulent practices, Johnson was declared the Democratic nominee only after extended legal battles. He easily defeated his Republican opponent in the general election. He was an effective senator who mastered the organization and rules of the upper house. His Democratic colleagues elected him majority whip in 1951, and in 1953 he was chosen to be minority leader—the youngest such leader in the history of the Senate. Johnson won a second term in 1954. The Democrats regained control of Congress that same year, and in January 1955 he became the majority leader. In his rush to power, however, Johnson had neglected his health. During the early summer of 1955, he had a severe heart attack. He returned to his duties in the Senate lat

Tsha Handbook → · 10.5 mi away

Lyndon Baines Johnson Birthplace, Boyhood Home, and Ranch

1908

The birthplace home of Lyndon Baines Johnson is adjacent to the LBJ Ranch near Ranch Road 1 and Stonewall, Texas. The home was constructed in the 1880s by Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr. , the president's grandfather, and it was there that the president's father, Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. , brought his bride, Rebekah Baines Johnson , in 1907. Lyndon was born in the home on August 27, 1908; the Johnsons lived there until 1913, when they moved to Johnson City. The family sold the house in 1923, and though it was demolished after much deterioration, some of the original materials were used in the construction of a smaller house on the same site in 1935. The Johnson City Foundation acquired the building in 1964 and reconstructed it to its 1907 size and appearance. The home is now open to the public, having been refurnished with authentic pieces and family mementos. Johnson's boyhood home in Johnson City was built in 1886 and, though modest, reflects the Victorian style of the period. After the family moved there in 1913, the house remained the official residence of Lyndon Johnson until he married Claudia Alta Taylor in 1934; his first political speech in his race for Congress in 1937 was made on the east porch of the house. The home was dedicated as a museum by Judge Homer Thornberry on May 13, 1965, and like the birthplace contains authentic period items and family furnishings. It is also open to the public. The LBJ Ranch is in the heart of the Hill Country on the banks of the Pedernales River, and in the early 1990s was still the home of Lady Bird Johnson. The history of the ranch goes back to the time of the Republic of Texas , when a young widow from Georgia, Rachael Means, was granted a tract that included the present property. In 1872 the land was sold by the Means family, and the property changed hands several times until about 1894, when a one-room stone house was constructed by a German family named Meyer; the small house became the nucleus of the present home. In 1909 the property was purchased by Clarence White Martin , a relative of the Johnsons, and in 1951 Senator and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson acquired the property, which then consisted of 438 acres. See also LYNDON B. JOHNSON STATE HISTORICAL PARK , and LYNDON B. JOHNSON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK .

Tsha Handbook → · 10.5 mi away

Nimitz, Chester William

1885

Chester William Nimitz, who guided Allied forces to victory in the Pacific in World War II , was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, on February 24, 1885, the son of Chester Bernard and Anna (Henke) Nimitz. His father died before he was born. During his early years his grandfather Charles H. Nimitz , a German immigrant, former seaman, and owner of the Nimitz Hotel , served as the father figure whom Nimitz credited with shaping his character and values. In 1890 Chester's mother married her late husband's younger brother, William Nimitz, who managed the St. Charles Hotel in Kerrville, where Chester eventually became chief handyman. Young Nimitz, with little prospect of a college education otherwise, determined to seek appointment to the United States Military Academy. On learning that no such appointment was immediately available, he applied for the United States Naval Academy instead. He graduated seventh in his class of 114 at Annapolis on January 30, 1905. After two years' training as a passed midshipman aboard the U.S.S. Ohio , he was commissioned an ensign and given command of the old Spanish gunboat Panay in the Philippines. After transfer to the destroyer Decatur , he ran the ship aground and was court-martialed, reprimanded, and denied his request for battleship duty; he was assigned to a submarine instead. In four consecutive undersea commands, he became a leading "pigboat" authority and built a reservoir of experience that proved invaluable in both world wars. In 1913 Nimitz married Catherine Vance Freeman of Wollaston, Massachusetts. They eventually had three daughters and a son. Shortly after marriage the Nimitzes left for Europe, where he studied diesel engines in Germany and Belgium. He returned to Brooklyn Navy Yard to supervise the building and installation of the first diesel engine to power a United States Navy vessel. With the rank of commander in World War I , he served as chief of staff to Adm. Samuel S. Robison, commander of the Atlantic Submarine Force, then as executive officer of the battleship South Carolina . Afterward, Nimitz went to Pearl Harbor to build the submarine base and command the Submarine Division. Between wars he progressed through the various steps prescribed by the navy for training its commanders. At the Navy War College, 1922–23, he dealt with a theoretical Pacific war, developing the plan that he eventually put to practical use. He then served again as chief of staff to Admiral Robison, who had become commander-in-chief of the United States Fleet. Nimitz was assigned to the University of California at Berkeley in 1926 to develop the prototype for the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps; there he produced a model that was duplicated in fifty-two colleges and universities. Nimitz left Berkeley with the rank of captain in 1929 and progressed through commands of a submarine division, the San Diego destroyer base, and the cruiser Augusta , flagship of the Asiatic Fleet. After service in Washington as assistant chief of the navy Bureau of Navigation and promotion to rear admiral, he commanded first a cruiser division, then a battleship division. In 1939 he became chief of the Bureau of Navigation, a position he still held when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In the aftermath of the attack, Adm. Husband E. Kimmel was relieved as commander-in-chief of the Pacific Fleet, and Nimitz was chosen to replace him. The change of command took place at Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day, 1941. With the rank of fleet admiral, Nimitz viewed his primary task as combatting the tendency of both the American public and the military to reflect on mistakes that had permitted the Pearl Harbor disaster and brought the nation into World War II. He focused instead on the enemy's mistakes and the positive aspects of the American position: the Pearl Harbor submarine base remained intact, and the aircraft carriers, at sea on December 7, had been spared. From the nerve center at his headquarters, Nimit

Tsha Handbook → · 14.0 mi away

Things to Do in Willow City

historical 23.6 mi away
Luckenbach Texas

Luckenbach was a failing ghost town of three residents when Hondo Crouch bought it in 1970 for thirty thousand dollars and declared himself mayor of an…
quirky 10.1 mi away
Enchanted Rock

A massive pink granite dome rises four hundred feet out of the Hill Country north of Fredericksburg. Tonkawa and Comanche peoples believed the rock was haunted…
nature 10.2 mi away
Enchanted Rock

A massive pink granite dome sacred to Comanche. Eerie creaking at night.
historical 11.6 mi away
Birthplace and Burial of a President

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Stonewall on August 27 1908 in a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River. He served as the 36th President and spent about 20…
historical 12.1 mi away
LBJ Ranch

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in this stretch of the Hill Country in 1908 and came home to it every chance he got even as president. The ranch on the…
quirky 13.4 mi away
ALL WELCOME / COME BACK Street Names

Stand at the Gillespie County Courthouse and look at the cross streets running off Main. Heading east the first letters spell ALL WELCOME — Adams Llano Lincoln…
quirky 15.5 mi away
The Song Nobody Had Seen

When Waylon Jennings recorded Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) in 1977 it shot to number one on the country charts and number 25 on the pop…
quirky 15.5 mi away
Luckenbach Texas

The entire 'town' is a dance hall and post office. Waylon sang about it.

Everything Near Willow City

305 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Hugo and Anna Gold Crenwelge House · 1.9 mi · Historical Marker

    Jacob Gold, Jr. (d. 1914) gave this property to his daughter, Anna (1878-1957), and her husband Hugo Crenwelge (1877-1948) in 1902. Three years later the Crenwelges built this home. Constructed of hand-cut limestone…

  • Eckert, TX · 2.3 mi

    The town of Eckert, Texas, was originally named Nebo, after the nearby Nebo Mountain. However, in 1903, when Wilhelm Rudolph Eckert opened a store in the location and became the first postmaster, he requested that the…

  • Willow City Loop — Bluebonnet Country and the Boot Fence · 4.2 mi · Local Knowledge

    Thirteen miles of winding road through some of the most jaw-dropping Hill Country landscape you will ever see. The Willow City Loop runs between Fredericksburg and Llano, just off Highway 16, and every spring — usually…

  • Willow City, TX · 4.3 mi

    A notable event in Willow City's history was the tragic explosion at the Alfred Pfeil Gin on September 2, 1924. The boiler explosion killed two people, Farmer Edgar P. Smith and Walter M. Icke. Smith was killed…

  • St. Paul Lutheran Church · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of St. Paul Lutheran Church, the oldest rural Lutheran church in Gillespie County. Its first pastor was the Rev. M. Haag, and it began with 17 charter members. The original frame building,…

  • St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery · 5.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery near Fredericksburg. German Lutheran residents formed their congregation here in 1883, naming it St. Paulus Evangelische Gemeinde an Nord Grape Creek. The first burial…

  • Riley, David Crockett · 6.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of David Crockett Riley, built in the early 1870s. Riley, a pioneer in the Crabapple community, arrived here after the Civil War and built this sturdy stone house. The thick walls came from…

  • Duecker Family Homestead · 6.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Willow City, and just ahead is the Duecker Family Homestead. August Duecker, Sr. arrived from Germany in 1852, and by 1878, he and his wife Louise bought this land. Their son, August Jr., and his…

  • Blowout, TX · 8.0 mi

    The name 'Blowout' is believed to have originated from a dramatic event involving a bat guano explosion. The cave, named Blowout Cave, was home to 1,000 bats and was located on the east side of Comanche Creek. When…

  • Crabapple School · 8.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Crabapple School, a testament to German immigrant grit and community spirit near Fredericksburg. Built in 1878 from native limestone, this schoolhouse welcomed about 40 students. Legend…

  • St. John's Lutheran Church · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of St. John's Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg. Pioneer families organized this congregation in the 1880s, meeting in a schoolhouse before erecting this limestone sanctuary in 1897.…

  • Crabapple, TX · 8.6 mi

    Balanced Rock, a famous local landmark atop Bear Mountain in Crabapple, was a natural stone pillar about the size of a small elephant, precariously balanced on its small tip. It was destroyed by vandals who dynamited it…

Show all 200 nearby places
  • Welgehausen Ranch · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, past the historic Welgehausen Ranch. German immigrants Friedrich and Juliane Welgehausen built their first home here, a simple log cabin, back in the 1850s. Later, their son…

  • The Burrer Home · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Burrer Home in Fredericksburg, a testament to German immigrant life in the Texas Hill Country. Gottlieb Burrer arrived from Germany in 1854, and by the 1860s, he and his wife Katharina, whose…

  • Enchanted Rock · 9.7 mi · Historical Marker

    From its summit, in the fall of 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company, repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they…

  • Nine Miles West is the Enchanted Rock · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker

    From its summit, in the fall of 1841, Captain John C. Hays, while surrounded by Comanche Indians who cut him off from his ranging company, repulsed the whole band and inflicted upon them such heavy losses that they…

  • Enchanted Rock · 10.1 mi · Things to Do

    A massive pink granite dome rises four hundred feet out of the Hill Country north of Fredericksburg. Tonkawa and Comanche peoples believed the rock was haunted…

  • Jack Hays's three-hour stand alone · 10.1 mi

    Native American legends say this massive pink granite dome glows at night and whispers with the voices of spirits. In 1841, Texas Ranger Jack Hays was cut off from his company by Comanche raiders and climbed to the…

  • A Billion Years of Enchanted Rock · 10.2 mi

    The granite beneath your feet cooled from magma 1.082 billion years ago, two to four miles underground. It is Town Mountain Granite — coarse-grained, pink from its feldspar content, part of a batholith that stretches…

  • Sacred Ground at Enchanted Rock · 10.2 mi

    The oldest projectile point found in this park is a Plainview point, ten thousand years old. Upstream and downstream, Paleo-Indian artifacts push the timeline back twelve thousand years. By the 1500s, the Tonkawa…

  • From Cabeza de Vaca to Lady Bird · 10.2 mi

    The first European to likely see this rock was Cabeza de Vaca in 1536, stumbling through Texas after a shipwreck. Captain Henry Brown led the first Anglo expedition here in 1829 from Gonzales. The most famous chapter…

  • Enchanted Rock · 10.2 mi · Local history

    This billion-year-old pink granite dome is the exposed heart of an ancient batholith — a massive bubble of molten rock that cooled slowly two to four miles underground over a billion years ago. The granite is Town…

  • Enchanted Rock · 10.2 mi · Historical Marker

    This massive pink granite dome rises 425 feet above the Hill Country, and it's been here for a billion years. Enchanted Rock is the exposed core of an ancient batholith, a bubble of molten rock that cooled deep…

  • Johnson, Lyndon Baines · 10.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Lyndon Baines Johnson, president of the United States, the eldest of five children of Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. , and Rebekah Baines Johnson , was born on August 27, 1908, on a farm in the Hill Country near Stonewall,…

  • Lyndon Baines Johnson Birthplace, Boyhood Home, and Ranch · 10.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    The birthplace home of Lyndon Baines Johnson is adjacent to the LBJ Ranch near Ranch Road 1 and Stonewall, Texas. The home was constructed in the 1880s by Samuel Ealy Johnson, Sr. , the president's grandfather, and it…

  • Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park · 10.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of the Texas Hill Country, not far from Stonewall. Right here is Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park. This place wasn't just a park; it was a gift to Texas, officially opened to the…

  • Stonewall, TX · 10.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Stonewall, a community with roots stretching back to the 1870s. It all started when Israel P. Nuñez established a stage station here on the Pedernales River in 1870. He later opened a post office…

  • Sauer, Emil · 10.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, not far from where Emil Sauer was born near Stonewall in 1881. He started his education right here, but his life's journey took him far beyond these rolling hills. Sauer…

  • John Walton Harrington · 10.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Round Mountain, where John Walton Harrington lived most of his life. But this stockraiser and father of thirteen children started young – really young. At just thirteen years old, Harrington was a…

  • LBJ Ranch (Texas White House) · 11.3 mi · Historical Marker

    LBJ governed the country from this Hill Country ranch, installing a full communications center. He was born, lived, governed, and is buried on this land.

  • Johnson, Lyndon Baines · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Stonewall, Texas, and right here is where a future President of the United States walked these halls. As a 12-year-old boy, Lyndon Baines Johnson attended the 8th grade right here, from October of…

  • Nunez, Israel M. · 11.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Stonewall, a town with roots in the Civil War. Look around, because you're in the place founded in 1870 by Israel M. Nunez. He was a Civil War veteran who named this town after Confederate General…

  • Peach Capital of Texas · 11.5 mi · Things to Do

    German settlers in Stonewall experimented with fruit trees in the Hill Country soil and struck gold with peaches. The area now produces about 40 percent of the…

  • Life on the Pedernales · 11.5 mi · Things to Do

    The Pedernales River defines Stonewall. LBJ swam in it as a boy conducted diplomacy beside it as president and is buried within earshot of its waters. German…

  • Birthplace and Burial of a President · 11.6 mi · Things to Do

    Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Stonewall on August 27 1908 in a small farmhouse on the Pedernales River. He served as the 36th President and spent about 20…

  • The Only President Born and Buried in Texas · 11.6 mi · Things to Do

    Texas has produced or claimed several presidents but LBJ is the only one both born and buried in the state. His birthplace his ranch his Texas White House and…

  • The First Limekiln in Gillespie County · 11.6 mi · Things to Do

    German settler Andreas Lindig built the first limekiln in Gillespie County right at Stonewall. From his kiln the other settlers learned to manufacture lime…

  • The Underground Wine Cellar · 11.6 mi · Things to Do

    Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall boasts the largest underground barrel cellar in Texas. The family dug directly into a Hill Country hillside to create a…

  • The German Pioneers of Stonewall · 11.6 mi · Things to Do

    In the 1860s German settlers arrived at the Pedernales River crossing and began farming land that had belonged to a grant holder named Justa Flores. They…

  • Named for Stonewall Jackson · 11.7 mi · Things to Do

    Stonewall Texas was named for Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson by Israel P. Nunez who established a stage station near the site in 1870. Nunez…

  • LBJ Ranch - Texas White House · 11.8 mi · Historical Marker

    The LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas, where Lyndon Johnson was born, lived, governed during his presidency, and is buried along the Pedernales River.

  • Lady Birds Wildflower Revolution · 11.9 mi · Things to Do

    Lady Bird Johnson championed the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 from the Texas White House in Stonewall. She pushed to plant native wildflower seeds along…

  • Stonewall Community Cemetery · 11.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Stonewall, and you're passing the Stonewall Community Cemetery. This historic graveyard originally served the settlement of Millville, laid out by Israel Nuñez, who ran a stage stop nearby after…

  • Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park · 12.0 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Get ready to walk where a President walked – and shaped a nation. Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, called this land home. Johnson was born near here in 1908. He grew up in the area, and later,…

  • LBJ Ranch · 12.1 mi · Things to Do

    Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in this stretch of the Hill Country in 1908 and came home to it every chance he got even as president. The ranch on the…

  • Cross Mountain · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Cross Mountain, a landmark with a story stretching back centuries. This marl and limestone hill, over 1,900 feet high, was once an Indian signal point, warning of approaching settlers. German…

  • Smith, E. Kirby Smith · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Fredericksburg area, home to Confederate General E. Kirby Smith. Born in Florida and a West Point grad, Smith fought in the Mexican War before heading to the Texas frontier in the 1850s. He…

  • Lyndon Baines Johnson · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the birthplace of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. He was born right here in this house on August 27, 1908. His parents, Sam Ealy Johnson Jr. and Rebekah Baines…

  • Legion Valley Massacre · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    On the morning of February 5, 1868, a band of fifteen Comanche raiders hit the homestead of John and Matilda Friend on Legion Creek in Llano County. Matilda was stabbed, shot with arrows, slashed across the hand when…

  • Lower South Grape Creek School · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Lower South Grape Creek School. Area settlers built a log schoolhouse 1.5 miles south of here in 1871 along South Grape Creek. It was part of Luckenbach School Precinct No. 3 until 1889, when it was…

  • Stonewall, TX · 12.5 mi

    Stonewall. The name itself conjures images of strength, permanence, something enduring. It’s a fitting name for this little corner of the Texas Hill Country, a place that’s seen its share of challenges and come out…

  • Site of the Andreas Lindig Lime Kiln · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Stonewall, and just ahead is the site of the Andreas Lindig Lime Kiln. Built in 1874, this was the first lime kiln in eastern Gillespie County. Andreas Lindig, trained in Germany, used rock hauled…

  • Jacob Neffendorf · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, a town that owes a lot to early settlers like Jacob Neffendorf. He arrived from Germany in 1845, helped survey this very townsite, and then moved families here from New Braunfels.…

  • Trinity Lutheran Church · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Stonewall, where this historic Trinity Lutheran Church began in 1902. The congregation first met in the Albert Schoolhouse. Worship services here were held in German until 1950, and the church…

  • Andreas and Frederike Lindig Farmstead · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Andreas and Frederike Lindig Farmstead, a testament to German immigrant grit in the Texas Hill Country. Arriving in Texas in 1869, the Lindigs established this farmstead in 1874. They…

  • Stein, Edward and Minnie · 12.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Fredericksburg, and right here is a beautiful example of 1920s bungalow architecture. This house, built in 1923, was designed and constructed by Edward Stein, a master craftsman and a prominent…

  • Knopp, Johann Joseph · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Johann Joseph Knopp house, built of native stone right here in 1871. Knopp and his wife Katherina sailed six weeks from Germany, then traveled by oxcart to Fredericksburg. They paid seventy…

  • Albert Nebgen House · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Albert Nebgen House in Stonewall. Albert Nebgen, son of German immigrants, built this farmhouse for his family around 1918. It's a classic example of the farmsteads established by early German…

  • Fredericksburg College Building · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what was once Fredericksburg College, a beacon of higher learning for German immigrants and locals alike. Erected by the German Methodist Mission Conference in <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Wahrmund Millinery, Moellendorf-Dietz Bakery · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a building that's been serving Fredericksburg for nearly a century! Erected around 1876, it started as a home and business for George Wahrmund. His wife, Elise, ran a millinery and…

  • J. W. and Ruth Baines House · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the J.W. and Ruth Baines House in Fredericksburg. Built in 1904, this was the home of Joseph W. Baines and his wife, Ruth. Joseph was a Civil War veteran, a journalist, a Texas Secretary of State, a…

  • The Carl Henke Home · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Carl Henke Home, a house with roots stretching back to the earliest days of Fredericksburg's German settlers. Carl Henke, believed to be the first boy born to these immigrants, was a master…

  • Maier-Alberthal Building · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Fredericksburg, and right here is the Maier-Alberthal Building, built around 1860. German immigrant Anton Maier bought it in 1866 and ran it as a general store. His son-in-law, August Alberthal,…

  • Moritz-Hitzfeld-Jacoby House · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Moritz-Hitzfeld-Jacoby House, a home built in 1907 for newlyweds Edmund and Anna Moritz. What's special is that its limestone walls were built using stone from the Moritz family quarry, with…

  • Ressmann-Boos House · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Ressmann-Boos House, a living timeline of pioneer building. The original section, built around 1845, showcases fachwerk construction, a classic German building style. Over time, additions were…

  • Van Der Stucken, Felix · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of Felix Van Der Stucken, a Belgian immigrant who made his mark on Fredericksburg. He built the original part of this limestone house soon after buying the land in 1864. Van Der Stucken was…

  • John Peter Tastch Home, 1856 · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the John Peter Tatsch Home, built in 1856. Tatsch, a cabinet-maker and turner who came from Germany, used local stone to build this house himself. He did all the woodwork, even flooring the front…

  • Adolph Gold House · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Adolph Gold House, built in 1901 for a local banker and developer. Gold was one of the minds behind Fredericksburg's first subdivision. This limestone home, with its distinctive five-bay front…

  • Gold-Grobe House · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Gold-Grobe House, built in 1902 by Peter Gold, Sr. It started as a one-story limestone home. In 1914, Friedrich Grobe bought it and added a second story and rear wing in 1916, using local…

  • Bethany Lutheran Church · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Bethany Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg. Organized by about 80 families in 1887, the congregation initially worshiped in other community buildings before constructing their own…

  • Cross Mountain: A 1757 Spanish Cross, Lost and Found · 13.2 mi

    Long before the United States existed, in 1757, Spanish missionaries trekking from San Antonio toward Mission San Saba paused on a lonely Hill Country hilltop and erected a wooden cross as a trail landmark. It stood…

  • The First Boy Born in Fredericksburg · 13.2 mi · Texas Historical Commission

    The limestone house on the corner of Travis and Llano is the Carl Henke Home — and Carl himself was documented as the first boy born in Fredericksburg among the German immigrant settlers. Born April 8, 1848, just two…

  • County Jail of 1885 · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Gillespie County Jail, built back in 1885. This sturdy stone building was the county's fourth jail, and it served prisoners for over fifty years, until 1939. The ground floor had a holding…

  • Arhelger, Frederrick William · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here is a building that tells a story of early Texas industry. This limestone structure was built in 1898 by Frederick William Arhelger, a cabinetmaker and wheelwright by…

  • Patton, Albert Lee · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of Albert Lee Patton, a key figure in Fredericksburg's early business scene. He and his wife Emma built the first part of this limestone house right after buying the land in 1876. By the…

  • Walch Home · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, passing the site of the Walch Home. In 1847, stonemason Johan Walch settled here, building this two-room limestone house before he even married. His family grew to eleven children,…

  • Cordes, Henry · 13.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Henry Cordes house, built right here in 1893. Cordes, born in Fredericksburg, had this limestone home constructed by skilled stonemasons of the era. It started as a three-room house, and the…

  • The Admiral Who Won an Ocean War Was Born on Main Street · 13.3 mi

    Of all the things this landlocked German town has produced, the most unlikely is the man who commanded the Pacific Ocean. Chester William Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885, in a house on East Main Street in…

  • From Small-Town Hotel to World-Class War Museum · 13.3 mi · Museum Website

    The National Museum of the Pacific War sits on the same block where Chester Nimitz's grandfather ran the Nimitz Hotel starting in 1855. Charles H. Nimitz — a retired German sea captain — built the place with a…

  • Japanese submarine HA. 19 · 13.3 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Believe it or not, you're about to see a piece of the Pearl Harbor attack right here in Texas. This is the Japanese midget submarine HA. 19. On 1941, this submarine was launched as part of the surprise attack on Pearl…

  • National Museum of the Pacific War · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    The man who commanded the largest naval force in human history grew up in a landlocked German farming town in the Texas Hill Country. Chester William Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg in 1885 and raised by his…

  • The Big Oak Tree and a Running Gun Battle on Main Street · 13.3 mi · Oral History

    Near the service entrance to the Nimitz on Washington Street stands one of the oldest live oak trees in Fredericksburg's historic district — a massive specimen that has watched over this block since before the hotel…

  • Nimitz Hotel · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg. Charles Nimitz, Sr. bought this property in 1855, and by 1860, the hotel was established, serving travelers and the large Nimitz family. Expanded in…

  • Christian Methodist Episcopal Church · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg. By the 1870s, several Black families called Gillespie County home. They likely worshipped in a schoolhouse built nearby in…

  • Meckel-Hanus Building · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here is the Meckel-Hanus Building. What started as a saddle and harness shop in the late 1800s, owned by Henry Meckel, was transformed into something completely different…

  • Pape Log Cabin · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and just ahead is one of its oldest structures: the Pape Log Cabin. Built in 1846, this cabin tells a story of hardship and hope for German immigrants. Friedrich Pape, his wife…

  • Sunday House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and you might see a relic of a fascinating German tradition: the Sunday House. Imagine living way out in the country, miles from town. When it was time to trade goods, attend…

  • Vogel Sunday House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past a piece of Fredericksburg history: the Vogel Sunday House. In the 1880s, German immigrant Christian Vogel built half of this house so his family could stay in town for Saturday trading and Sunday…

  • Kiehne-Hermann Home · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Kiehne-Hermann Home in Fredericksburg, built in 1850 by Frederick Kiehne, a German-born blacksmith and county commissioner. This wasn't just any house; it was the very first two-story home in…

  • Cherry Mountain School Complex · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Cherry Mountain School Complex, a place that tells a story of education and community in Gillespie County. The "old schoolhouse" you see here, a pioneer-crafted stone building, opened its doors…

  • Christian Crenwelge Place · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and just ahead is the Christian Crenwelge Place. Crenwelge, a German immigrant who arrived in Texas in 1854, was a farmer and a cabinetmaker. In 1872, he bought this property…

  • Dangers Stone House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Dangers Stone House, built in 1851 by Reverend Gottlieb Dangers. He was a German immigrant who arrived in Texas just two years earlier. This house is a great example of pioneer German…

  • Riley-Enderlin House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Riley-Enderlin House, built in 1909 by Franz Stein for Emil and Bertha Riley. Just three years later, in 1912, Charles Enderlin, Sr. bought this home. Enderlin was a German immigrant and a Civil…

  • Schmidt-Gold House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Schmidt-Gold House, built in the 1860s by Lorenz Schmidt, a German stonemason who helped build many early structures in Fredericksburg, including the Vereins Kirche. This home, originally a…

  • Schandua Building · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Schandua Building, erected in 1897 with hand-hewn limestone. This was the home and hardware store of John and Bertha Schandua. After John's death, his brother Henry took over the business,…

  • Dambach-Besier Home · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Dambach-Besier Home, a rock house likely built around 1867 by F. Dambach. It was a full-time residence, not a weekend getaway. Later, in 1881, Anna Besier acquired the property. She moved her…

  • Old Central Drugstore · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Central Drugstore, built in 1905 by Alphons Walter, a Swiss jeweler. It quickly became Robert Striegler's Central Drugstore, which operated here for over 70 years. The building also housed a…

  • Vereins Kirche · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, where you can almost picture this building right on Main Street. It was the Vereins Kirche, built in the summer of 1847. More than just a church, it served as the town's school and…

  • Mueller-Petmecky House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Mueller-Petmecky House in Fredericksburg, a home that tells a story of German immigration and growth. The first part, likely built between 1848 and 1850 by Willis Wallace, was a simple two-room…

  • The August Hennersdorf House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the August Hennersdorf House in Fredericksburg. August and Johanne Hennersdorf arrived from Prussia in 1855. In the early 1900s, they built this home, which might even incorporate octagonal columns…

  • Bierschwale, Heinrich · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Heinrich Bierschwale home, built between 1872 and 1873. Bierschwale, a German immigrant, first worked as a teacher in rural Gillespie and Mason counties. He later became the county and district…

  • Pioneer Schandua House · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Pioneer Schandua House, built before 1880. Local merchant John Schandua bought it in 1883, right after marrying Bertha Klein. The front room, 'die stube,' was their main living space, while the…

  • Rausch, William · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of William and Olga Rausch, built in 1906. William, a stonemason and carpenter, likely built much of this German vernacular limestone house himself. The home stayed in the Rausch family for…

  • St. Barnabas Episcopal Church · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg. Originally, this was one of the earliest homes in town, built in 1846 by German settler Peter Walter. The house was later bought by the…

  • Holy Ghost Evangelical Protestant Church · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Holy Ghost Evangelical Protestant Church in Fredericksburg. Its roots go back to the first Protestant services held here in 1846. The congregation moved to this lot in 1888,…

  • The Meusebach-Comanche Treaty · 13.4 mi · Research

    In the early spring of eighteen forty-seven, John Meusebach, the leader of the German colony at Fredericksburg, rode out with about forty men to find the Penateka Comanche on their own ground. They carried their rifles…

  • Fredericksburg, TX · 13.4 mi

    Enchanted Rock, located 17 miles north of Fredericksburg, is a significant natural feature of the area. This huge pink granite exfoliation dome rises 425 feet above the surrounding land and covers 640 acres. Enchanted…

  • Fredericksburg German Settlement · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    In 1846, 120 German immigrants walked into the limestone hills of central Texas and built a town where no settler colony was supposed to survive. They were deep inside Comanche territory. Every frontier outpost this far…

  • ALL WELCOME / COME BACK Street Names · 13.4 mi · Things to Do

    Stand at the Gillespie County Courthouse and look at the cross streets running off Main. Heading east the first letters spell ALL WELCOME — Adams Llano Lincoln…

  • The Baron Who Threw Away His Title to Build This Town · 13.4 mi

    You're standing in a town that began as a noble experiment that almost ate itself. In 1846 a German organization grandly called the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as the…

  • The Coffee Mill in the Middle of Main Street · 13.4 mi

    Right in the green heart of Marktplatz sits a stout eight-sided building locals have always called the Coffee Mill. Its real name is the Vereins Kirche, the Society Church, and it was Fredericksburg's first public…

  • The Bedtime Story That Became a Pageant of Fires · 13.4 mi

    On the night before Easter, fires still flare on the hills ringing Fredericksburg, and the story behind them is one of the great frontier bedtime tales. As the legend goes, in the spring of 1847, while the Germans were…

  • A Gift From Japan, in the Birthplace of the Admiral Who Beat It · 13.4 mi

    Tucked into the Pacific War museum grounds is one of the most surprising peace offerings in Texas: a traditional Japanese garden, given by the people of Japan to the town that produced the admiral who defeated them. The…

  • Luckenbach dance hall and townsite · 13.4 mi

    Luckenbach isn't really a town — it's a wide spot outside Fredericksburg, a dance hall and a couple of buildings under the oaks. German farmers settled it back in the 1840s; the Luckenbach family gave it the name, and…

  • The Tiny Houses Farmers Kept for the Weekend · 13.4 mi

    Scattered through the older blocks of Fredericksburg are little 1.5-story houses that look almost like dollhouses, and there's a clever reason they exist. When the Germans settled here in 1846, each family got a town…

  • Why the Whole Road Is Wineries · 13.4 mi

    Drive Highway 290 east out of Fredericksburg and you'll pass winery after winery—more than fifty of them strung along a few miles of road, making this the busiest wine trail in Texas and, some folks say, the second…

  • Why the Peaches Need a Cold Winter to Taste Like Summer · 13.4 mi

    Those famous Gillespie County peaches are really a quiet lesson in plant physiology, and the secret ingredient is cold. Peach trees track winter the way a clock tracks time, by accumulating chill hours, the total time…

  • Hye Post Office · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Hye Post Office, a place that served as a tiny but significant stop on the road to the presidency. It all started back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1880</say-as>, named for founder…

  • The Only Gun Cap Factory in Texas · 13.4 mi · Things to Do

    During the Civil War the Union blockade of southern ports made ammunition a precious commodity across the Confederacy. On this corner of West Main Street in…

  • Why Half the Old Names in Town Point Back to 1846 · 13.4 mi

    Read the old signs around Fredericksburg long enough and you start meeting the same families who stepped off those first wagons. The creek that runs through town, Barons Creek, was named for the baron himself, John O.…

  • The Hometown Glove That Won an Astros First · 13.4 mi

    Long before Fredericksburg was wineries and weekend getaways, it sent a kid named Roger Metzger to the big leagues on the strength of his hands. Born here on October 10, 1947, Metzger grew into a slick-fielding…

  • Twenty-Eight Inches of Rain in the Middle of a Drought · 13.4 mi

    In September 1952 the Hill Country around Fredericksburg got hit with a flood so violent it's still a benchmark, and the cruel part is that it landed in the middle of a brutal drought. Over September 9 through 11, a…

  • The Store That Stayed in One Family for Over a Century · 13.4 mi

    At 325 West Main Street, the Pioneer Museum tells Fredericksburg's pioneer story inside the very buildings that made it, and the anchor is the Kammlah House. Heinrich Kammlah built a house, smokehouse, and barn here in…

  • Pinta Trail · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the historic Pinta Trail, a route with a story stretching back centuries. Originally used by nomadic Plains Indians, it was later followed by Spanish and Mexican explorers on their way to the San…

  • Homestead of Karl Itz · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, past the homestead of Karl Itz. A German immigrant who arrived in Texas in 1852, Itz joined other German immigrants to support the Union at the start of the Civil War. In August…

  • Gun Cap Factory · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where, during the Civil War, Fredericksburg's own gunsmith E. Krauskoff and silversmith Adolph Lungkwitz produced vital gun caps. They invented machinery to roll copper thin and cut it for…

  • Site of Zodiac · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Site of Zodiac. A Mormon settlement. Established in 1847 by 150 Mormons under the leadership of Lyman Wight (1796-1858). Abandoned in 1851 after floods destroyed their mill. Erected by the State of…

  • Vaudeville · 13.4 mi · Things to Do

    French-bistro cafe tucked downstairs at 230 East Main Street in Fredericksburg. Daily lunch specials, fresh pastries, and a French dip sandwich worth the…

  • The Bavarian Holdout on East Main · 13.4 mi

    If you want to eat the way old German Fredericksburg ate, The Auslander at 323 East Main Street has been doing it longer than almost anyone, dating back to 1960. The name means the outsider or foreigner, which is a sly…

  • German Beer Inside the Town's Own 1847 Stone · 13.4 mi

    At the corner of 301 West Main Street, Altdorf Biergarten serves German food and beer out of a limestone building that traces back to 1847, which makes it roughly as old as the town itself. That date matters here. The…

  • Durst House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the rolling hills of Gillespie County, passing the site of the Durst House. Carl Durst arrived here in 1873, building a simple one-room cabin. By 1877, he'd added to it, and later, the Dursts…

  • Loeffler-Weber House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Loeffler-Weber House, a home built by German immigrants right in Fredericksburg's first winter, back in 1846. Gerhard Rorig threw up a simple log room and loft to survive that first year. Then,…

  • Patton, Albert Lee · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the historic Citizens Bank building in Fredericksburg. Originally built in 1897 by Albert Lee Patton, a tinsmith who turned businessman, this native limestone structure served a dual purpose. The…

  • Schmidt-Dietz Building · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Schmidt-Dietz Building, a Fredericksburg landmark with a long history. Ludwig Schmidt built this stone structure back in the 1860s, originally planning it as a hotel. Fast forward to the early…

  • Schneider-Klingelhoefer House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Schneider-Klingelhoefer House, a beautiful example of German Fachwerk construction in Fredericksburg. Built around 1870 by Ludwig Schneider, a watchmaker and stonemason, this home showcases the…

  • Schwarz Building · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Fredericksburg, and right here is the Schwarz Building. Built in 1907 by Charles and Mary Schwarz, this limestone structure was more than just a store. It housed Schwarz's General Merchandise and…

  • William Wahrmund House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and if you look closely, you might spot the William Wahrmund House, built in 1875. Wahrmund himself was a big deal here, serving as Gillespie County Judge for years. He hired local…

  • Rausch Ranch Home · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, past the Rausch Ranch Home. This house was built in 1866 by Nicolaus Gerhard, a German immigrant, using local stones. His son Michael lived here before selling it to stonemason…

  • Little Rock House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Little Rock House in Fredericksburg, built right after the Civil War on land granted to German immigrants. Heinrich Ochs, a pioneer teacher, bought it in 1868 and his family owned it for 61…

  • Ellebracht-Moritz Homestead · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Ellebracht-Moritz Homestead, a testament to German immigration in the Texas Hill Country. Frederick Ellebracht built this log home in the early 1850s after arriving from Germany. Later,…

  • Domino Parlor · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Domino Parlor in Fredericksburg, a building that started life in the early 1850s as a stone structure with a vaulted cellar. It’s seen a lot of changes over the years, serving as a pharmacy, a…

  • Old Gillespie County Courthouse · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Gillespie County Courthouse, built between 1881 and 1882. Designed by architect Alfred Giles, this native limestone building was known for its balance and symmetry. It served the county until…

  • H. C. Keese Home · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the H.C. Keese Home, built by a German immigrant soon after he bought the land in the 1870s. Constructed from local wood and hand-hewn rock, this farmhouse saw the Keese family survive harsh frontier…

  • Hoerster Building · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Hoerster Building in Fredericksburg, built around the turn of the 20th century for J. A. Hoerster. This limestone Victorian commercial building still boasts its original storefront, with a…

  • Gillespie County · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, a land first crossed by roving Indian tribes and then settled by German pioneers starting in 1846. A group of Mormons even tried their luck at Zodiac in 1847. The county itself…

  • Wahrmund-Priess House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Wahrmund-Priess House. The larger of the two houses on this property is original to the site and dates to the period of settlement by German immigrants in this part of Texas. Johann Christian…

  • Ludwig Doebbler House · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Ludwig Doebbler House, a testament to German immigration in Texas. Ludwig and his brother arrived in 1852, with Ludwig's family following a year later. They completed the first part of this home…

  • The Peace Treaty That Was Never Broken · 13.5 mi

    In 1847, the German colony in Fredericksburg was on the brink of collapse, surrounded by wary Comanche warriors. Instead of preparing for war, the town's 34-year-old leader, John Meusebach, chose a radical path. He and…

  • The Magic of Enchanted Rock · 13.5 mi

    Just north of Fredericksburg rises one of Texas's most iconic landmarks: Enchanted Rock. It’s a massive dome of pink granite, the largest of its kind in the United States. For centuries, it has captivated people. Native…

  • The Easter Rabbit's Bonfires · 13.5 mi

    If you happen to be here on the Saturday night before Easter, look to the hills. You'll see them dotted with bonfires. This is the 'Easter Fires,' a tradition unique to Fredericksburg. The legend blends German folklore…

  • The Science of Texas Wine · 13.5 mi

    The explosion of wineries you see around Fredericksburg isn't just a trend; it's a story of agricultural science. For decades, no one thought you could grow world-class wine grapes in the brutal Texas heat. The climate…

  • The Texas White House · 13.5 mi · Things to Do

    During his presidency LBJ conducted so much official business from his Stonewall ranch that reporters called it the Texas White House. Foreign leaders visited.…

  • The Lost Language of Fredericksburg · 13.5 mi

    For generations, the streets of Fredericksburg had their own unique sound: Texas German. Known as 'Texasdeutsch,' it was a dialect of German spoken by the descendants of the original settlers. Because the community was…

  • Weber "Das Keller Haus" · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Fredericksburg, and just ahead is a little limestone building with a big story. This wasn't a home, but a cellar house, built in 1903 by Emil Weber. Think of it as a high-tech pantry for storing…

  • Market Square · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here is Market Square, the heart of this German immigrant town since its founding in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>. Imagine this place, still…

  • Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a true Texas original. Built in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1852</say-as>, this is the oldest Lutheran church in the entire Texas Hill Country. Imagine…

  • First Methodist Church of Fredericksburg · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Methodist Church of Fredericksburg, the oldest Methodist church in the Texas Hill Country. It began in 1849 as a German mission, founded by Reverend Eduard Schneider. Imagine…

  • Meinhardt, Albert · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of Albert and Doris Meinhardt, built around 1850. This two-story limestone house started as their pioneer residence. Fast forward to 1879, and Doris, now a widow, sold it to her former…

  • Mosel-Jordan-Duecker Haus · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Mosel-Jordan-Duecker Haus in Fredericksburg, a home with roots stretching back to German immigration in the 1840s. Johann Nicholas Mosel, an immigrant himself, was granted this lot in 1847 and…

  • Weber, Emil · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Emil Weber house in Fredericksburg, a late Victorian home built as a wedding gift. Stonemason Emil Weber himself designed and built this place in 1902, using local limestone and Texas yellow…

  • Old Kammlah House · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Kammlah House, built in 1849 by German settler Henry Kammlah I. Notice the four front rooms and the outside stair to the attic. Later, his son Henry II opened a general store in the front…

  • Old St. Mary's Church (Die Alte Kirche) · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Old St. Mary's Church, built by Fredericksburg's German settlers. Construction finished in 1863, and it served as the main parish church until 1906. Look for its Gothic features like the steeple,…

  • St. Mary's Catholic Church · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past St. Mary's Catholic Church. Rapid membership growth during the late 19th century prompted St. Mary's Church to complete plans for a new sanctuary in 1901. This Gothic-inspired native stone structure…

  • Nimitz, Chester W. · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here, you're passing the birthplace of one of America's greatest naval heroes. This modest home, built in 1866 by Carl Basse, was where Anna Henke Nimitz gave birth to…

  • Meusebach, John O. · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, passing the burial site of a man called 'El Sol Colorado' by the Comanche. John O. Meusebach, a German baron, gave up his title in <say-as interpret-as="date"…

  • Fort Martin Scott · 13.6 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    Imagine a lonely outpost on the edge of civilization, that's Fort Martin Scott. It played a crucial role in keeping the peace on the Texas frontier.Established in 1848, Fort Martin Scott was one of the first in a line…

  • Site of Fort Martin Scott · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Fort Martin Scott, established by the U.S. Army in December of 1848. It was built to protect travelers and settlers from Indian attacks, and named for Major Martin Scott, who died in the…

  • Klingelhoeffer House · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, the German Hill Country. Look for the Klingelhoeffer House, built around 1854 by Johann Jost Klingelhoeffer. He came from Europe in 1846 seeking opportunity. His home is a…

  • Kuenemann House · 13.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here is the Kuenemann House. Frederick Kuenemann and his family arrived in Fredericksburg in 1846, fleeing hardship and tragedy on the journey from Germany. In 1866, he…

  • The Easter Fires · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Fredericksburg, and if it's Easter Eve, you might see them: the Easter Fires blazing on the hills! This tradition started way back in March of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1847</say-as>.…

  • Nimitz, Chester William · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Chester William Nimitz, who guided Allied forces to victory in the Pacific in World War II , was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, on February 24, 1885, the son of Chester Bernard and Anna (Henke) Nimitz. His father died…

  • Enderle, Benjamin Lester · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, a region famous for its peaches. And right here, you're passing through the heart of it all, Fredericksburg. Back in 1921, Benjamin Enderle, a surveyor and teacher, started…

  • Gillespie County · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, a place settled by German immigrants in 1846, looking for a new home. They founded Fredericksburg, hoping to reach the Fisher-Miller Land Grant, but ended up establishing a…

  • Pioneer Flour Mills · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here is a story of grit and grain. In 1851, Carl Hilmar Guenther, a master millwright from Germany, sailed into Indianola. He traveled all the way to the…

  • Specht, Theodore · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, Texas, and right here is where Theodore Specht, a German immigrant, built a life after surviving a shipwreck that cost him his hearing and his bride-to-be. He arrived in <say-as…

  • Vereins-Kirche · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, and right here, you're passing the site of the Vereins-Kirche. Built in 1847 by the first German settlers, this octagonal building was the heart of early Fredericksburg. It wasn't…

  • Fredericksburg, TX · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, a town founded in 1846 by German immigrants seeking a new home in Texas. Led by John O. Meusebach, they established this settlement sixty miles northwest of New Braunfels. The…

  • Baines, Joseph Wilson · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, maybe near Fredericksburg. Right here, Joseph Wilson Baines, a lawyer and former Texas Secretary of State, found his final home. After a career that included fighting in the…

  • Bickler, Martha Lungkwitz · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here in Fredericksburg, a piece of history was made. Back in 1872, Martha Lungkwitz Bickler, just seventeen years old, took a job at the state's General Land…

  • Dangers, Gottlieb Burchard · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, perhaps near Fredericksburg, where Gottlieb Dangers arrived in 1849. He came to Texas in 1846, a pastor and teacher for German immigrants. He settled in Fredericksburg and…

  • Easter Fires · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here near Fredericksburg, you might be catching the tail end of an ancient tradition: the Easter Fires. On the Saturday before Easter, as many as twenty-two hills…

  • Hirsch, Maximilian Justice · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, the birthplace of Max Hirsch, a legendary horse trainer. Born in 1880, Hirsch started young, running away at twelve to work with horses. He rode winners as a jockey before becoming…

  • Hunter, John M. · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, Texas, where in 1850, a dispute over whiskey turned deadly and cost the young county its history. Right here, John M. Hunter, the first county clerk and a merchant, refused to sell…

  • Krauskopf, Engelbert · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, near Fredericksburg, where Engelbert Krauskopf set up shop in the 1840s. He arrived from Germany as a cabinetmaker, but soon found his true calling as a gunsmith. He even made a…

  • Kuechler, Jacob · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, maybe near Fredericksburg, and you're surrounded by trees. Did you know that back in the late 1850s, Jacob Kuechler, a German immigrant and surveyor, was studying these…

  • Martin, Clarence White · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, perhaps near Fredericksburg. Right here, Clarence White Martin, a lawyer and judge, played a crucial role in saving the Alamo. In the early 1900s, as the historic mission…

  • Martin, Louis · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, a land settled by folks like Louis Martin. He arrived in Texas in 1844, part of the first wave of German immigrants. He helped establish Fredericksburg and was its first…

  • Rode, Diedrich Johann Gottlieb · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, near Fredericksburg, where Diedrich Rode arrived from Germany in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>. He became one of the very first settlers here, buying land…

  • Van der Stucken, Frank Valentine · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Fredericksburg, the birthplace of Frank Van der Stucken, a composer and conductor who became a giant in American music! Born here in 1858, he left Texas young for Europe, studying with greats like…

  • Oxford Cemetery · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Llano County, passing the Oxford Cemetery. This quiet resting place has roots going back to 1880, when Confederate veteran A. J. Johnson founded the Oxford community. A burial ground was set aside…

  • The Christian Kraus Homestead · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Gillespie County, near Fredericksburg, past the site of the Christian Kraus Homestead. Christian Kraus, a farmer and teacher, began building this stone vernacular home in 1859 after settling in…

  • Cooley, Albert O. [A. O.] · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, and right here in Fredericksburg is where Albert O. Cooley lived a double life. Cooley was a Texas legislator, lawyer, and judge, serving in the Texas House and Senate from the…

  • Moursund, Walter Henrik · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Texas, maybe near Fredericksburg where Walter Moursund was born in 1884. He was inspired to become a doctor after a childhood illness. After practicing medicine in several Texas towns, he joined…

  • Petsch, Alfred P. C. · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the heart of the Texas Hill Country, near Luckenbach and Fredericksburg. Right here, Alfred P. C. Petsch, born in 1887, built a remarkable life. He learned English after growing up speaking…

  • San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here, you're passing through the former territory of a little railroad with a big name: the San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Northern Railway. Chartered in 1913,…

  • Allan, Aaron · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, maybe past Fredericksburg, where Aaron Allan Crenwelge was born in 1929. He became a pioneering radio DJ, adopting the name Aaron Allan. He launched New Braunfels's first…

  • Hillaire, Michael · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, a land that saw soldiers and settlers alike. Right here, near Fredericksburg, lived Michael Hillaire. Born in Germany around 1830, he came to America and enlisted in the…

  • Wunderlich Houses · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Wunderlich Houses, a testament to German immigrant grit in the Texas Hill Country. Adolph Wunderlich married Martha Schumann in 1883, and he built their first home right here, mixing…

  • Fredericksburg and Northern Railway · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through the Texas Hill Country, and right here is Fredericksburg. This town once had its own railroad, the Fredericksburg and Northern Railway. Chartered back in 1917, it connected Fredericksburg to a…

  • Wrede, Friedrich Wilhelm Von, Jr. · 14.0 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Gillespie County, right near Fredericksburg, where a German immigrant named Friedrich Wilhelm von Wrede, Jr. helped shape this community. He arrived in Texas in 1844, serving as secretary to…

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