German Immigration Through Karlshafen

On April 20, 1842, a group of nobles convened at Biebrich Am Rhein and incorporated as the Adelsverein. They elected Count Karl von Castell as their president and then pledged a goal to purchase land in Texas. From 1821 to 1910, more than five million Germans emigrated, more than any other European country. Providing a potential escape from this misery was the Adelsverein. The Adelsverein accounted for 7,380 of those during three years of operation from 1844-1847 but their advertising enticed many other German immigrants who utilized the footholds that the Verein had established to come to Texas. One popular slogan was “geh mit ins Texas,” or “go with us to Texas.” Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels, one of the members and a cousin of England’s Queen Victoria, was chosen to execute their mission in Texas as the commissioner general in America. With his determination, Karlshafen developed into a significant port.

With revolutions and discontent in Europe in the 1840s, many Germans, as well as other nationalities, continued to pour into the German infrastructure eventually established by the Verein at Galveston and Karlshafen. Indian Point in Karlshafen, a shell beach separated from the mainland by a chain of lakes and marshes, was a successful debarkation point for thousands of German immigrants. Many followed the route to the Verein settlements of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg in the Texas hill country but some settled other areas of Texas including Calhoun County itself. The city of Indianola, born of Karlshafen, became a major port that helped settle the west. At a high price with the loss of many lives early on, these German immigrants made lasting contributions to the culture of Texas in their pursuit of a better life.

(2013).