DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Peter Henry Oberwetter. Born January 8, 1830.
And the story starts, as so many good Texas stories do, somewhere else entirely — in Germany, to be specific. Now, around 1849, young Peter Henry made his move. He migrated to Texas, and he didn't come halfway about it.
He settled first in New Braunfels, then pushed on to Comfort, before eventually landing in Austin. Three towns. One man with, apparently, a very clear sense that he wasn't done yet.
It was in Austin where things got interesting. Peter Henry Oberwetter gained distinction — that's the marker's word, distinction — as a botanist. And not just any botanist content to press wildflowers between the pages of a journal.
No, he pioneered in crossbreeding the amaryllis. He imported rare bulbs. He wrote articles about his botanical research.
The man was out here doing serious scientific work in Texas soil, and he wanted the world to know what he'd learned. But wait — there's more to Peter Henry than the greenhouse. He was also a landscape artist for the State of Texas.
So he wasn't just studying the natural world; he was shaping it, designing it, leaving his mark on the grounds of the state itself. He and his wife, Catherine Marie — Mary — Schade, who passed in 1914, had six children together. Peter Henry Oberwetter lived until May 21, 1915.
A man who crossed an ocean, crossed three Texas towns, and spent his years crossing the amaryllis into something new. Not a bad run.
What the marker says
(January 8, 1830 - May 21, 1915) A native of Germany, Peter Henry Oberwetter migrated to Texas about 1849 and settled first in New Braunfels, then Comfort. He later moved to Austin, where he gained distinction as a botanist. He pioneered in crossbreeding the amaryllis, imported rare bulbs, and wrote articles regarding his botanical research. He was also a landscape artist for the State of Texas. Married to Catherine Marie (Mary) Schade (d 1914), he had six children. Recorded - 1977