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SCHROEDER,
TEXASGoliad County,
South Texas
FM 622 where it intersects with FM 2987
About 16 Miles NE of Goliad
East
of Victoria
2.5 Miles W of the Victoria County Line
Population:
347 (2000) |
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History in a Pecan
Shell
Schroeder was settled by some of the first German immigrants
who came ashore at Indianola.
The community grew around the local Germantown School. As the town grew, it adopted
the name and when a post office was applied for in 1890, the town’s official name
became Germantown.
By the 1890s, Germantown had a gin, a blacksmith
and a dance hall. The school was used for church services by visiting clergy until
1893 when St. Luke’s Lutheran church was organized. The church built a temporary
structure, replacing it in 1905 with a brick building.
The town remained
small, with a population under 100. After WWI
and a national resentment toward German names and the teaching of German, the
residents decided to rename their village. The name of Schroeder was used
to honor a soldier killed in “The War to End All Wars.” The town suffered a fire
in the mid 1920s that took out most of the businesses, but spared the dance hall.
The population increased as the town rebuilt but the post office closed its doors
in 1944. The population in the late 1960s had increased to just over 200 residents
which grew to 350 over the next 20 years.
The dance hall, which is still
in business after 118 years has reached legendary status – being a venue where
some of the biggest names in country music have performed.
Schroeder appears
on the TxDoT Goliad County map where three cemeteries are shown within a mile
of town. The oldest is the Mistletoe Cemetery
– due north of Shroeder’s intersection. |
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A Visit to
Schroeder, TexasPhotographer's
Note:
Schroeder
Texas is located in NE Goliad County on FM-622. About 16 miles NE of Goliad.
Schroeder Hall
Famous for Schroeder Hall
supposedly the second oldest Dance Hall in Texas. Many famous Country-Western
singers passed through here on there way to stardome.
Picture of the hall
shows a bands bus and cargo trailer getting ready for a Saturday Night gig.
I
had the experience of being at a dance here in the early 1980's when a hail storm
came through. The band had to take an early break as music was drowned out from
the roar of the hail on the old metal roof. Worth a trip on a Saturday night if
you ever get a chance! - Will
Beauchamp, May 2009 |
The
old school has a sign out front showing it can be rented for parties.
Photo
courtesy Will
Beauchamp, May 2009 |
Germantown
Mistletoe CemeteryPhotographer's
Note:
Photos
from the Mistletoe Cemetery used before Germantown changed it's name to Shroeder.
I believe there are probably quite a few unmarked graves in this place but only
a few remain. - Will
Beauchamp, May 2009 | |
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