A Texas Historical Marker, placed in 1982, stands in front of the school and provides some background:
"In 1855 pioneer area settler Peter Pehl deeded a two-acre tract of land at this site for the construction of a schoolhouse to serve the Luckenbach School District. Herman Toepperwein was the first teacher in the log building, which was used until 1905 when the present native limestone schoolhouse was completed. The Luckenbach School remained in operation until 1964, when it was consolidated with the Fredericksburg District."
The Friends of Gillespie County Historic Schools are very proud of their old country schools, and they have a very comprehensive website. They appear to be the primary source of Wikipedia's article about the school, but they also mention what the school is doing today: (
visit link)
"Current activities: The Luckenbach Community Club was organized and currently meets monthly on the 1st and 2nd Friday evenings and 4th Sunday afternoon to play pinochle cards. The building is also a site for precinct voting for state and federal elections."
Wikipedia also has a little bit about the small but well-known town of Luckenbach in the article about the school:
"Luckenbach School is located at 3566 Luckenbach Rd. in Gillespie County, Texas. In 1964, the school was consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District. The building is now used as a community center.
Community background
Luckenbach was settled by German colonists such as the Luckenbach family, who arrived in Texas from Stein-Wingert, Germany, aboard the Brig Johann Dethardt January 12, 1846. They were among the first wave of colonists to Fredericksburg in 1846. In 1852, the Luckenbachs moved southeast to the area that came to bear the family name, and became naturalized citizens. August W. Engel was the first postmaster of Luckenbach when the post office was established on August 30, 1886.
School
The first school house at Luckenbach was a 16' x 15' log construction built on land purchased for $4 from Peter Pehl on July 22, 1855. It was constructed by the local men. When the need outgrew the building in 1881, a 10 feet (3.0 m) addition was built of native limestone. Luckenbach School was part of the Luckenbach School Precinct No. 3, which covered Luckenbach, Grapetown, South Grape Creek, and Grape Hill. Tuition was $1 per year per child. The school day began at 9 a.m., and the school week was Monday through Saturday. A one-room stone teacherage was built in the 1860s, with floors made of wooden planks salvaged from Indianola. The teacherage was later adjoined to the school house. A new schoolhouse of native limestone was built in 1905. In 1949, Luckenbach school became a two-teacher school in order to adhere to the state Gilmer-Aiken Act that limited the number of students per teacher. In 1964, the school was consolidated with the Fredericksburg Independent School District.
Designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1982, Marker number 10075. Lower Luckenbach School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Texas on May 6, 2005."