Early History of Fredericksburg, Texas

Early History of Fredericksburg, Texas (HM1RTE)

Location: Fredericksburg, TX 78624 Gillespie County
Buy Texas State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 30° 16.428', W 98° 52.05'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 498 views
Inscription
Fredericksburg, the county seat of Gillespie County, is steeped in history.

1846
Deriving its name from Prince Frederick of Prussia, this Texas town was founded on May 8, 1846, by 120 German immigrants under the auspices of the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas or "Adelsverein."

1847
The Vereins Kirche, the first public building in frontier Fredericksburg, was constructed in the summer of 1847 and served as a church of all faiths, a school and meeting hall. The original eight-sided building was located in the middle of San Saba Street, later re-named Main Street.

Lyman Wight founded a Mormon colony on the Pedernales River, four miles outside of Fredericksburg, which became known as Zodiac. The Mormons with their gristmill and sawmill were instrumental in helping the Germans settlers survive and begin the development of Fredericksburg. However after flooding of the Pedernales in 1850 destroyed their mills, the Mormons abandoned Zodiac.

1848
Fort Martin Scott was established on the bank of Barons Creek southeast of Fredericksburg by the U.S. Army. The fort, only in use until 1853, consisted of a commissary, barracks, officers' quarters, laundry, bake house and guard house. The soldiers' needs for services and goods gave the fledgling community of Fredericksburg a much needed economic boost.

1848-1850s
During these early years, over 5,000 colonists from Germany landed at the Texas port of Indianola, also called Carlshafen. The trip from the Gulf Coast to the sites of the German colonies of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg was made in two-wheeled ox carts and on foot. Transportation was scarce due to the war between Mexico and the United States, which involved almost all available teamsters. Sickness and lack of food took a great toll on human life. However armed with perseverance, hard work, belief in education and their faith, the German settlers went about creating a new life for their families on the Texas frontier, later to be known as the Texas Hill Country.

(Image captions, from top to bottom)
The Commissioner General of the Society, also known as the "Adelsverein," was Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, a German nobleman who took the name of John O. Meusebach once settled in Fredericksburg.

1847: The historic treaty Meusebach made with the Comanche Indians on the San Saba River was hailed state-wide as the major effort in bringing about peaceful relations with the Indians on this part of the Texas frontier.

The original Vereins Kirche, built in 1847, was demolished in 1896 after the 50th anniversary celebration of the founding of Fredericksburg. In 1934-35, a replica was constructed in the middle of Fredericksburg's town square, known as the Marktplatz, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Details
HM NumberHM1RTE
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Thursday, April 21st, 2016 at 9:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)14R E 512744 N 3349132
Decimal Degrees30.27380000, -98.86750000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 30° 16.428', W 98° 52.05'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds30° 16' 25.68" N, 98° 52' 3" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)830
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 302 E Austin St, Fredericksburg TX 78624, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. This markers needs some tags to help categorize the marker
  3. What historical period does the marker represent?
  4. What historical place does the marker represent?
  5. What type of marker is it?
  6. What class is the marker?
  7. What style is the marker?
  8. Does the marker have a number?
  9. What year was the marker erected?
  10. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  11. This marker needs at least one picture.
  12. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  13. Is the marker in the median?