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 Comal
County is located in South Central Texas on the divide between the Blackland
Prairies and the Balcones Escarpment. Its largest city and county seat is
New Braunfels. The city of New Braunfels is twenty-nine miles north of San
Antonio and 45 miles south of Austin. The County consists of 555 square
miles of prairie land and hill country terrain. The Guadalupe River flows
the length of the county and feeds Canyon Lake, Dunlap Lake, and McQueeney
Lake. The Comal River starts in New Braunfels with severel artesian springs
feeding the river. The Edwards aquifer supplies the springs with thousands
of gallons of water daily bubbling up through the Balcones Fault. Permanent
settlement of the county began in 1845 by Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels.
Prince Carl immigrated from Germany and secured title of 1,265 acres of the
Veramendi Grant. Most of the early settlers of the county were German
immigrants. The county was formed by the Texas Legislature in 1846 and held
its first elections on July 13, 1846. It is estimated that New Braunfels was
the fourth largest city in Texas by 1850. Today, the county's primary
industry is tourism. With moderate weather and the beautiful hill country,
Comal County has become a favorite retirement location. Its proximity to
Austin and San Antonio provide both city conveniences with country living.
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 Comal County Courthouse
In 1846
Comal County held its first court session in the home of its county clerk,
Conrad Seabaugh.
Courthouse facilities
acquired in 1849 proved inadequate and were replaced with a 2-story building
at the southeast corner of the city plaza in 1860. The building fell into
disrepair and in 1898 the county chose famous Texas courthouse architect J.
Riley Gordon to design a
new courthouse. Gordon's original design, incorporating four entrances
compatible with the building's proposed location at the center of the plaza,
was nevertheless retained when this corner lot site was chosen i Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1993
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Comal County, C.S.A. Manufacturing and supply center in Civil War. The local newpaper urged southern cause so strongly that 1861 vote was 239 to 86 favoring secession. More than 300 Confederate soldiers enlisted here. The "Texas Mounted Rifles" of Capt. Theodore Podewills joined Hood's Texas Cavalry, as Co. F. Capt. Gustav Hoffmann's Co. B., 7th Texas Regiment, fought in the Arizona-New Mexico campaign to make the Confedercy an ocean-to-ocean nation; in the Jan.1.1863, recapture of Galveston; and in the Red River Campaign to prevent federal invasion of Texas. Capt. Julius Von Bose's Co. K served in the 3rd Regiment, Texas Cavalry, Arizona Brigade, in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Headquarters for 21-county defense district under Gen. Robert Bechem, 31st Brigade, Texas state troops. Produced abundant wartime goods: gunpowder, flour, lumber, sash and door frames, cornmeal, carded wool, cotton thread and writing paper. Comal Manufacturing Co. wove wool and cotton cloth for the troops. Texas Paper Manufacturing Co. ordered from Europe machinery to make newsprint from corn shucks, but losses in export funds stopped the project. |
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