Fredericksburg is a city in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 8,911 at the 2000 census, and 10,432 in the 2005 census estimate. It is the county seat of Gillespie County.[3]
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History
19th century
Fredericksburg (German: Friedrichsburg) was founded in 1846 by Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach, new Commissioner General of the "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas", also known as the "Noblemen's Society" (in German: Mainzer Adelsverein), and named in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia, nephew of Prussia's King Frederick William III, and highest ranking member of the Mainzer Adelsverein. Old-time German residents often referred to Fredericksburg as Fritztown, a nickname that is still used in some businesses.
Bust of Baron von Meusebach in Fredericksburg Town SquareBaron von Meusebach renounced his noble title and became known in Texas as John O. Meusebach. Settled largely by liberal, educated Germans fleeing the failed Revolution of 1848, Gillespie County voted against secession prior to the American Civil War. Fredericksburg is also the home of the architect, Chester Nagel.
The town is also notable as the home of Texas German, a German dialect spoken by the first generations of settlers who initially refused to learn English. The German settlers of Fredericksburg acted independently of the region.
Meusebach's group brokered the 1847 Meusebach–Comanche Treaty that has been honored for over a century and a half, making it one of the very few treaties with Native American tribes that was never broken.[4]
Fredericksburg was an important part of the Pro-Union Texas resistance during the Civil War, facing ostracization from their neighbors who remained loyal to Texas. Its concentration of German-American settlers means that it shares many cultural characteristics with New Braunfels, another German Texan town.
20th century
Nimitz MuseumFredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces in World War II. The hotel owned by Nimitz's grandfather has been converted into a museum, named the National Museum of the Pacific War honoring the men and women who served with Nimitz in the war. After the war, the Japanese government gave a Zen garden to the museum as a tribute to the Nimitz family.
The nearby much larger George Bush Gallery, which opened in 1999, is home to an I.J.N. Ko-hyoteki class midget submarine and an American B-25. The land for the Bush Gallery was bought from H-E-B Grocery. Money for the gallery was privately raised in the 1990s through the efforts of finance chairman Lee Bass and a board that included baseball star Nolan Ryan and Ernest Angelo, a former mayor of Midland. Admission tickets cover both museums.
Bush later reflected that "terrifying experiences" of war helped him to become a man: "I have often wondered why me, why was I spared when others died."[5]
The 33rd U.S. Marine Corps Commandant, General Michael W. Hagee, graduated from Fredericksburg High School. General Hagee graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. He also holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College and the U.S. Naval War College.
A fountain in the downtown plaza across from the Fredericksburg library honors civic leader Victor H. Sagebiel (1917–1977).
The first Texan officer killed in World War I was Louis John Jordan (1890–1918), a second lieutenant from Fredericksburg who was posthumously in 1924 awarded the Croix de Guerre. Private Sammy J. Vollmar (died June 1, 1967) was the first soldier from Gillespie County killed in the Vietnam War.
Geography
Fredericksburg is located at 30°16′27″N 98°52′19″W / 30.274058°N 98.871822°W (30.274058, -98.871822).[6] This is about 63 miles (101 km) north of San Antonio and 67 miles (108 km) west of Austin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.6 square miles (17.2 km2), all of it land.
Northern Gillespie County is home to one of the state's best-known geographical landmarks, Enchanted Rock. The Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet (130 m) above ground, 1,825 feet (556 m) above sea level, and covers 640 acres (2.6 km2). It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States.
Balanced Rock [7] [8] was a famous local landmark that perched atop Bear Mountain in the Crabapple Community [9] The natural wonder stone pillar, about the size of a small elephant, precariously balanced on its small tip. Unfortunately it fell prey some decades ago to vandals who dynamited it off its base.
Demographics
Fredericksburg city limits signAs of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,911 people, 3,784 households, and 2,433 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,342.1 people per square mile (518.2/km2). There were 4,183 housing units at an average density of 630.0/sq mi (243.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.08% White, 0.27% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.09% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.00% of the population. English is spoken by 72.73% of the population, Spanish by 14.77%, and Texas German by 12.48%.[10]
There were 3,784 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,276, and the median income for a family was $43,670. Males had a median income of $25,878 versus $22,171 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,788. About 7.5% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Old Gillespie County Courthouse in FredericksburgThe city of Fredericksburg is run under the Council-Manager form of government. As per the Home Rule Charter [9] the governing body of Fredericksbug consists of a Mayor and four council members. Both the mayor and the council are elected by the city at large.[11]
- Mayor
- Jeryl Hoover
- Council Members
- Jeff Jeffers
- Kevin MacWithey
- Tom Musselman (Mayor Pro Tem)
- David Pedregon
Education
The city of Fredericksburg is served by the Fredericksburg Independent School District. The school's teams are called the "Battlin' Billies", with the mascot being a male angora goat. The "Billie" mascot originated because of the abundance of billy goats raised in this farming community, and because the image of a charging billy goat is well adapted to the game of football.
For higher education, Fredericksburg is home to Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg.
It also has some private schools, such as:
- Ambleside School of Fredericksburg [12]
- Fredericksburg Christian School [13]
- Hertitage School [14]
- St. Mary's Elementary and Junior High School [15]
Fredericksburg has a municipally-operated library adjacent to the Gillespie County Courthouse.
Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools [16] are former students and members of the community, interested in preserving the traditions of the schools, the community clubs, and the history of Gillespie County for future generations.
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Sat, 14 Aug 2010 08:22:54 GMT+00:00
Calgary Herald Who to contact and where to stay: Visit www. fredericksburg - texas .comor call (888) 997-3600. Stay at the Hangar Hotel, a former airplane hangar that's one of ...
