Agricultural Society of Fischer

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about the Agricultural Society of Fischer, out there in Comal County. Now settle in, because this one's got roots that go deep. It starts with two brothers and a patch of Texas land, and it ends with a hall that's still standin'.

It always starts with two brothers. In 1853, Hermann and Otto Fischer arrived in the area as some of the first pioneer settlers. Hermann farmed, he ranched, and then he decided to put that formal training of his to work.

In 1866, he opened a mercantile business, Fischer's Store, stocked with the ranching and farming supplies a growing agricultural population needed. And in the way these things tend to go, the town itself eventually became known as Fischer. Now Otto, the other brother, he was biding his time.

His part of the story comes later, and it involves ten dollars and a piece of land. Hold that thought. By 1875, the community had grown enough that folks wanted something more than neighbors waving across a fence.

They formed an agricultural society, a cooperative where they could negotiate feed prices, trade what they had in excess, share farming and ranching knowledge, and pitch in for each other come harvest time. They called it, at first, the Agricultural Society of Fischerdale. Then the post office got officially approved in 1876, and the name changed along with it.

For years they met wherever they could find a temporary spot. And then Otto Fischer, the quieter brother all this time, sold a portion of his land to the Society, for ten dollars. Ten dollars.

In 1897, they built a hall on that land. A meeting place, a dance hall, a general gathering place for the whole community. And the society didn't stop there.

That same year, 1897, John Lueders built a bowling alley added right to the property, and the Fischer Bowling Club took up residence. The Fischer Store Fair Association formed too, other sub-organizations pulling the community even tighter. Then came 1908, and a new hall, the current one, designed with laminated pine arches that vault the ceiling.

Tradition attributes that hall to a man named Kloepper from New Braunfels. Nobody seems to know his first name, but they remember the arches. On that property over the years they've held rodeos, barbeques, an oyster fry, ice cream socials, weddings, and barn and open-air dances, the kind that brought local farmers and their families together for something other than hard work.

That was the other thing this society did. It wasn't only about feed prices and harvest help. It was about keeping people from feeling alone on their small farms, scattered across the hills of Comal County.

The Agricultural Society of Fischer built the kind of place where a community could look around and see itself. Two brothers arrived in 1853 with not much more than intent. And what grew from that, a store, a society, a hall with vaulted pine arches, turned out to be a whole way of life holding itself together.

What the marker says

In 1853, Hermann and Otto Fischer arrived in the area as some of the first pioneer settlers. Hermann farmed, ranched and then decided to use his formal training to open a mercantile business in 1866 named Fischer's Store. To accommodate the growing agricultural population of the area, Fischer's Store offered a variety of ranching and farming supplies. Eventually, the town became known as Fischer. In 1875, an agricultural society formed to act as a cooperative or association to negotiate feed prices, trade excesses, share farming and ranching knowledge and to assist each other during harvest. The society also functioned to provide social gatherings for local farmers and their families, usually in the form of barn or open-air dances. Originally named the Agricultural Society of Fischerdale, the name was changed when the post office was officially approved in 1876. After many years of meeting in temporary locations, Otto Fischer sold for ten dollars a portion of his land to the Society. In 1897, they built a hall to serve as a meeting place, dance hall and general gathering place for the community. Tradition attributes the current 1908 hall, designed with laminated pine arches to vault the ceiling, to a man named Kloepper from New Braunfels. Other sub-organizations formed later such as the Fischer Store Fair Association and the Fischer Bowling Club, that met in a bowling alley added to the property in 1897, built by John Lueders. Other events held on the property include a rodeo, barbeques, an oyster fry, ice cream socials, weddings and more. With an economy based on small farms, the Agricultural Society not only provided a collective knowledge and interest in farming and ranching, but also a place to bolster community spirit and togetherness. (2016)