Alsatians of Texas

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Way back in 1842, an empresario by the name of Henry Castro loaded up his first colonists and pointed them toward Texas, toward land west of the Medina River. Now, most of these folks had come a long way.

Most of them hailed from the Rhine River area of Europe, and a good many of them called the province of Alsace their homeland. Alsace, sitting right there on the border of France and Germany, a place caught between two worlds. That dual heritage, French on one side, German on the other, came along for the ride.

Every last bit of it. Two years on, in 1844, Castro laid out a townsite, and the settlers chose to name it Castroville. That town became the center of Alsatian culture in Texas, and you can still feel it if you know where to look.

The houses tell the story before anyone says a word. Single-story dwellings, cut from limestone, mortared with adobe, and white-washed. European in style, rooted in the old way of building, standing quiet and sturdy in the Texas sun.

Farming was the major occupation of the people in this area, just as it had been back in Alsace. Some things travel with a people no matter how far they go. The Alsatian immigrants and their descendants made a distinct impression on area politics, on holiday customs, on cuisine, on religion.

And winemaking, using grapes grown right along the Medina River, that was another early tradition that kept right on goin' through the years. The marker puts it plainly, and I think it earns the weight of the words: the history of Alsatians in Texas is a reflection of ethnic and cultural diversity in the state's rich heritage. A province on a border between two nations, transplanted to the banks of the Medina River, and still here.

Still leaving its mark.

What the marker says

In 1842, Empresario Henry Castro brought his first colonists to Texas to settle land west of the Medina River. Most of the immigrants were from the Rhine River area of Europe. Many claimed the province of Alsace, on the border of France and Germany, as their homeland. The Alsatian colonists brought with them their combined French and German heritage, which has left a distinctive mark on this area of the state. In 1844, Castro laid out a townsite, which the settlers chose to name Castroville. It became the center of Alsatian culture in Texas. The houses, European in style, are primarily single-story dwellings of cut limestone, mortared with adobe, and white-washed. Over the years, farming has been the major occupation of people in the area, as it was in Alsace. The Alsatian immigrants and their descendants have made a distinct impression on area politics, holiday customs, cusine, and religion. Winemaking, using grapes grown along the Medina River, is another early tradition that has continued over the years. The history of Alsatians in Texas is a reflection of ethnic and cultural diversity in the state's rich heritage. (1985)