Texas Small Town History Project
Palo Alto College
Palo Alto College
Justine Javior and Erika Leija
History 1302
History 1302
Robert Hines
December 7, 2006
December 7, 2006
Doss, Texas
Texas Small Town History Project Palo Alto College |
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Justine Javior and Erika Leija History 1302 |
Robert Hines December 7, 2006 |
Doss, Texas
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Doss is located in Gillespie County Texas, 23 miles northwest of Fredericksburg. It is located in a breathtakingly scenic valley which was once known as Doss Valley. The Native Americans where the first to call Doss Valley home, followed by the European immigrants whose decendants still inhabit what is now know as Doss, Texas. For over a century this small piece of land has cultivated and prospered from the work of the individuals who call this astonishing land home.
"When God created the Earth in all its splendor, He set aside a masterpiece of flowing springs, enchanting picturesque hills and fertile soil, which beckoned German families of Lutheran faith 150 years ago, to leave their Fatherland and eventually become steward of His creation in the beautiful valley of Doss." ~Edna Crenwelge
The migration to Texas, in particular the Gillespie area, was made up, in large part, of German immigrants. In the early 1800's the living conditions in Germany became intolerable, due to the Napoleonic War, and the country was left in debt, with heavy taxation to pay for the German military's debt. The German government opposed and imprisoned those who expressed their different political views. Military training was required of the young men. There was also the rural economic depression, and cold winters caused crop failures. Many workers' jobs were substituted with machines in the time of the Industrial Revolution, which left very small opportunities to secure any kind of work. Then a former officer in the Prussian army, J.V. Hacke, went to Texas in 1818 and spent several months there. He published a book in 1821 which "gave glowing descriptions of the New Land and its possibilities of creating a new life of 'freedom and easy wealth.'" In wasn't too long after when many German people made the decision to start new lives in Texas. A society was created in 1842 called "The Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas." The society promised transportation from the port of Bremen to Galveston, and once they arrived in Texas they would be granted free land and transportation to the colony, as well as tents, food, and other necessities. It was guaranteed that the Society would take care of their well-being. The first to settle around the Doss area were those who belonged to the society. In the winter of 1845, the Commissioner General, John O. Meusebach bought some land near the Pedernales River and decided to bring the next arrivals to the territory which he named Frederichsburg.
Economy
The Doss community, for the most part, has always been self sufficient due the abundance of water and fertile farm land. Most of the economy in Doss comes from large cattle ranches. A majority of the ranches in Doss have been handed down through the generations and are still run and owned by many of the families that first settled in Doss. Sadly, many of the family's younger generations have sold their land out and moved away from the area, so there has been a steady decline in the area. Most of the ranches raise sheep or cows which are well suited for the surroundings. In addition to many ranches, there are farms on which corn, fruit, pecans, cotton, and grains are grown. Another form of economic wealth
came from the mill that the Doss brothers established when they first came to the area.
The Doss brother's mill was sold to many different people, but finally came to be acquired by a German immigrant named William Lange in 1866 and became Lange's Mill, which it is still called today. The Lange families made many new additions to the mill, making it a very prosperous addition to Doss. In 1869 the first post office in the community was established at Lange's Mill, but in 1916 it was moved to another location. The first cotton gin was built in 1900 by a man named Dowdy; it was built at the fork of Doss and Lange's Mill roads. It was a great addition and helped many who raised cotton in the area. Prior to its addition, farms had to take their cotton upwards of 50 miles away for processing. Hunting also brought in money to the area; many farmers and ranchers leased out their land to hunters during the season. Doss was, and still is, a favorite spot for hunters; many ranches have to be booked up to a year in advance.
Stories Just like any small town, there is always folklore and unforgettable stories that people just can't help but tell. As one enters Doss, one comes across a small creek called Squaw Creek. As we passed over the creek, our close friend, tour guide and resident of Doss, Chad Baethge began to tell us an old story about how the creek came to be named. Legend states that there was a huge flood in the valley that destroyed many Indian camps existing in the valley at the time, and during all of the chaos a young Indian squaw was lost. She was said to have been found washed up a few days later, alive, clinging to the top of a tree along the creek that is now known as Squaw Creek.
The settlers also had problems of their own. Since they were not the first and certainly not always the "invited people" in the valley. There were many recorded Indian attacks in the Doss valley area. One account tells the tragic story of the Kensing family returning from an outing when they were attacked by a group of Indians; both parents were killed. Luckily, the seven children were spared and sent to be raised by relatives. The Indian Caves located in Doss are now part of a privately owned ranch near Lange's Mill. The caves were used by the Indians for shelter. Indian burial sites have also been found in and around the caves. There are also Indian pictographs inscribed on some of the cave's walls. Hermann and Willie Lehmann of Doss were kidnapped in May of 1870 by a group of Apache Indians near Squaw Creek. Willie was able to escape but his brother Hermann was not as fortunate. Hermann ended up spending almost five years living with at least two different Indian tribes before he was finally reunited with his family and his home town. In 1871 near Lange's Mill, Drucilla and Frances Nabors narrowly escaped an Indian attack. While picking wild berries they discovered the Indians hiding in the grass near them and called for help, but before help could arrive a poison arrow was shot aimed for Drucilla luckily she ducked behind a tree and avoided being struck. Help arrived and the girls were rescued, neither were harmed.
During the Civil War, the Doss community and the country were experiencing very disgusting acts of violence. What was called "the most shameful mob outrages ever imposed upon a community" a resident of Doss, Richard Kast, an avid opponent of slavery outwardly detested the behavior of these lynch mobs and so became a victim himself. The mob took him from his home and hung him on a tree just outside Doss. The tree was pushed down to make room for a new road but part of the limb with a piece of the rope was saved in remembrance of Mr. Kast. (Doss Centennial)
Current Events Doss, Texas 150th Anniversary Churches Most of the inhabitants of the area are German immigrants, who are Lutheran. There are presently and only have ever been two churches in the Doss area, a Lutheran and Baptist church. For the duration of the first forty year period, there was no organized church in Doss. Although there were a lack of church services, it did not prevent the townspeople from attending Sunday services. They regularly rode to Fredericksburg on horse and buggy, hack or wagons to worship at the services held there. They traveled on Saturdays and stayed in Sunday houses for the remainder of the weekend. One of the residents living in Doss remembers when she had to travel to Fredericksburg to attend a service and she says that is usually when the townspeople would "do their business and buy their groceries, then return home Monday mornings" Edna Crenwelge. It wasn't until 1893 when the first house of worship was constructed by the members of the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, which is now known as the Primitive Baptist Church. The Baptist members generously allowed people of other denominations to use the house for their own worship services. Other times many townspeople allowed services to be held in their own homes. The home of Edna Crenwelge, a local resident, was used for church services. A few years later in 1896, those that practiced the Lutheran faith collectively joined to organize a Lutheran congregation. The founding fathers included Frederich Hahn, Christian Strackbein, William Geistweidt Jr., Charles Geistweidt, Lorenz Wendel and Louis Hahn. The official name of the congregation was listed as Evangelisch Lutherischen St. Petri Germeinde zu Langeville, which is known as St. Peter Lutheran Church, and still remains standing and active. Education There have been many schoolhouses throughout the history of Doss. Many of them were torn down and rebuilt in different locations. The location of the first Doss Valley Community Schoolhouse was on the Doss Spring Creek road, it was referred to as Schoolhouse Holler. In 1884 the Doss school was relocated, then again in 1905 to a building which still stands today and is located right beside the current school. There was only one teacher who taught about an average of forty students in all different grades, which made the means of discipline a common thing amongst the children. The forms of punishment consisted of either whippings with a paddle or switch or sometimes the teacher would make the misbehaved child stand tip-toe next to the backboard with his/her nose to a circle or ring drawn on the board. The payment of the teachers came from the parents of the students who had to privately pay tuition for each child. School picnics were held annually to help pay for the for the school expenses. School typically started later in the fall to allow the children to help pick cotton, which was grown in the Doss area at that time. Many of the children had to walk to school because there was no means of transportation in the earlier times, most of the time they had to walk to school possibly three to seven miles. One of the students of the Doss school recalls "We really didn't mind it at all---we didn't know any better." In later years, some students traveled by horseback. Crenwelge, a retired school teacher, remembers some of the children riding by horseback usually with two or three people on one horse. She says that they would tie the horses to a tree and the horses would wait there all day for the children to get out of school. Many of the "old-time" games were often played by the school children which consisted of games such as; Drop-the-Handkerchief, "Andy" Over, Pop-the-Whip, Flying Dutchman, Bust-the-Line, Town Ball, and Red Rover. The school in Doss is one of the only unconsolidated rural schools left in the whole state of Texas and the only one in Gillespie County. Connections to Course Themes The Industrial Revolution
Bibliography
Doss, Texas Annual Fish Fry
Interview
Immigration
Anti-Slavery
Texas State Historical Association / Center For Studies in Texas History - University of Texas, 1983
