Klein, Stephen, House
131 S. Seguin St., New Braunfels, TXThe Stephen Klein House in New Braunfels is a typical example of the type of structure built by the numerous German immigrants into Texas while it was a Republic and continuing into the seventies and eighties of the last century. It is a simple one-story and loft stuccoed fachwerk building with a full-width inset front porch and lean-to rear room giving it an interesting and typical silhouette, with the overhanging roof of the front echoing the saltbox shape of the rear. The building is not restored and the timber and limestone rubble fachwerk shows through the stucco, especially in the rear.
Klein was one of many Germans who came to America during the 1840s. He left Hattenheim in 1844 and arrived in Texas in 1845. He built his home one year after Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels founded New Braunfels.
The 1850 census indicates that Klein became a farmer in Comal County, and that he sold his New Braunfels home to a Zachary family, who used it as a bakery. Edward Naegelin, Sr. bought the house in 1868. The present owner is Mrs. Laura Naegelin, who uses the building as a storage place for her bakery.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.