Stories of Our German Heritage in Fredericksburg, Texas

The German Heritage Foundation

"Do not let anyone persuade you to go to any other place than Fredericksburg."
-- a letter from an early resident to friends in Germany

Picture of the Fairgrounds' North Wall

Fairgrounds' North Wall

Information, Stories and More

Our cultural stories determine how we view the world and, thus, who we are. The following items are gathered from a number of sources including Die Friedrichsburg Manuskripte, personal e-mails, and private conversations.

We invite you to submit you and your family's personal recollections, interviews, manuscripts, anecdotes, etc. We will help see to it that these traditions and memories are available to your descendants and to our region's new residents.

If you have not already done so, one of the better ways to record your older relatives stories is to get everyone together with a hand-held recording device (mine takes cassettes). Let your relatives know why recording their stories is important to you and politely request permission to leave the tape running. If your relatives are like the ones I've interviewed, once they start remembering, they won't even notice when you have to flip or replace the tape!

The Peace Treaty of 1847
If it wasn't for this document, Friedrichsburg could never have been founded. Never broken by either side.

Fritztown Germlish
Around here, Fritztown is a term used in an endearing way. As an example, Der Alte Fritz, (The old Fritz), was the nickname of Old King Friedrich who was loved by many. Today, it is also the name of an antique store in Fredericksburg run by 2 German immigrants!

The Easter Fires Pageant
As in Germany, the Easter Fires signalled the death of Winter and the coming of new life and productiveness.

1862 German Texan Leaflet
Most Germans opposed slavery, which did not make them popular with some of their pro-Confederate neighbors. The murders at the Nueces River will be another item.