Germany in Texas?

Texas is well versed in its own history and they proudly display it. But I’m guessing that especially along both coasts of the U.S., that people don’t know allot about the German influence that began in 1831, and how that influence remained. We’ll take a look at a few of those towns.

In the mid 1840s, Ernest Gruene and his wife came to New Braunfels, Texas, which was newly developed, to see about setting-up a home. But land was scarce because of the German immigrants that came before he and his wife, so they bought acreage outside of New Braunfels and named it, Gruene. Cotton was the main export of of Gruene and they had a cotton gin that was fed by the Guadelupe River. In the early 1920s, the cotton gin burned down and, with the advent of the boll weevil and the great depression, Gruene all but closed-up. There are some cool old buildings, like pictured left, to be seen and gone through. The General Store is really awesome inside!

This is the inside of the General Store in Gruene, Texas. Quite a remarkable place, actually, and if you can’t find a souvenir in this place, then stop looking. I’m sure that during the Summer months, this place is filled with tourists. Go early, park in the huge, dirt parking lot, parking is free, and just walk the town. Cool antique shops are there, as well as, food places are plentiful enough to give you options and there is a definite small, Texas town vibe to be experienced as you walk along.

The Grist Mill in Gruene, Texas. You must go and imbibe in the food and beverages that they sell. I imagine, during the Summer months, that this place is hopping for lunch and dinner. We were there in early May so we got in with no issues. And this place is immense! Not only is the inside huge, but there is a multi-tiered outdoor seating area as well. The Guadalupe River is right below where we were sitting and you can see some of the original structures that were part of the cotton gin that was operating in the late 1800s. It’s a popular place to eat and more so as the day progresses, so plan accordingly.

I wanted to post another shot of the inside of the Grist Mill restaurant in Gruene. All of the tall, skinny and shutter-like doors that wrapped around the entire restaurant, slid open to reveal the forest that was on one side of the restaurant and let in a breeze that took over almost the entire place. Even in 95+ degrees, it still seemed cool. Staff were nice and informative about the menu and I can say nothing negative about the place or the service.

Now, Texas is not without a sense of humor. My wife and I were chugging along in our rental car, checking out more of Gruene and we passed this structure, pictured to the left, that, at first, resembled a mission, not unlike the some of the ones you’d find in San Antonio. At second glance, we were humorously mistaken. It was none other than, Our Lady Bar and Grill. Now, the unfortunate circumstance here is that it was closed and we could not check things out, but one day we’ll be back to Gruene…and we will visit, Our Lady.

So I’ll finish up this week’s posting with this sign that we found on the outside of a coffee shop in Gruene. For the most part, Texas is a God-fearing state. And it seemed to me, the smaller the town, the more religious institutions there were. This sign sort of sums up that aura that you can feel in Texas. The smaller the town, the more helpful and sweet the people were. Gruene was a pleasure to wander through and photograph. I hope that we can go there again, which I think we will, and they are one of several towns/cities that offer up a specific river to lazily tube down. A small current carries folks down river while they sit in big inner tubes, drinking their favorite beverages. On warm to hot days, you can photograph these events as they happen on the river and not get allot of the water in your photos. That’s how popular an activity this is when it gets hot outside. Whatever you may choose to do in Texas, you will have a blast and you’ll get a wonderful history lesson, you’ll meet some of the nicest people on the planet and you will bring back some lasting memories.

That will do it for me this week. Next week I’ll clue you in on another German town and then the week after that I’ll discuss Austin and then that will wrap-up Texas. Texas is a GI-normous state and, unlike say, Rhode Island, you can’t see it all in a couple days. We were there for 10 days and tried to eke out as much as we could. We saw cool antique shops in small towns we found by getting off the main highways and taking back roads. There were so many buzzards that we saw and I was fortunate enough to get a photo of one. On a fence post, not eating what they usually eat. I will bring you more next week so until then, take care of yourselves, each other and, as always, be and travel well!