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Niederwald ~ ca 1862
Niederwald belongs to two counties, Hays and Caldwell. Settled by German families around the time of the War Between the States, it was named Niederwald for the brushy mesquite growing in the area. The town grew up as a trading post on the road from Austin to San Antonio. A post office was established in 1902 and lasted until 1904 with Hugo Busaas as postmaster. A cotton gin, blacksmith shop and at least two general stores were built in the early 1900s. In addition to the general store, for many years the German society known as the Order of the Sons of Hermann has maintained a lodge and tavern in Niederwald. In 1908 St. John’s Evangelical and Reformed church was established. Services were bilingual with the church school in German as many children were bilingual and learned Germans as a first language. The first church building was built of wood in the Gothic style, but, in time, a stone building with stained glass windows replaced the wooden frame building. A school served the community through the 1940s. By 1970, the population slowly declined, yet there was still a community building, a general store, a gin and a newspaper. In 1990 the population had once again increased to over 200 as the community became a part of the population spreading into Caldwell County. The Kyle post office now serves Niederwald for its rural delivery. Source – Plum Creek
Almanac, Vol. 22, No. 1, Spring 2004 and Caldwell County Kin:
The First 150 Years published by the Genealogical and Historical
Society of Caldwell County, November 2000
The Plum Creek Almanac is a project of
The Genealogical and Historical Society of Caldwell County.
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of Caldwell County Copyright © 1963Updated 10/15/2019 |