New Braunfels Woolen Mill

German immigrants August Tolle and Dr. Theodor Koester purchased lots 271 and 272 in 1864 and built a large two-story building 100 feet long and 60 feet wide using hewn trunks of cedar. The building was built as a brandy distillery and to manufacture medicinals. In 1868, the building was sold to the New Braunfels Woolen Mill Manufacturing Company. The factory utilized the Comal River water for steam power installing a boiler, chimney and warning bell. The company was successful, but lacking a trademark, closed because other manufacturers used the name and produced inferior products.

In 1901, German immigrants Franz and Anna (Mielke) Popp bought the property and converted the building to the Comal Steam Laundry. It was the first laundry in New Braunfels and capitalized on the turn of the century desire for cleanliness and reducing the laborious task for citizens to wash their clothes. After Franz retired in 1913, the laundry was run by Anna and her children, Emma, Martha, Rosa and Bruno. During the great depression, Emma operated the laundry and also worked as a cook at the Phoenix Café to support her children. In 1934, the laundry closed due to a kerosene stove fire that resulted in Anna’s death. The building that had been a New Braunfels landmark for so many years was razed in 1954. The Popp family still owned the property in the early 21st century. Although all that remains of the building is the old bell, rock foundation and part of the chimney, it serves as a reminder of business ingenuity utilizing the Comal River.