August and Karoline Tolle House
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
German native August Tolle (1829-1922) immigrated to New Braunfels with his parents and siblings in 1845 and established a drugstore with Dr. Theodore Koester, his brother-in-law, in 1858. In 1861, he wed Karoline Messer (d. 1929), also from Germany. The couple had five children, Edith, Amelia, Theodore, Clara and Alfred. In 1891, August bought this house and lot, which later transferred to Alfred and his wife, Emma Louise (Hampe). Their three children sold it in 1969, and subsequent owners restored it several years later. Today, the home represents vernacular Victorian design, with decorative fretwork, carved rafter tails and shuttered four-over-four windows. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
August Tolle came to New Braunfels as a boy in 1845, part of the great German migration that settled the town, and grew up to open a drugstore with his brother-in-law in 1858. With his wife Karoline, also German-born, he raised five children, and in 1891 he bought this house, which later passed to their son Alfred. Restored by subsequent owners, the home shows off vernacular Victorian touches—decorative fretwork, carved rafter tails, and four-over-four shuttered windows.
Why it matters
The Tolle house is a window into the German immigrant world of New Braunfels, whose merchant families gave the town its enduring Old World character.
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Related people
- · August Tolle
- · Karoline Messer Tolle
- · Theodore Koester
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
New Braunfels Woolen Mill
New Braunfels, TX
German immigrants August Tolle and Dr. Theodor Koester built a large two-story cedar-timber building in 1864, and in 1868 it became the New Braunfels Woolen Mill, drawing on Comal River water for steam power. The successful mill eventually closed for lack of a protected trademark, and in 1901 the Popp family converted it into the town's first steam laundry, which ran until a 1934 fire. Only the old bell, rock foundation, and part of the chimney remain.
Dr. Theodore Koester Home
New Braunfels, TX
Built in 1859 of cedar, oak, and limestone with such refinements as a dumbwaiter and speaking tubes on each floor, this house belonged to Dr. Theodore Koester (1817–1877), physician to the German Immigration Company that settled New Braunfels. The versatile Koester ran his medical offices, a pharmacy, and a bakery all from within this home. It reflects the enterprising spirit of the German immigrants who built a thriving town in the Texas Hill Country.
Home of Ferdinand Lindheimer
New Braunfels, TX
Ferdinand Lindheimer arrived among the German immigrants who founded New Braunfels, having already taken up arms in the Texas Revolution. He spent decades cataloging the plants of his adopted state so thoroughly that he became known as the father of Texas botany, with numerous species bearing his name. For two decades he also edited the Neu-Braunfels Zeitung, one of the influential German-language newspapers that gave the community its voice.
Johann Michael Jahn
New Braunfels, TX
Johann Michael Jahn reached New Braunfels in 1845 as a colonist with the German Emigration Company that founded the town. A trained Tischlermeister, or master cabinetmaker, he built a thriving business in fine handcrafted furniture and served among the city's first aldermen. His son and grandson carried on the trade, raising this building in 1910 and keeping the company going into the 1930s, while examples of Jahn's craftsmanship reached museums including the Witte in San Antonio.