Next up on our journey through the history of Texas is the town of Fredericksburg which offers some unique history. Downtown's Market Square is at the center of it:
Their historic marker reads:
"This Square, originally a two-block area which included what is now
called the Courthouse Square, has been at the center of Fredericksburg
since the city's founding in 1846. The area was still heavily forested
when the town's Vereins Kirche was built in the center of Main street in
1847. The octagonal building served as a community church, meeting
place, school, and refuge from possible Indian attacks.
A county jail was built on the Square in 1852. In 1856 a public
schoolhouse was constructed and the school classes moved out of the
Vereins Kirche. In 1911 the schoolhouse was converted to serve as
headquarters for the volunteer fire department.
The Vereins Kirche, demolished in 1897, was reconstructed in
1934-35 as a pioneer memorial, serving as the county's first museum
(1936) and library (1939). As part of its centennial celebration, the
State of texas erected a monument on Market Square in honor of Baron
Ottfried Hans Freiherr Von Meusebach, whose colonization efforts led to
the founding of Fredericksburg. In 1987 the city purchased the property
from the school district. The Market Square has served as a gathering
place for special community activities and has remained a focal point of
the city."
The park contains Pioneer Garden, including this working waterwheel (a great demonstration of good ol' hydro-power):
You can also find the "Lasting Friendship" monument by J. Hester which commemorates the signing of the peace treaty between the German settlers of the town and the Comanche Nation (historians can feel free to debate how "lasting" the "friendship" was):
