Children’s Games and Toys
by Liz Brookshire
Play is an important part of a child’s growth and development. Through play, children explore adult roles and learn valuable social skills while exercising the body and imagination. Pioneer children made their own toys since manufactured ones were rarely available. Often scavenged and found items were repurposed to create interesting playthings.
With imagination, an old broom became a stick horse. Hoops were salvaged from worn out barrels and rolled with a forked stick. Boys could carve a slingshot or make a “bull roarer” with a bit of string and a smooth piece of wood or the top of a Prince Albert can. Marbles were fashioned with clay. A button from a worn out garment found in mother’s sewing basket and a length of her crochet thread made a whirligig or “buzz saw.”
Although children were expected to do chores and work alongside the adults pioneer parents also encouraged play by providing simple homemade toys for their children. Mothers created dolls for their daughters using cornhusks, clothespins or handkerchiefs. Some made rag dolls stuffed with cotton and embellished with embroidered faces and yarn hair. Fathers often built simple doll beds or other miniature furniture of scrap lumber or wooden cigar boxes.
Typical games of the school yard included Andy over, red rover, flying Dutchman, drop the handkerchief, baseball, kick the can, tug o’ war, Mother may I, pop the whip, hop scotch, and London Bridge. Local historian Julia Estill, recorded a game called “Esel-Lass-Dich-Hoeren” which is loosely translated as “Donkey, let us hear you bray.” I often use a variation of this game in children’s programming. The child designated as “it” must bray loudly or make other animal sounds. Participants are to keep from smiling or laughing and the first to break into a smile, giggle or laugh then becomes “it.”
Sure seems like more fun than your average video game!
History All Around Us
by Liz BrookshireMay 2010 - I fell in love with history when I was in elementary school. My mother gave me a children’s book titled The Tree in the Trail, the story of an old cottonwood tree on the Santa Fe Trail. The tree started out as a little sapling between twin buttes near a pool of water. It stood for centuries as Indians, conquistadors, trappers, traders and pioneers stopped to drink and rest in the shade of the tree. Many of the travelers left behind some evidence of their visit there at the tree. At last, blown down in a storm, the old cottonwood tree found new life as an ox yoke. As the wood was carved the tree told the story of the people who had passed along the trail. Embedded in the wood were stone and iron arrow heads, French lead balls and the broken blade of a Spanish dagger which gave the curious craftsman a glimpse into events long ago.
It was then I understood history as a connection between a place and people in the passage of time. A place is marked forever by those who pass through and those who stop to make a home there. As life and space intersect we are shaped by our experiences and the places where we live and work are changed by us. Nature and the environment also impact communities. Floods, droughts and hailstorms are recorded along with the hardships endured. Houses are built to shelter families and these buildings alter the landscape and form the structure of life and memory.
A town’s history is told in buildings erected and buildings torn down; names scratched in sidewalks and carved into stone. The tombstones in the cemetery and the memorial stained glass windows in the churches tell the stories of those who came before us. Dates on cornerstones, commemorative plaques and even a hitching ring embedded in a sidewalk on Main Street remind us of the struggles and achievements of those who settled and established a community. If we only take time to listen, we can discover the story of this place, our town.
Come join us at Pioneer Museum as we tell the story of Fredericksburg and the people of Gillespie County.
Pioneer Museum Announces Speaker for Founders Day, May 8
Janine is a descendant of August Arhelger who arrived in Fredericksburg with the first wagon train on May 8, 1846. With the collaboration of many Arhelger cousins from the United States and Germany, she has compiled a family history that she says “sometimes reads more like fiction than fact”. Her book weaves together the story of Fredericksburg and the history of the Arhelger family tracing the migration, and genealogy of the Arhelgers from the ancient village of Arheilgen through present-day Fredericksburg, Texas, and beyond.
Born and raised in Odessa, Texas, Janine was inspired to study German and Geography after attending the 1972 Arhelger Reunion. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin and has done graduate work at Stephen F. Austin University. Janine stated “There have been many ‘joys’ in connecting the dots to a rich family history and unexpected delays bringing the book to print.”
Janine lives in Longview, Texas with her husband, Steve. They have three children, Julie, John, and William. She works in the family business as its records and office manager. As a certified records manager she has developed a comprehensive filing system for the company’s active, inactive, and archival records.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Pioneer Museum admission will be waived for Founders Day activities. Program Manager, Liz Brookshire, stated “We hope you will come to hear about the challenges and adventures involved in researching and preparing a family history for publication.”
Barbershop & Bathhouse: A Dusty Traveler’s One Stop Shop
by Natasha Grau, Curator of Collections
Need a haircut, a shave, and a hot, sudsy bath? The Arhelger Bathhouse, located on the Pioneer Museum grounds, once sat behind the Arhelger Barbershop on East Main Street. Between 1910 and 1930, Alexander (Alex) Arhelger operated the shop, serving travelers and locals alike.
The bathhouse has served for years as an exhibit room, highlighting a treasured tool collection, and miniature train exhibit. Once in a while a bathhouse needs some grooming itself. Updates are currently being made to the interior to showcase the house as both bathhouse and barbershop in one. This reinterpretation will give visitors to the museum an idea of what furnishings and paraphernalia would have been found in each, during the early 1900s.
How much do you suppose a haircut and a shave cost in 1920? Around 25 cents!===
Our refurbished “Theo A. Koch” barber chairs came out of the “Loth & Land Barber Shop,” oncelocated at 111 E. Main Street in the Maier Building. Mr. Seekatz first openedthe barber shop in 1912. In 1927 or 1928 the shop was named “Loth and LandBarber Shop,” after Adolph Loth and Erwin Land. Raymond Wilke bought Land’sinterest in the shop. Wilke barbered here for 30 years, 1966–1996. Raymond’swife, Mable Wilke, and their daughter, Raynell Wilke, kindly donated the chairsfor the Arhelger Bathhouse/ Barbershop exhibit.
Alexander “Alex” Arhelger’s barbershop, located in the 100 block of East Main Street, 1910-1930
The Arhelger bathhouse, interpreted as bothbathhouse and barbershop, located at the Pioneer Museum
Our sincerest thanks to the following for donating the wonderful materials exhibited in the Arhelger Bathhouse/ Barbershop:
Bill and Vicki Beasley
Richard Bristol
Liz Brookshire
Jeneva Bryans
Buddy and Gladys Frels
Family of Kurt Keidel
Phyllis Ann Keidel-Burkett
Beatrice Klein
Jim Knutson
Jimmie and Linda Langerhans
David and Dee Lawford
Dr. Marie Marschall-Fuller
Glen Treibs
Brent Waldoch
Raymond and Mable Wilke
Fredericksburg and German Easter Traditions
Many Easter customs were brought to America by German immigrants who came to Fredericksburg in the mid-1800s including egg decorating, Easter trees, Easter nests and Easter fires. The Easter rabbit (der Osterhase) as a symbol for Easter is first mentioned in 16th century German literature and the first edible Easter bunnies, made of pastry and sugar, were also produced in Germany in the early 1800s. Around that time, children made nests of grass and hid them in their gardens for the Easter Bunny to fill with brightly decorated eggs. Children in Fredericksburg still build Easter nests today.
The egg tree is a small tree branch put in a vase about two weeks before Easter. Blown eggs that have been painted and decorated are hung from the branches along with other small, highly decorated eggs the family has collected. The hollow eggs are also hung from shrubs and trees during the Easter week.
Easter Sunday was marked by attending church services after which families prepared a special Easter meal. Dessert often included the traditional “lamb cake” baked and decorated to resemble a lamb. The lamb is an important symbol for Easter, representing Christ as the sacrificial Lamb of God. After lunch came the “Ostereiersuchen” or Easter egg hunt.
One Easter tradition with special significance in Fredericksburg is the story of the Easter fires. In the spring of 1847 John O. Meusebach ventured into the wilderness seeking to forge a treaty with the local tribes. Wary Indians watching for signs of treachery camped in the hills surrounding Fredericksburg and the sight of their fires frightened the children. According to local oral history one clever pioneer mother, perhaps recalling Easter fires in the old country, soothed her little ones by telling them that it was only the Easter rabbit dyeing his eggs.
On Easter Saturday in Germany the Easter fires, huge bonfires fueled by the old Christmas trees, are lit and people gather around the fire for schnapps and socializing. The hillsides around villages and towns are dotted with fires as people light their fires at the same time, generally around 9 or 10 pm. The fires clean away the last signs of winter as spring approaches.
According to a posting on the website of the Austrian embassy in Canberra, there are many different interpretations of the meaning of the fires at or around Easter. Some say the fires began as signal fires at the time of Turkish invasions in the 16th and 17th centuries. Others trace them to pre-Christian fires of ritual purification which celebrated the arrival of spring. As with other ancient customs, Christian converts often established a connection to the life of Christ, hence these fires were sometimes referred to as the "burning of Christ’s death-bed". (People used to sleep on a mattress filled with straw which was burned after the person died). In the southern part of the Austrian province of Burgenland, the bonfires are called "bonfires of joy” and are said to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. These Easter bonfires are often accompanied by the hurling of torches and shooting.
Don't miss Spring Break at the Pioneer Museum!
The Bride Wore White
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.
Pioneer Museum $1,000 Scholarship
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 Miss Wertheim’s requests. So tore-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 ourtwo museums, the Pioneer Museum at 325 W. Main St. or the Vereins Kirche at 100E. 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 and3,000 words, typed and delivered by May 31st. They can be mailed or emailed to312 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.
Celebrating Seventy-five Years of Pioneer Museum
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.
Welcome
