Homesite of John O. Meusebach
Encyclopedia
The Homesite of John O. Meusebach is located at Loyal Valley
in Mason County, Texas
, 21 miles (33.8 km) north of Fredericksburg
and 18 miles (29 km) southeast of the city of Mason
, on U.S. Highway 87 to right-of-way at the intersection of US 87 and RM 2242. Meusebach moved to the property in 1869, after a tornado destroyed his family home in Comal County
.
John O. Meusebach
was born in Dillenburg
, Duchy of Nassau
, with a background in botany
, and educated and trained as a lawyer. As Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein
, he founded the city of Fredericksburg, and opened up the Fisher-Miller Land Grant
territory to settlement when he brokered the Meusebach–Comanche Treaty. He later served as Texas State Senator District 22
. His Loyal Valley homesite was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
in 1969, Marker number 11288.
. Meusebach, whose foot had been pinned beneath a heavy beam, was the only member of his family to be injured. The foot injury remained with him the rest of his life.
, on U.S. Highway 87 to right-of-way at the intersection of US 87 and RR 2242. He named the area Loyal Valley
to reflect his sentiments about the Union
during the Civil War. A trip to Fredericksburg was half a day's ride, and a trip to New Braunfels took about two days. Ferdinand Lindheimer
was a frequent visitor who exchanged botanical specimens with Meusebach for evaluation.
Charles Henry Nimitz
, grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
, made a special visit to the Loyal Valley residence. Nimitz later gave an interview about the visit to the Fredericksburg newspaper Das Wochenblatt, detailing the orchards and gardens Meusebach had cultivated.
His wife Agnes and children stayed in New Braunfels until 1875, to benefit from the New Braunfels school system. At Loyal Valley, he built a native limestone
home. Outside his home beneath a privacy trellis, he built a Roman style bathtub out of limestone and cement. On his acreage he indulged in his love of horticulture
by maintaining an orchard, ornamental shrubs and a personal rose garden.
Meusebach opened a mercantile establishment that evolved into a stage stop and the area's community gathering place, where he survived a gunshot wound to the leg, inflicted by trouble makers during the Mason County Hoo Doo War. Meusebach was appointed justice of the peace, notary public and served as the community’s second postmaster in 1873. The family's home was destroyed by fire in 1886, and Meusebach built a new one.
, and is buried in the family cemetery in Cherry Spring
.
Loyal Valley, Texas
Loyal Valley is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1858, and is north of Cherry Spring in the southeastern corner of Mason County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located near Cold Spring Creek, which runs east for to its mouth on Marschall Creek in...
in Mason County, Texas
Mason County, Texas
Mason County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 4, 012. Its county seat is Mason...
, 21 miles (33.8 km) north of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
and 18 miles (29 km) southeast of the city of Mason
Mason, Texas
Mason is the seat of Mason County, Texas, United States. The town is an agricultural community on Comanche Creek southwest of Mason Mountain, on the Edwards Plateau and part of the Llano Uplift. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, on U.S. Highway 87 to right-of-way at the intersection of US 87 and RM 2242. Meusebach moved to the property in 1869, after a tornado destroyed his family home in Comal County
Comal County, Texas
Comal County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 108,472. Its seat is New Braunfels.Comal County is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History Timeline:...
.
John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach , born Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22.-Early years:John O...
was born in Dillenburg
Dillenburg
Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....
, Duchy of Nassau
Nassau (state)
Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire and later in the German Confederation. Its ruling dynasty, now extinct in male line, was the House of Nassau.-Origins:...
, with a background in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
, and educated and trained as a lawyer. As Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein
Adelsverein
Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas, better known as Adelsverein , organized on April 20, 1842, was a colonial attempt to establish a new Germany within the borders of Texas.-History:...
, he founded the city of Fredericksburg, and opened up the Fisher-Miller Land Grant
Fisher-Miller Land Grant
The Fisher-Miller Land Grant was part of an early colonization effort of the Republic of Texas. Its 3,878,000 acres covered between the Llano River and Colorado River. Originally granted to Henry Francis Fisher and Burchard Miller, the grant was sold to the German colonization company of Adelsverein...
territory to settlement when he brokered the Meusebach–Comanche Treaty. He later served as Texas State Senator District 22
Texas Senate, District 22
District 22 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves Bosque, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Hill, Hood, Johnson, McLennan, Navarro and Somervell counties in the U.S. state of Texas...
. His Loyal Valley homesite was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the state of Texas....
in 1969, Marker number 11288.
New Braunfels tornado
On September 12, 1869 a tornado destroyed the Meusebach home in New BraunfelsNew Braunfels, Texas
New Braunfels is a city in Comal and Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas that is a principal city of the metropolitan area. Braunfels means "brown rock" in German; the city is named for Braunfels, in Germany. The city's population was 57,740 as of the 2010 census, up 58% from the 2000...
. Meusebach, whose foot had been pinned beneath a heavy beam, was the only member of his family to be injured. The foot injury remained with him the rest of his life.
Loyal Valley
After the 1869 tornado, Meusebach purchased seven hundred acres 21 miles (33.8 km) north of Frederickburg and 18 miles (29 km) southeast of MasonMason, Texas
Mason is the seat of Mason County, Texas, United States. The town is an agricultural community on Comanche Creek southwest of Mason Mountain, on the Edwards Plateau and part of the Llano Uplift. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, on U.S. Highway 87 to right-of-way at the intersection of US 87 and RR 2242. He named the area Loyal Valley
Loyal Valley, Texas
Loyal Valley is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1858, and is north of Cherry Spring in the southeastern corner of Mason County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located near Cold Spring Creek, which runs east for to its mouth on Marschall Creek in...
to reflect his sentiments about the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
during the Civil War. A trip to Fredericksburg was half a day's ride, and a trip to New Braunfels took about two days. Ferdinand Lindheimer
Ferdinand Lindheimer
Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer was a German Texan botanist who spent his working life on the American frontier. In 1936, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 1590 was placed on Lindheimer's grave.-Early life:...
was a frequent visitor who exchanged botanical specimens with Meusebach for evaluation.
Charles Henry Nimitz
Charles Henry Nimitz
Charles Henry Nimitz was a German merchant seaman, as was his father before him. He was the grandfather of, and role model for, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. In 1852, he built the Nimitz Hotel in Fredericksburg, Texas, United States. The hotel he built now houses the National Museum of the...
, grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
Chester Nimitz
Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, GCB, USN was a five-star admiral in the United States Navy. He held the dual command of Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet , for U.S. naval forces and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas , for U.S...
, made a special visit to the Loyal Valley residence. Nimitz later gave an interview about the visit to the Fredericksburg newspaper Das Wochenblatt, detailing the orchards and gardens Meusebach had cultivated.
His wife Agnes and children stayed in New Braunfels until 1875, to benefit from the New Braunfels school system. At Loyal Valley, he built a native limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
home. Outside his home beneath a privacy trellis, he built a Roman style bathtub out of limestone and cement. On his acreage he indulged in his love of horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
by maintaining an orchard, ornamental shrubs and a personal rose garden.
Meusebach opened a mercantile establishment that evolved into a stage stop and the area's community gathering place, where he survived a gunshot wound to the leg, inflicted by trouble makers during the Mason County Hoo Doo War. Meusebach was appointed justice of the peace, notary public and served as the community’s second postmaster in 1873. The family's home was destroyed by fire in 1886, and Meusebach built a new one.
Death
Meusebach died on May 27, 1897, on his property in Loyal ValleyLoyal Valley, Texas
Loyal Valley is an unincorporated farming and ranching community, established in 1858, and is north of Cherry Spring in the southeastern corner of Mason County, in the U.S. state of Texas. The community is located near Cold Spring Creek, which runs east for to its mouth on Marschall Creek in...
, and is buried in the family cemetery in Cherry Spring
Cherry Spring, Texas
Cherry Spring is an unincorporated farming and ranching community established in 1852 in Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located on Cherry Spring Creek, which runs from north of Fredericksburg to Llano. The creek was also sometimes known as Cherry Springs Creek by residents...
.