German-American Maibaum (Maypole) - New Braunfels, TX USA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

There is no doubt of New Braunfels pride in their German heritage. It was an early and important German-American center of commerce in early Texas history. This Maypole is a creative way of displaying its early historic events by using symbols of each event as an icon attached to the crossbars of the Maypole. This Maypole is also found at the main entrance into the Wurstfest grounds that is at the corner of Landa Park Drive and Landa Street. The Maypole and the Wurtsfest entrance actually face toward Landa Street even though the Wurstfest grounds in general stretch down Landa Park Drive. Look for the pole along Land Street, near the corner.

The explanation of each metal icon is listed and explained on the metal marker near the bottom of the pole that is the focus of this waymark! This marker is titled "German-American Maibaum." There are 20 historical facts listed and 20 icons attached to the sides of the center pole.

Although the list is shown on the marker as a double column telling what is on the left side of the pole and what is on the right side of the pole, the list shown below will give the left side information first, followed by the right side information. The number and the L and R will match the same number and L and R on the plaque. The list shown on the is as follows:

"German-American Maibaum"

1L. Roman Catholic church built in 1847 which became Sts. Peter and Paul R. C. church.
1R. The First Protestant Church was established in 1845.

2L. Immigrants traveled by oxcart up the Guadalupe to Comal Springs.
2R. Sailing ships carried the settlers to Galveston and Indianola.

3L. The Plaza fountain was built in 1896 and the Plaza bandstand in 1905.
3R. The Schmitz hotel, an important stage-coach stop, was built in 1853.

4L. Herman Steele first taught classes in August 1845.
4R. Settlers owed much of their survival to farmers.

5L. Cotton was an important crop in the early days.
5R. Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer house. Lindheimer was a botanist and newspaper publisher.

6L. Baked goods and beer were staples in the settlers diets.
6R. New Braunfels Zeitung started publication in 1852. The locksmith supplied all the metal needs.

7L. The volunteer fire department was organized in 1886.
7R. Wurstfest and Kindermaskenball continue the traditions of German Heritage.

8L. Schuetzenverein, the oldest continually active shooting club in the U.S., was established in 1849.
8R. Settlers brought nine-pin bowling to Texas, a sport still popular today.

9L. Texas first Saengerfest was held in New Braunfels in 1853.
9R. Early masters of the building trades left their marks on the city.

10L. New Braunfels history is preserved in photographs in the Sopienburg Archives.
10R. New Braunfels had the first female Postmaster in the United States from 1857 to 1866."

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Group that erected the marker: The City of New Braunfels URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 178 Landa Park Drive New Braunfels, TX USA 78130

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

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Date Logged Log   01/19/2021 WayBetterFinder visited it