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 Schulenburg developed from two communities: Lyons, established in 1842,
one mile to the south of its present location, and High Hill, which was
established about the same time three miles to the northwest. In 1873,
the Galveston, Harris and San Antonio Railroad bought land in this area
from Christian Baumgarten, Franz Stanzel, F. A. Stanzel and Louis
Schulenburg. The railroad depot was built on Mr. Schulenburg’s land and
the town was given his name. The arrival of the railroad changed
Schulenburg from being strictly a farming community to one having a
business center. Businesses, and much of the population from the
outlying areas moved to Schulenburg to take advantage of the services
the railroad offered.
In 1831, Kesiah Crier was granted 4428 acres of land near
the Navidad River by the Mexican government. Her family along with
the James Lyons family were the first white settlers in the area.
The town of Lyons was established in 1842 about a mile south of what
is now Schulenburg. The communities of Blum Hill, Wursten, and
Oldenburg began to be developed about 1844 some 3 miles to the north
west of present day Schulenburg. In 1858, the name of High Hill
was given to these communities when the first post office was
established.
About 1857 W. B. Anderson constructed a two-story house which still
exists and is found at 510 South Main St. By 1858, there were at
least four additional log cabins in the land now occupied by
Schulenburg. These were the James Lyons cabin, George Lyons cabin,
Christian Baumgarten cabin , and an African American cabin. The
Baumgarten cabin still exists as a part of the house at 607 West Ave.
By the end of the civil war interest had shifted to the town of High
Hill and W. B. Anderson sold his home sight to Louis Schulenburg.
March 31, 1873, saw the purchase of the first land by the Galveston,
Harrisburg & San Antonio Railroad (later renamed the Southern
Pacific). In April 1873 additional land was acquired for the
railroad from Christian Baumgarten, Franz Stanzel, F. A. Stanzel and
John Wittbecker, along with the 450 acre farm of Louis Schulenburg.
The railroad depot was built on Mr. Schulenburg's land and the town
was given his name. Interestingly the word "Schulenburg"
in German means "School town".
On December 31, 1873, the first passenger train arrived in
Schulenburg and our lovely community had begun. Another year of
construction was needed to complete the tracks to San Antonio. The
town was formerly incorporated as a city on May 24, 1875. It
contained one square mile of land an about 1,000 residents.
 This quaint south Texas town saw
it's beginning in 1873. Named after an early resident Louis Schulenburg
the town was incorporated in 1875. Off the contemporary main drags of
highways 77 and 90 facing the railroad tracks is the town's main street.
Here can be found a number of buildings
constructed between 1870-1920 and now comprise the present downtown
business area.
A sign can still be seen, advertising the
Palace Saloon on the back side of S.T. Schaefer Building (constructed in 1896)
at 405-407 N. Main St. At 700 N. Main stands the Christian Baumgarten cotton gin
built in the 1870's. Across the railroad tracks at 510 S. Main still stands the
W.B. Anderson house built in 1857. Throughout the town can be found a number of
old Victorian homes. Two noted examples are the Gus Russek Mansion at 409 West
Ave. ( a two- story Victorian, circa, 1909) and the Gus Cranz Mansion at 701
West Ave. (crafted after an Austrian Villa by immigrant carpenters in 1874).
In 1970, Schulenburg received a state historical marker,
which is located in front of the Chamber of Commerce Tourist Information Center.
The Chamber of Commerce has, since 1989, hosted guided tours of the four painted
catholic churches located in the former communities of Dubina, Ammannsville, High
Hill, and Praha.
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St. Cyril & Methodius - Dubina
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St. John The Baptist - Ammannsville
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St. Mary's Church - High Hill
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St. Mary's Church - Praha
In 1989 these tours were revitalized by expanding the
historical information provided by the guides who accompany each tour. New tours
were also available for two other painted churches in Lee and Lavaca counties.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce for more information
Whether you have an hour, a day, or several days, it is worth
the experience to stop in Schulenburg and visit a piece of small town American
history of 1800's and 1900's.
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About
Schulenburg
