Wrede School, Gillespie County, Texas
Encyclopedia
Wrede School is located at 3929 S. State Highway 16
, Fredericksburg
, Gillespie County, Texas
. It was first built in 1896. The school district was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District
in 1960. The schoolhouse now serves as a community center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on June 1, 2005.
secretary to Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
. He helped settle New Braunfels
, and was one of the group who accompanied John O. Meusebach
on the trip to make the 1847 Meusebach–Comanche Treaty. Wrede remained in Fredericksburg
to establish a business enterprise. From 1850–1851, he served as County Clerk of Gillespie County
. He married Sophie Bonzano, and the first four of their children were born in Fredericksburg. During the Civil War, Wrede served in the Gillespie Rifles, Thirty-first Brigade, under Captain Charles H. Nimitz, grandfather of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz
. In 1865, the Wrede family returned to Germany.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Wrede Sr. (1786–1845) was the author of Lebensbilder aus den vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika und Texas (Sketches of life in the United States of North America and Texas) first published in 1844 and later reprinted in English in 1970. The book was influential in persuading prospective German colonists to emigrate to Texas. He was a manager of Nassau Plantation
. He and botanist Oscar von Claren were scalped and murdered in 1845 by Indians while camped near Austin
.
. The water supply was a hand dug well. The first school session opened with forty-six students on October 15, 1896. The Pedernales school
and Bear Creek school were combined with Wrede in 1949. During its peak enrollment period in the 1950's, two teachers served fifty-three students. Teacher salary spanned the $28 a month paid in 1896 to upwards of $288 by 1959. Over its sixty-four year history, twenty-four teachers served the student body. Unusual for a community where only German was spoken in homes, speaking the German language on the school grounds was not allowed.
The school was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District in 1960. Currently, the school is used as a community center and serves as a polling place during elections. The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools has included Wrede in their preservation efforts.
Wrede school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on June 1, 2005.
State Highway 16 (Texas)
State Highway 16, or SH 16, is a north–south state highway that runs from U.S. Highway 281 24 miles south of Wichita Falls to Zapata on the Texas-Mexico boundary...
, 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...
, Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
. It was first built in 1896. The school district was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District
Fredericksburg Independent School District
Fredericksburg Independent School District is a public school district based in Fredericksburg, Texas .In addition to Fredericksburg, the district serves the unincorporated communities of Stonewall, Luckenbach, Willow City, and Albert...
in 1960. The schoolhouse now serves as a community center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on June 1, 2005.
Community background
The land on which the schoolhouse sits was owned by Friedrich Wilhelm von Wrede Jr (1820–?) who was born in Germany. Friedrich Jr. first came to Texas as a teenager with his family in 1836. He returned alone to Germany in 1843, but came back to Texas in 1844 as AdelsvereinAdelsverein
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:...
secretary to Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels
Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels , was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearheaded the establishment of colonies of German immigrants in Texas...
. He helped settle New Braunfels
New 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...
, and was one of the group who accompanied 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...
on the trip to make the 1847 Meusebach–Comanche Treaty. Wrede remained in 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...
to establish a business enterprise. From 1850–1851, he served as County Clerk of Gillespie County
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
. He married Sophie Bonzano, and the first four of their children were born in Fredericksburg. During the Civil War, Wrede served in the Gillespie Rifles, Thirty-first Brigade, under Captain Charles H. Nimitz, 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...
. In 1865, the Wrede family returned to Germany.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Wrede Sr. (1786–1845) was the author of Lebensbilder aus den vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika und Texas (Sketches of life in the United States of North America and Texas) first published in 1844 and later reprinted in English in 1970. The book was influential in persuading prospective German colonists to emigrate to Texas. He was a manager of Nassau Plantation
Nassau Plantation (Texas)
Nassau Plantation was a endeavor purchased by the Adelsverein on January 9, 1843 in Fayette County, Texas, near what is now Round Top. Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1968, Marker 3550.-Original purchase:...
. He and botanist Oscar von Claren were scalped and murdered in 1845 by Indians while camped near Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
School
The first schoolhouse was constructed in 1896, from lumber hauled in from ComfortComfort, Texas
Comfort is a census-designated place in Kendall County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,363 at the 2010 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The water supply was a hand dug well. The first school session opened with forty-six students on October 15, 1896. The Pedernales school
Pedernales, Texas
Pedernales, Texas was an early settlement of German immigrants in Gillespie County, located southwest of Fredericksburg near what is now Texas State Highway 16...
and Bear Creek school were combined with Wrede in 1949. During its peak enrollment period in the 1950's, two teachers served fifty-three students. Teacher salary spanned the $28 a month paid in 1896 to upwards of $288 by 1959. Over its sixty-four year history, twenty-four teachers served the student body. Unusual for a community where only German was spoken in homes, speaking the German language on the school grounds was not allowed.
The school was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District in 1960. Currently, the school is used as a community center and serves as a polling place during elections. The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools has included Wrede in their preservation efforts.
Wrede school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on June 1, 2005.