Pioneer Museum Complex, Fredericksburg, Texas

The Gillespie County Historical Society has opened two museums near Fredericksburg, Texas. One is the Pioneer Museum and the other is the Vereins Kirche, which is an extension of the main museum. The Pioneer Museum is located on 325 West Main Street, and the Kirche is on the 100 block of the same street. Both buildings have a long history. The museums are open year round. Adults are $5, Students $3 and children five and under are free to enter.

The first area of the museum is the Dambach Besier House. It has stood at 515 East Main Street for 135 years. It was moved to 325 Main Street and reconstructed as the entrance to the museum. It is the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Center. The house is made of limestone, having been built in 1869. Dambach first built the house and then sold it to the Besier family for $400 in 1881. The Besier Family sold it to Sam Park, Henry Joseph, JD Stein, Kenneth Kothe, and Ty Cox in 1967. The partnership created a Sunday House Restaurant and Convention Center.

The Historical Society gained the house when Kenneth and JoAnn Kothe donated it in 2005. The house was disassembled completely in order to move it. The Historical Society called this phase one of their History in the Making Campaign. They have since worked to gain more historical artifacts for preservation.

The Kammlah House which was built in 1849 is a one room place with three kitchens, a cellar, stone patio, bedrooms, and living areas. The Historical Society gained possession of this building in 1955. Four generations of Kammlah's lived in the house and then they donated it. A barn and smokehouse were part of the original property. The Kammlah's were also instrumental in operating a general store in the front rooms of the house between 1870 and 1924.

The Fassel Roeder House is also part of the Pioneer Museum. This house began as a one room butcher shop, with a kitchen, living area, and front porch being added later. There was a coin operated music box inside that originated from Leipzig. The Polyphony is still in the parlor for guests to see. This house and the Kammlah still sit in their original location.

The Walton Smith Log Cabin dates to the 1880's in which John and Nancy Walton lived. They had three children. At John's death, Nancy married John Smith. During this marriage the house saw many renovations adding rooms when needed. In the 1980's the cabin was rediscovered and by 1985 it was moved and rebuilt at the Pioneer Museum.

The White Oak School, Weber Sunday House, Arhelger Bathhouse, Fredericksburg Volunteer Fire Department Museum, and Vereins Kirche are the other locations that make up the Museum. The Kirche was built a little bit after the first German settlers arrived in the area as the first public house in town. It was a town hall, school, fort, and church during its hey day. The original building was taken apart in 1896, and rebuilt in 1935.