In 1846 a bedraggled group of German immigrants, some walking, some riding in oxcarts and wagons, arrived in a lush green valley intersected by clear lively creeks. They had planned to rest a few days, then push on to their goal of the Llano River, 40 miles north, but they thought better of the idea. After months of extremely difficult, arduous and dangerous travel from the Texas Coast, they decided to stay where they were. Primitive log huts were gradually built along what is now Main Street (Hauptstrasse) for rudimentary shelter in those early days. A little over a decade later, German ingenuity and hard work had transformed the tiny village into a bustling community.

Years continued to pass and Fredericksburg grew and prospered. Letters flowed from Texas to Germany describing the abundance of land, entreating family and friends to take a chance and make their way west. Many did, in some cases entire villages, adding to the town’s population and creating a very German outpost in the Hill Country. Schools and churches were built for education and worship, newspapers and various societies made for a rich intellectual and social life. German was the spoken language, of course, and many old timers today still speak the dialect unique to the area, “Texas German”.