Historical Markers in
Gillespie County, Texas

Adolph Gold House Albert Lee Patton Building Albert Nebgen House Andreas and Frederike Lindig Farmstead August Ebers House Baethge-Behrend Homestead Bethany Lutheran Church Birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN Brodbeck Family Cemetery Cherry Mountain School Complex Cherry Spring Schoolhouse Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Christian Crenwelge Place Christian Methodist Episcopal Church County Jail of 1885 Crabapple School Cross Mountain D. C. Riley House Dambach-Besier Home Dangers Stone House Diedrich Rode Complex Domino Parlor Doss School Duecker Family Homestead Durst House Edward and Minnie Stein House Ellebracht-Moritz Homestead Emil Weber House Emma and Anna Metzger Enchanted Rock Engel Family F. W. Arhelger Shop Felix Van Der Stucken Home First Baptist Church of Harper First Methodist Church of Fredericksburg Frank Van Der Stucken Birthplace Fredericksburg College Building Fredericksburg Lodge No. 794, A.F. & A.M. Fredericksburg Social Turn Verein Gillespie County Gold-Grobe House Gruen-Doebbler Homestead Guenther's Live Oak Mill Gun Cap Factory H. C. Keese Home Harper Community Park Harper Independent School District Harper Presbyterian Church Heinrich Bierschwale House Heinrich Kensing_Johanna Borchers Kensing Henry Basse House Henry Cordes House Hill Crest Cemetery Hoerster Building Holy Ghost (Heilige Geist) Evangelical Protestant Church Homestead of Karl Itz Hugo and Anna Gold Crenwelge House J. W. and Ruth Baines House Jacob Neffendorf Jakob (Jacob) Brodbeck Johann Joseph Knopp House John O. Meusebach John Peter Tatsch Home, 1856 Karl Kensing Cemetery Kiehne-Hermann Home Klingelhoeffer House Kloth-Ludwig Home Kuenemann House Lange's Mill Lehne-Itz House Little Rock House Liveoak Creek Log Cabin Loeffler-Weber House Lower South Grape Creek School Luckenbach Luckenbach School Ludwig Doebbler House Lyndon Baines Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson Maier-Alberthal Building Major Israel M. Nunez Market Square (Mark Platz) Meckel-Hanus Building Moritz-Hitzfeld-Jacoby House Morris Ranch Schoolhouse Mosel-Jordan-Duecker Haus Moseley Log Cabin Mueller-Petmecky House Nimitz Hotel Old Central Drugstore Old Cherry Spring School (Das Alte Schulhaus) Old Gillespie County Courthouse Old Kammlah House Old St. Mary's Church (Die Alte Kirche) Oliver and William Schneider Building Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church Pape Log Cabin Pedernales Rural School Philipp Hartmann Family Cemetery Pioneer Schandua House Pioneer Store & Home Rausch Ranch Home Ressmann-Boos House Riley-Enderlin House Schmidt-Dietz Building Schmidt-Gold House Schneider-Klingelhoefer House Schwarz Building Site of Fort Martin Scott Site of The Andreas Lindig Lime Kiln Site of the McDonald Massacre Site of Zodiac Squaw Creek Cemetery Squaw Creek Primitive Baptist Church St. Anthony Catholic Parish St. Barnabas Episcopal Church St. James Lutheran Church St. John's Lutheran Church St. Mary's Catholic Church St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery St. Paul Lutheran Church St. Peter Lutheran Church Stonewall Community Cemetery Sunday Houses Texas Ranger General E. Kirby Smith, C.S.A. The August Hennersdorf House The Burrer Home The Carl Henke Home The Christian Kraus Homestead The Easter Fires The Grapetown School The Marschall-Meusebach Cemetery The Meinhardt-Pfeil Home The Patton Home The Pinta Trail The Schandua Building The William Rausch House Trinity Cemetery Trinity Lutheran Church Vereins Kirche Vogel Sunday House Wahrmund Millinery, Moellendorf-Dietz Bakery Wahrmund-Priess House Walch Home Walter-Jenschke Sunday House Weber "Das Keller Haus" Welgenhausen Ranch Wilke Cemetery at Albert, Texas William S. Dedmon William Wahrmund House Williams Creek School Wunderlich Houses Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
The Alamo, a mission in San Antonio, is perhaps the most famous historical site in Texas. It was the site of a key battle during the Texas Revolution in 1836.
Texas random facts
Gillespie County, TX has a rich and diverse history that dates back to its founding in 1848. It was named after Robert Addison Gillespie, a soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War. The county was originally part of the Fisher-Miller Land Grant, but settlers began arriving in the area in the early 1840s.

The pioneer settlers of Gillespie County were mostly of German descent, seeking a new life and economic opportunities. They developed a thriving agricultural community, growing crops like cotton, corn, and wheat. The early settlers also established successful farms and ranches, making Gillespie County one of the leading agricultural regions in Texas.

During the Civil War, Gillespie County experienced some conflict and tensions due to the differing loyalties of its residents. However, after the war, the county experienced a period of growth and prosperity as the railroad reached Fredericksburg, the county seat, in 1913. This opened up new opportunities for trade and commerce, leading to economic development and population growth.

In recent years, Gillespie County has become a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors with its rich history, charming small towns, and beautiful natural surroundings. Today, the county is known for its wineries, historic sites, and festivals that celebrate its German heritage. It continues to thrive as a center of agriculture, tourism, and cultural preservation in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Gillespie County, Texas.

  • 1848 - Gillespie County is established and named after Robert Addison Gillespie
  • 1849 - The county seat is established in Fredericksburg
  • 1850s - German immigrants begin settling in the area, shaping the county's culture and economy
  • 1861-1865 - Gillespie County residents participate in the American Civil War
  • 1880s - The county experiences growth with the arrival of the railroad and expansion of agriculture
  • 1900s - Gillespie County faces challenges such as the 1900 storm and the Great Depression
  • 1940s - Fort Mason is established as a training center during World War II
  • 1970s - Tourism becomes an important industry, boosting the county's economy
  • 1990s - Fredericksburg becomes a popular tourist destination with its historic downtown and wineries