German Immigration Through Karlshafen

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about German Immigration Through Karlshafen, out in Calhoun County. Picture this: it's April 20, 1842, and a group of nobles has gathered at Biebrich Am Rhein. They are not there for a party.

They are there to build something, something with a name that sounds like destiny spelled out in German. They incorporated that day as the Adelsverein, elected Count Karl von Castell as their president, and pledged a single binding goal: purchase land in Texas. Now, to understand why that mattered, you have to understand what was happening across the ocean.

From 1821 to 1910, more than five million Germans emigrated, more than any other European country. Five million people. Revolutions and discontent were rolling through Europe in the 1840s, and people were looking for a door out.

The Adelsverein was offering to be that door. They had a slogan for it. Simple, direct, and apparently quite persuasive. "Geh mit ins Texas." Go with us to Texas.

You have to admire the nerve of a pitch that short. The man they sent to make good on it was Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels, a member of the Adelsverein and, worth noting, a cousin of England's Queen Victoria. He came over as commissioner general in America, and with his determination, a place called Karlshafen developed into a significant port.

Out at Indian Point in Karlshafen, there was a shell beach, separated from the mainland by a chain of lakes and marshes. That strip of land became a debarkation point for thousands of German immigrants. The Verein had also established infrastructure at Galveston, and from those footholds, people streamed in, not just those the Adelsverein brought over directly, but the many others their advertising had enticed.

During three years of operation, from 1844 to 1847, the Adelsverein accounted for 7,380 of those immigrants. But the slogan had done its work well beyond those numbers. Many of them followed the route inland to the Verein settlements of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg, up in the Texas hill country.

Others spread out across the state, and some put down roots right there in Calhoun County itself. Karlshafen didn't stay just a landing point. Out of it grew the city of Indianola, which became a major port that helped settle the west.

But here is the part the marker does not let you skip past. The early days came at a high price. Many lives were lost.

These were people chasing a better life, crossing an ocean on the promise of a slogan and the hope of new land, and the cost was real and steep. What they left behind, though, those who made it, was woven into the culture of Texas and it has not come undone since.

What the marker says

On April 20, 1842, a group of nobles convened at Biebrich Am Rhein and incorporated as the Adelsverein. They elected Count Karl von Castell as their president and then pledged a goal to purchase land in Texas. From 1821 to 1910, more than five million Germans emigrated, more than any other European country. Providing a potential escape from this misery was the Adelsverein. The Adelsverein accounted for 7,380 of those during three years of operation from 1844-1847 but their advertising enticed many other German immigrants who utilized the footholds that the Verein had established to come to Texas. One popular slogan was “geh mit ins Texas,” or “go with us to Texas.” Prince Karl of Solms-Braunfels, one of the members and a cousin of England’s Queen Victoria, was chosen to execute their mission in Texas as the commissioner general in America. With his determination, Karlshafen developed into a significant port. With revolutions and discontent in Europe in the 1840s, many Germans, as well as other nationalities, continued to pour into the German infrastructure eventually established by the Verein at Galveston and Karlshafen. Indian Point in Karlshafen, a shell beach separated from the mainland by a chain of lakes and marshes, was a successful debarkation point for thousands of German immigrants. Many followed the route to the Verein settlements of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg in the Texas hill country but some settled other areas of Texas including Calhoun County itself. The city of Indianola, born of Karlshafen, became a major port that helped settle the west. At a high price with the loss of many lives early on, these German immigrants made lasting contributions to the culture of Texas in their pursuit of a better life. (2013)