DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, you want to talk about a family that put down roots so deep they named a town after their in-laws — well, pull up close to the fire, because the Engel family story is something else. It starts with the Reverend August Engel, born in 1818, a circuit riding Methodist preacher and teacher who came over from Germany and arrived in Texas in 1846.
Circuit riding. That means the man was covering ground, preaching wherever the road took him, in an era when the road didn't take you anywhere comfortable. He wasn't just saving souls, either — he was teaching, and he was handlin' the mail.
August Engel served as postmaster for five years in Blanco County, then for thirty-two years at Cranes Mill in Comal County. Thirty-two years. The man understood commitment.
In 1859 he married Katharina Ernst, born in 1837, and together they raised six children. Six. And as it turned out, the postal tradition ran strong in that family, because in 1904 — the same year the Reverend passed, having lived a full eighty-six years — his son August Engel, Jr., stepped in as postmaster to carry it on.
Now here's where the story takes a turn worth noting. Back in 1885, August Engel, Jr., had purchased six acres in Gillespie County from a man named Carl A. Luckenbach.
The following year, 1886, a post office was established right there in Engel's home, with August Engel, Jr., serving as postmaster. And somebody had to name the thing. So they asked his sister Minna.
Minna Engel, who happened to be married to C. A. Luckenbach — yes, that Luckenbach — chose the name Luckenbach for the new post office.
And just like that, a name landed on a place and stayed there. What grew up around that post office was something. A general merchandise store with a post office area.
A blacksmith shop. A cotton gin. A saloon.
Warehouses. And a dance hall — a tanz halle, as the Germans called it — that became a center for local gatherings. People came together there.
That's the kind of place it was. In 1890, William Engel replaced his brother August Engel, Jr., as postmaster of Luckenbach. And the Engel family wasn't done yet.
William's son, Benno W. Engel, Sr., was appointed postmaster in 1935, and he served in that capacity for thirty-six years. Thirty-six years.
When Benno finally stepped away, the Luckenbach Post Office kept going a little while longer before it was discontinued in 1971 — after eighty-five years of continuous service to Gillespie County and to the community. Eighty-five years of mail, of neighbors stoppin' in, of a little post office in a home that became the heartbeat of a place. The Engel family carried it the whole way.
And the name Minna chose? Still on the map.
What the marker says
The Rev. August Engel (1818-1904), a circuit riding Methodist preacher and teacher, immigrated to Texas in 1846 from Germany. In 1859 he married Katharina Ernst (1837-1920). They had six children. August Engel served as postmaster for five years in Blanco County, and for 32 years at Cranes Mill in Comal County. He was succeeded as postmaster by his son August Engel, Jr., in 1904, who purchased six acres in 1885 in Gillespie County from Carl a. Luckenbach. A post office was established in Engel's home in 1886 with August Engel, Jr., serving as postmaster. His sister Minna was asked to name the new post office. Married to C. A. Luckenbach, Minna chose the name of Luckenbach. A general merchandise store with a post office area, blacksmith shop, cotton gin, saloon and warehouses were added to the property. A dance hall (tanz halle) also located there was a center for local gatherings. William Engel replaced his brother August Engel, Jr., as postmaster of Luckenbach in 1890. William's son, Benno W. Engel, Sr., was appointed postmaster in 1935, and served in that capacity for 36 years. The Luckenbach Post Office was discontinued in 1971 after 85 years of continuous service to Gillespie County and to the community.