adventure
A TEXAS-SIZED
celebration
Main Street
Maibaum at Marktplatz
FREDERICKSBURG WILL KICK OFF A Y E A R -L O N G C O M M E M O R AT I O N O F I T S 1 7 5 T H A N N I V E R S A RY I N M AY
troll through Fredericksburg’s Marktplatz Park on historic Main Street, past the Maypole that displays each chapter of the town’s history along its branches, past the octagonal Vereins Kirche building that is a replica of the town’s very first community building, and you will stumble onto a bust of John O. Meusebach. In the mid-1800s, Meusebach was responsible for leading a group of immigrants fleeing Germany’s social, political, and economic conditions that would result in the Revolution of 1848. The group known as the Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas wanted to establish a new German settlement within the Lone Star State. After years of preparation, the group landed in Texas in 1844. The group first established themselves in New Braunfels after purchasing 1,265 acres of land for $1,112. On May 6, 1846, Meusebach chose a location 70 miles northwest of New Braunfels near the Pedernales River to be the group’s second Texas settlement. The 10,000-acre settlement was located between the two creeks with an abundance of water, stone, and wood. The 120 original German settlers received a parcel of land in town in addition to 10 acres outside of town. Meusebach named the new settlement Fredericksburg after Prince Frederick of Prussia. Like many pioneer towns, Fredrickburg’s first years were not easy. Disease, Comanche attacks, and drought proved trying for the early settlers. Since its humble beginnings, however, Fredericksburg has grown into a popular tourist destination known as the second most visited wine region in the nation while still holding on tightly to its German roots.
60
LIVINGMAGAZINE.NET
|
april 2021
