DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight. Way out in Runnels County, in the little town of Rowena, a group of folks got organized in 1904. They called themselves the Rowena Chapter of the Sons of Hermann.
Now, the Sons of Hermann is a worldwide benevolent fraternal organization, and the name is no accident. They named themselves for Hermann the Defender, a German national hero and tribal leader who walked this earth from 18 B.C. to 19 A.D. And here's the part worth pausin' on: in 9 A.D., Hermann helped break Roman power east of the Rhine River.
The Roman Empire, with all its legions and ambition, got checked. That's the man they chose to carry the name of. Not a bad patron for a lodge out on the Texas plains.
When that Rowena chapter got off the ground, they had ten charter members and they needed officers to lead the thing. Michelus Feist stepped up as president. Julius J.
Henkhaus took the vice presidency. Walter Schuhmann held the secretary's post. And Ignatz Olsak handled the treasury.
Four men, four roles, and ten members total to make it official. The organization they joined was no small outfit either. The Sons of Hermann maintains a youth camp and a home for the aged, for members, out at the town of Comfort.
A lodge named for a defender of his people, tending to the young and the old alike. Turns out the name fit the work perfectly.
What the marker says
Organized in 1904 as Rowena Chapter of the Sons of Hermann, worldwide benevolent fraternal organization. Named for German national hero and tribal leader Hermann the Defender (18 B.C. - 19 A.D.), who helped break Roman power east of the Rhine River in 9 A.D. First officers of the Rowena Lodge were Michelus Feist, president; Julius J. Henkhaus, vice president; Walter Schuhmann, secretary; Ignatz Olsak, treasurer. There were ten charter members. The order maintains a youth camp and home for the aged, for members, at town of Comfort.