Vereins Kirche on Marktplatz, Fredericksburg.
Pioneer Museum original structures, Fredericksburg.
Outside of Walton-Smith log cabin, Fredericksburg.
Inside of Walton-Smith log cabin, Fredericksburg.
Colorado River, starting 85 miles northwest of Austin and ending in the city. Others include Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, Lake LBJ, Inks Lake and the massive, 30- mile long Lake Buchannan. Most are popular for boating and fishing, while Lake Travis’ popular beach areas fill up quickly on weekends. A short drive to Dripping Springs is where a 50-foot waterfall spills over limestone outcroppings at river- fed Hamilton Pool Preserve. The grotto-like pool with surrounding hiking paths was formed when the dome over an underground river collapsed thousands of years ago. The pale blue water can be super cold at around 50 degrees, and reservations are needed in the busy summer months. My next stop is Fredericksburg, considered to be the heart of the Hill Country, about 80 miles from Austin on State Highway 290 West. German settlers founded the town in 1846 and their cultural legacy remains today. For example, Main Street or Hauptstrasse cuts through the center of town. German eateries serve up crispy pork schnitzel, bratwurst, and sauerkraut, and shops sell German beer steins and nutcrackers alongside wine tasting rooms, antique shops, and galleries. Marktplatz is centered with the rebuilt octagonal Vereins Kirche, now a local history museum. The 1847 original structure was the town’s first public building.
“Our ancestors really didn’t know what they were coming to, but once they got here they were Americans and had to struggle to survive,” explains Evelyn Weinheimer with the Pioneer Museum. “Fredericksburg became more of an isolated community and I think that has helped us keep our heritage as long as we have.” The Pioneer Museum showcases this German heritage through original mid to late 19th- and early 20th century log cabins, homes, and barns built by settlers. The buildings feature original furnishing, and descendants of families that once lived in these structures narrate explanatory recordings. “I remember my mother used to cook on it,” says one recording when describing an old stove in the Fassel-Roeder house. One of Fredericksburg’s most revered attractions, the National Museum of the Pacific War, tells the story of World War II’s Pacific theater. Fronted by a statue of native son Admiral Chester Nimitz, the museum complex includes the newly renovated Nimitz Gallery as the museum was founded on the site of the family’s old Nimitz Hotel. The gallery details the life of Nimitz who served as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. “I believe the leadership characteristics of Admiral Nimitz came from being born here and living here, and they’re represented in this world-class museum,”
ROAMING THE HILL COUNTRY
COAST TO COAST SUMMER MAGAZINE 2020
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