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FRELSBURG,
TEXAS
AKA
Frelsburgh
Colorado County,
Central Texas S
FM 109 and FM 1291
12 miles N of Columbus
10 miles E of Fayetteville
Population:
75 (2000)
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| The
W.E. Pophanken Store on the west side of McElroy Lane at the intersection
of FM 109. Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library, Columbus, Texas
(image # 01368) |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Captain
William Frels is the town's namesake. Frels was a veteran of the revolution
and after independence, donated land for the townsite, school, cemetery
and Protestant church. Frels and his brother John had immigrated from
Germany in 1834 and settled in the area in 1837.
By 1847 Frelsburg was granted a post office and Sts. Peter and Paul
Catholic Church was organized to serve an influx of new German immigrants.
The economy was based on the familiar small farm communities back
in the old country. |
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The
Schoellmann family in Frelsburg.
Back row, left to right: Fredrick Schoellmann, Frank Schoellmann,
Hugo Schoellmann, Victor Schoellmann, Willie Schoellmann, Hubert Schoellmann.
Seated, left to right: Agatha Schoellmann Poindexter, Alberta
Schoellmann Valigura, Grandma Hoffmann Schoellmann, Grandpa Henry
Schoellmann, Annie Schoellmann Patter, Justina Schoellmann Schramm.
Photo Courtesy Nesbitt Memorial Library, Columbus, Texas # 01475 |
| Frelsburg
had several stores as early as 1852 with blacksmiths, leatherworkers
and essential tradesmen. The towns prosperity continued after the
Civil War with cotton being the major agricultural crop. Frelsburg
was chosen in 1870 to be the site of Hermann University, but after
building the first structure it was sadly realized that subscriptions
fell short of operational expenses. The local school district purchased
the building and put it to use as a school. |
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| Saint
Joseph's School Class photographed January 6, 1924. Photo Courtesy
Nesbitt Memorial Library # 00064 |
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| Frelsburg
may well have rivaled Columbus
had the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway not chosen
its route through the county seat. A second chance at prosperity was
lost a few years later when the Katy (Missouri, Kansas and Texas)
bypassed Frelsburg on the north. |
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1884 estimated population was nearly 300 and the town had no fewer
than five cotton gins. With three churches, a sawmill, four gristmills
and the previously mentioned gins, Frelsburg remained self-sufficient
despite its lack of a railroad connection. |
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Heinsohn's
General Store
Photo by John Troesser |
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| The
Frelsburg post office closed its doors in 1908. Over the years cotton
production gave way to cattle raising as the leading economic engine.
Discovery of a gas field and sand / gravel excavations contribute
to the economy. The population of Frelsburg has been reported at seventy-five
residents from 1933 to the present. |
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