by Neilia Sherman

When you think of Texas, German culture is not what comes to mind, but somehow the people of Fredericksburg have managed to combine both German and Texan influences into a town with a delightfully unique atmosphere right in the heart of Texas Hill Country.

Fredericksburg, originally named after Prince Frederick of Prussia, was settled by German immigrants who came to America in search of their own land. This particular area was chosen by the surveying party because of the abundance of water, stone and timber in the region. When the first 160 settlers arrived, the town was precisely laid out just like the German villages along the Rhine. Each settler got one town lot and ten acres of farmland nearby.

What makes Fredericksburg particularly interesting is the commitment that residents have made to preserving and sharing their unique history and culture. In the middle of the town is the Pioneer Museum Complex, a collection of buildings and artifacts that is well worth checking out to gain a sense of the area's history.

Church and community were so important that each family built one or two room structures that came to known as Sunday Houses, so that when they came to town for church, they would have somewhere to rest and partake of a meal (rather than always expecting their relatives to put them up). Farmers drove as many as 20 miles to town and used these miniature homes for weekends and religious holidays . Eventually it became easier to get to town and the Sunday Houses were no longer used for that purpose. Today there are preserved Sunday Houses throughout the town and one of the oldest, the Weber House, stands in the Pioneer complex.

Fredericksburg has an unusually wide main street, thanks to the pre-planning by the original settlers, and it is a street that is a lot of fun to browse due to the numerous specialty shops, boutiques and stores that sell Texas souvenirs and western wear. It's simply the kind of place where you never know what you'll find. For instance, I went into an average looking coffee shop and found a huge western/cowboy themed mural along one of the walls along with various signs and items that all cried Wild, Wild West. (CONTINUED...)