The New Ulm Enterprise (New Ulm, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 1, 1990 Page: 4 of 8
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PAGE 4 THE NEW ULM ENTERPRISE. THURSDAY, MARCH I. IM
New Wehdem History Program Presented
The history of the New Wehdem
area was the topic of the February
Industry-West End Historical Socie-
ty. The area was described in Wm.
Trenckmann's IM, "History of
Austin County", as “a picturesque
landscape of alternating hills and
valleys made even more pleasing by
groves and creeks.”
Communities are described as
being situated along branches of
Rocky and Mill Creek Travis was
an old settlement established during
the 1830’s. (Speculation attributes
the settlement's name to the Alamo
heroWm. Travis.) Although Travis
prospered in earlier days it declined
in IM, when the Santa Fe Railroad
went to Kenney and caused Travis to
fade.
Trenckmann's 1899 account also
states that New Wehdem earlier was
known as Cooper’s Settlement.
William Dierking Jr. presented
facts about the New Wedhem
community. The community receiv-
ed its current name on Jan. 8, 1883,
from German settlers of the area
who originated in Wehdem Ger-
many. As German immigrants
began arriving in greater numbers,
particularly in the 1850’s and IM's,
the need for a religious facibty
existed. On Nov. 7,1869, (St. Jacobi)
later known as St. James Lutheran
Church was established. Prior to
renaming New Wehdem, the
settlement was even referred to as
St. Jacobi.
Before the congregation acquired
land and built a sanctuary, services
were held in homes. An interesting
note was pointed out that in 1879-80,
A. Friederich Ernst (not the famous
Industry Ernst, but an unrelated
person with the same nameiwas the
New Wehdem preacher.
In 1928 the original church
building was replaced with the
present structure which adds charm
to the surrounding country.
Education was not left to chance in
the community. The New Wedhem
public school opened in 1870. It was
one of the thirteen original Austin
County school districts. In 1871
classes were held for six months:
December, January, February,
March, June and July. The school
year in the community was devised
to coincide with the farm planting
and harvesting season. The students
were necessary for farm labor and
large families were encouraged.
(This fact was stressed in an 1832
letter Frederich Ernst wrote to
Germany.)
By 1893 a new school was
constructed to replace the early one.
Education was offered for grades
one through nine. The minister
served a dual role as teacher and
preacher. In peak enrollment years
three teachers were necessary.
BECAUSE EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS COUNT!
ELECT
JUDGE
JAMIE ELICK
DISTRICT JUDGE
155TM JUDICIAL DISTRICT
Jamie Hick b a judge who is eminent!) fair, diligent, serious and well
versed in all aspects of the law, not a professional politician.
Jamie Hick, with 16 years as an active trial lawyer in Federal and
State Courts and 4 years as judge of the Bellville Municipal Court,
has both the experience and qualifications to be District Judge.
Jamie Hick bas served as the President of The Austin County Bar
Association, on the board of directors of The Gulf Coast Legal
Foundation and as a member of The Inns of Court. He has shown he
is dedicated to the law.
Jamie Hick, born and raised la the district, knows the people...He
knows the taw, and...He has a judicial temperament that will make
him a great District Judge!
Adolph Backhaus from Barlin,
Germany served aa "ahull meister”
(teacher) from IM to 1997. The
county school superintendent was
headquartered at Industry and
"SchuU meister" Rarbhams waa
known to dismiss school early on
Fridays in order to allow time to
travel to Industry to collect his pay.
The student population numbered
49 pupils in IM, and by IM there
were 16 students in the first grade
alone.
In 1925 the current school building
(built by Otto Herbrig of Welcome-
Industry) replaced the earlier one.
This 1925 building is still providing
a place of education being used
today, by St. James Lutheran
Church for Sunday School.
Another area school came into
being on July 17, IM when the
Rocky Colored School I 5 was
created. There were 39 pupils
registered at that time and Church
Services were also held in this
school building.
On Oct. 10,1912, the Austin County
Board of Education issued a
proclamation that created a report
card. This action was brought about
to encourage more regular school
attendance. Mr. Dierking explained
that discipline was applied in school
through the use of the famous
"hickory stick” and it was a
common practice to have it
reapplied upon arrival at home.
New Wehdem prospered as
farmers engaged principally in
cotton and com production. As a
result of these products early
businesses of the community were
cotton gins, grist mills and hammer
mills. The Emshoff-Roehr gin, the
John Christian Lueckemeyer (dis-
mantled 1938), and Pete Harvey gin
(dismantled 1910) actively function-
ed in New Wedhem in earlier times.
Another local enterprise was the
Jacob Spiess and Fritt Tiemann cane
press and molasses mill.
In 1901 a general store with bar
was opened by Henry Poppelmeyer.
German-style warm keg beer was a
popular item sold in the store-bar.
The store had a sign posted in
German saying: "Mug beer five
cents-if you can’t handle it, don’t
drink it".
Wm. Dierking Sr. owned and
operated this business from 1937
until 1969. The store is one of the few
structures still In existence and
serves aa a storage building today.
Theo Lueckemeyer operated a
blacksmith shop-garage and ham-
mer mill grist mill in the area from
1902 until 1962.
New Wedhem was situated on
the main road from Nelson ville to
Brenham. Commercial freight wa-
gons would pass through daily. Otto
Paul Albert from the Bleiblerville
Store operated a freight business
hauling raw materials and farm
produce such as poultry and raw
hides to the Brenham market,
returning with genereal merchan-
dise including keg beer. Monroe
Albert was the mule skinner with
teams of six or eight annimals
depending on the load.
In 1934 an oil company erected a 90
foot tall wooden drilling rig on the
Frits Heidemann property. The
drilling crew drilled to a depth of
three thousand and forty feet before
abandoning the project Much
excitement was generated in the
community, but agriculture re-
mained the major source of income
for New Wehdem.
The community was served by
doctors making house calls. Dr.
Henry Dabney served from IM to
1892. Dr. J.D. Clemmons served the
community at the turn of the
century. From 1921 into the IM’s
Dr. H.E. Roensch practiced. The
period of the IM’s, 40’s and 50*s >
were served by Doctors Fred and
Herman Hodde, also Roger and
Waldo Knolle.
Entertainment in the German
community of New Wehdem
included a “Schuetxenverein"
(shooting club) and the “Frohsinn"
(good time) Dance Hall (1912), each
offered abundant opportunity for
community socializing.
The next Historical Society
meeting will be held on March 11, at
2 p.m. at the Society’s Heritage
Center on north Highway 109 in
Industry. Guests are welcome.
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Designated
Quincentennial
Town Of Texas
Columbus, Texas la the Office 1M
Quincentenntal Town of Texan for
the National Celebration of the 500th
Anniversary of Christopher Colum-
bus’s voyage to the New World.
Designated as such in IM by the
Texas Legislature and the Governor
of Texas, Columbus will play a
major role in the commemoration.
It is appropriate for the oldest
continuously occupied town in Texas
to be a leader in honoring the
explorer whose name the town
bears. Columbus, Texas lies in the
bend of the Colorado River, which
was mapped and named by early
Spanish explorers. For twenty yean
this community has participated in
the Columbus USA Association
celebration in Columbus, Ohio,
Along with the other Columbus cities
and towns in the United States. This
community also celebrates Colum-
bus Day with a Festival
Corpus Christi, long recognized as
a site prominent In the early Spanish
exploration of the Americas, was
selected in IM as the Official City of
the Texas State Quincentenntal
Celebration. Columbus will work
closely with Corpus Christi in their
planning for 1992.
Columbus has notified the Christ-
by Congreaa in IM. Additionally,
Columbus will bo actively involved
with numerous other Quincentenntal
efforts, including those of ths
Christopher Columbus Quincente-
nary Texas Jubilee Commission
formed by the Governor in IM;
Discovery *92; and the Quincenten-
ntal Commission of Athens-Ctarke
County, Georgia, that state’s
Official Quincentenntal City.
Over 90 countries, including Spain
and Italy, are offering their talents
and resources to create a global
celebration of 500 yean of human
experience in this “One World’’
created for better or worse when
Christopher Columbus for ever
linked the New World with the Old.
Half a millenium has passed since
Christopher Columbus discovered
his world to be much larger than be
had thought it to be. The year 1992
should be a time to examine
discoveries of the past, and
encourage new discoveries in the
future.
The basic challenge to Columbus,
Texas is discovering an effective
way to educate its community, get it
excited and involved in 1992
planning, and to adopt projects
which will greatly benefit the
community and the State of Texas.
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The New Ulm Enterprise (New Ulm, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 19, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 1, 1990, newspaper, March 1, 1990; New Ulm, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1216006/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.