by Liz Brookshire
Program Manager, Pioneer Museum

Dresses in silks, satins, chiffons, lace and tulle will be displayed along with period bouquets as Pioneer Museum presents The Bride Wore White, a special exhibit featuring vintage wedding attire from the 1880s through the 1980s. The exhibit will open to the public at Pioneer Museum on Saturday, February 13 and will be housed in the historic sanctuary of the old First Methodist Church, now the Historical Society Center, until March 18. Fee for the exhibit is the regular museum admission of $5.00 per adult and $3.00 for children. The exhibit will be open during regular museum hours of 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday and on Sunday from 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Visitors may enter the exhibit through the museum entrance at 325 West Main Street.

 As a culmination of the exhibit a style show and luncheon will be held on Saturday, March 6 in the Historical Society Center. Tickets are $35.00 and are available at the GCHS office at 312 West San Antonio Street or by phone at 997-2835. All proceeds will benefit Pioneer Museum.

The exhibit includes gowns such as a 1920s flapper gown in a fashionable shorter length, a 1890s gown with leg o’ mutton sleeves, a 1930s satin wedding dress and a wool suit typical of a wartime bride. Many of the gowns have documentation including photographs and information about the brides who wore them.

Shades of white have been the traditional color for bridal attire since the wedding of Queen Victoria in 1840. Unlike most royals, Queen Victoria married for love. Her white lace gown and simple headpiece of orange blossoms captivated the western world and inspired in women a vision of their own perfect dress for one of the most special days of their lives.

On the American frontier, between 1850 and 1860 brides often were married in their best dress and those who could manage a new dress for their wedding wore a dress in the current fashion which could later be modified and worn for other occasions. These dresses were usually of a more serviceable color than white.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution fabrics became more widely available and wedding gowns were easier to make and copy. In the 1880s dresses became more elaborate and extravagant and were characterized by typical Victorian features with details of lace and tucking. This trend continued through the 1890s and early 1900s. During the years of World War I gowns became simpler and shorter as patriotic brides were more conservative in contribution to the war effort. After the war hemlines rose and women bobbed their hair. Hemlines of wedding dresses rose as well, often revealing the ankles of the bride.

As the Great Depression swept across America brides often borrowed wedding dresses or wore their “best dress” when money was tight. Those who could afford a wedding gown were inspired by the American Modern movement which favored sleek, stylized lines and brides wore elegant bias cut satin gowns bereft of lace.

Soon America entered World War ll and weddings were rushed up as love-struck couples hastily tied the knot before the groom went off to battle. Many war brides were married in their best suit. Even if there was time to make a dress, brides were limited by fabric shortages. During and after the war some brides made their gowns of parachute silk presented in grateful appreciation by a groom whose life it had saved.

 After the war lace became more affordable with the advent of synthetic lace. In the 1950s gowns became more elaborate with yards of lace and tulle. When Grace Kelly married Prince Ranier of Monaco in 1956, ninety-eight yards of tulle were used in her dress alone. Today’s brides have broken away from fashion trends and gowns are now selected to reflect the bride’s personality and individual tastes.

Many years ago, Flora Wertheim passed away and left a bequest to the GCHS. Her wishes were to give $100 to the high school student that expressed the most enthusiasm in Gillespie County by writing a historical essay or book report on our local history. We have had little to no responses to the $100 prize so we have raised the reward. Today, because the funds are invested, that account has grown to allow us to give away $1,000 a year indefinitely. Our wishes are to get as many Gillespie County residents involved and interested in local history as possible, while at the same time, fulfilling Mrs. Wertheim’s requests. So to re-announce our fund, we are encouraging any Gillespie County resident that is entering freshmen courses in the current or next school year, at any accredited college, to participate in the contest. All they have to do is visit one of our two museums, the Pioneer Museum at 325 W. Main St. or the Vereins Kirche at 100 E. Main St. There they can find something from our past that interests them and then write an essay or book report on it. The essay should be between 2,000 and 3,000 words, typed and delivered by May 31st. They can be mailed or emailed to 312 W San Antonio St. or info@pioneermuseum.net.

Because Fredericksburg is such an historic town, there are many things to learn from our past and pass on to the future. Just on the Pioneer Museum grounds alone, one can find early year activities like rope making, blacksmithing, children’s games and German meals or one can learn from and write about the many artifacts of pioneer tools, clothes, homes and much more. The group tours are exciting for kids of all ages. Come join us in learning your local history! Check the website (www.pioneermuseum.net) for details on tours and activities going on because they change all the time. If you have any questions, you can email us at info@pioneermuseum.net or call us at 830-997-2835.

By Liz Brookshire
Program Manager, Pioneer Museum

2010 promises to be an exciting year at Pioneer Museum as wecelebrate 75 years of the Pioneer Museum. The first location for Pioneer Museumwas the reconstructed Vereins Kirche opened in May 1935. The original VereinsKirche, literally translated society’s church, was the first public buildingerected in Fredericksburg in 1847. Originally purposed to serve as a church,fortress, and storehouse for the Adels Verein, it also housed the first publicschool in Fredericksburg. By 1896 the old structure which stood in the middleof Main Street was deemed an eyesore and a hazard. The walls were torn away andit was used as a pavilion for the Golden Jubilee celebrating the fiftiethanniversary of the founding of Fredericksburg. The following year a courtdecree ordered that the remaining structure be removed from the middle of MainStreet. According to a series of articles written by Helen Weirich on thehistory of Holy Ghost Lutheran Church,

“The most protest came from a Catholic priest, FatherGerlach. He stated that it was an unfortunate idea to tear down the VereinsKirche; it was a reminder of past days, a venerable witness of so many sorrowsand joys, and an object of attraction and admiration of all strangers”.

Despite the objections of Father Gerlach, the old structurewas demolished and most of the beams were salvaged for reuse by members of thecommunity. Even the cornerstone was carted away. By the 1930s community memberswho fondly remembered the old structure had come to the conclusion thatdemolition of “die alte kaffee muehle” had indeed been a mistake.

In the New Deal years of the Great Depression as federalfunds began to flow into Fredericksburg, citizens seized the opportunity toconstruct a replica of the venerable old building. With plans drawn byarchitect Lee Kiehne and labor costs funded by the CWA, a committee of citizenswas appointed to oversee the construction. The cornerstone for thereconstructed Vereins Kirche was laid on December 23, 1933. A search for theoriginal cornerstone found it in use as a chicken watering trough and it wasreclaimed and incorporated into the new building.

The completed replica was formally dedicated with a two daycelebration May 11-12, 1935 that included parades, concerts and dances.Intended to serve as a library and a museum to “collect and house relics ofpioneer days”, it briefly housed the city offices and later served as Pioneer MemorialLibrary until a renovation of the second courthouse, now known as the McDermottBuilding, provided a new space for the library.