Fredericksburg, Texas is one of the highlights of the Texas Hill County. It is about an hour west of Austin. The city was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach the Commissioner General of the “Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas” At the time, the Hill Country was enjoying a record amount of rainfall, convincing many farmers in Germany to relocate there to raise crops. In just a few years, the city had grown to 754 people in the Census of 1850. Later,, more characteristic lower rainfalls would return, threatening many farms.
The German immigrants in the surrounding countryside looked to Fredericksburg and they, and the residents of Fredericksburg, successfully petitioned to create Gillespie County.
The city was divided by the Civil War. Many of its residents were opposed to secession and slavery, but after Texas seceded, several hundred men from Gillespie County either enlisted in the Confederate Army or were drafted. Scores of men fled the city to escape the Confederacy, some of whom were massacred by Confederate cavalry as they tried to escape to Mexico.
There were few slaves in Fredericksburg. Only 33 slaves were held in the city out of a total population of about a thousand in 1860. Nearly all slaves in the Fredericksburg area were owned by John E. and Thomas C. Doss, two brothers who were born in Virginia.
After the war, some freed slaves began moving to Fredericksburg. During Reconstruction, the population was still divided. Louis Scheutze was kidnapped and hanged for his support for the Union. James P. Waldrip, a Confederate partisan, was believed to be behind the killing and Waldrip was assassinated in 1867.
After Juneteenth 1865, several dozen freed slaves moved to Fredericksburg and united with the resident Black community to start building institutions. One of these, the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, marks the site where the Black community came together during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow years. It is located at 520 E Main St, Fredericksburg, TX 78624.
In 1869, there are records indicating that Black children attended school with German children in Fredericksburg. In 1877, a school was built by the Black community on the site of the current church. It is believed that the school was also used for worship services. The students of the school learned English and German. Since most residents spoke German, learning German was considered crucial to carrying on civic and economic life in the city.
Beginning in 1887, the African community began erecting their church. Latinos and Germans helped them as volunteers to raises the structure.
During the 1960s, laws prohibiting Blacks from attending white churches were overturned. Many Blacks joined formerly white-only churches and the congregation declined and services stopped being held.
In the 21st Century, descendants of the original church members began to meet to try to stop the deterioration of the building. As one said in an interview, if you walked through the church, your foot would go through the floor. The family members went to the local Historical Review Board and got their plans approved. The Historical Review Board helped secure funds for restoration.
The building today is restored, both inside and outside.
The cooperation between the families and the City of Fredericksburg points to a successful effort to preserve African American history at the local level.
More information on the effort to preserve the church can be found here.
LoneStar has put up a colorful historical sign outside the church. There are also busts of people who contributed to the effort.
While the site can be visited, there are no regular hours for going inside the building.
All color photos are by Pat Young.
To see more sites Pat visited CLICK HERE
Sources:
The Fredericksburg Standard Post
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