Within These Walls
Discover how the Behrens family lived during the 1870s by exploring this cabin
Home Away From Home
Heinrich and Wilhemina Behrens, pictured here, emigrated from Germany but never forgot their heritage as they built their life in Texas. Like many German immigrants, they spoke German at home, lived in German communities and used German construction techniques in building their homes. Look closely at the space between the logs of the walls. The rocks and mortar used to fill the wide gaps is a distinct German building method.
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When Heinrich and Wilhemina came to Texas with their families they brought items from Germany they eventually placed in their home. Take a look at the furnished rooms of this cabin to discover what these items might have looked like.
Starting Out Small
Many German settlers started small and gradually added to their homes as their farms prospered and their families grew. The Behrens family built the north room first and later added the dog-trot and south room you see today. Since the inside space was small and limited, many chores and other activities happened outside.
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The original one-room house may have looked like the cabin in this painting by Carl von Iwonski. Imagine living in a one-room cabin where preparing food, sleeping and relaxing all happened in the same space.
Making It Modern
As families grew, technologies changed and economies improved, German settlers like the Behrens family continued to enhance their homes. Many added larger living spaces, additional bedrooms, bathrooms and even decorative details that were stylish at the time. Eventually, log homes fell out of favor and settlers wanted to hide their rustic homes with modern details.
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It's hard to imagine, but the dog-trot cabin before you was hidden under this farmhouse for many years. When LBJ State Park and Historic Site was developed, the modern additions were removed so that visitors could learn from the cabin underneath.
LBJ and the Behrens Cabin
Living just across the Pedernales River, the Johnson family, pictured here before LBJ's birth, lived and worked in this community along with the Behrens family. Both families represent the determination and spirit of Texas settlers that shaped this land.
Small Spaces, Many Faces
Small spaces combined with large families made it necessary to use rooms in many different ways
Heart of the Home
The north room of this cabin served many purposes. It functioned as a kitchen, a dining room, a work room and a storage area. The family gathered here for meals, completed chores and entertained guests. Before the dog-trot and south room were built, this room served as the family's only living space.
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Not long after their wedding in 1869, Heinrich and Wilhemina began to expand their family. They had seven children, five of which lived to adulthood. Even at a young age the children in this household helped with chores, preparing meals and working the farm.
Day Into Night
The south room had different functions during the day and at night. During the day, it was a sitting room for visitors and family and served as a place to manage farm affairs. At night, this space became a bedroom where family members slept.
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Young children often slept in the bedroom with their parents. As they got older, they usually moved up to the half story under the roof, like this one, where they slept alongside stores of grain and other items.
Seasonal Space
The dog-trot or breezeway between the two rooms was not used as a simple hallway. Instead, this fully functional room changed according to the season and the needs of the family. In the summertime it became a cool, breezy outdoor room where people worked or ate. During other times of the year the breezeway provided storage for crucial supplies like flour and coffee.
See For Yourself
Discover how other German settlers transformed their homes and lived on the Texas frontier by visiting the Danz Cabin and the Sauer-Beckmann Farm!
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