Germany
Germany, Houston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Settled by families of former slaves following the Civil War, this community received its name, according to local tradition, in reference to the homeland of the German immigrant family that had settled in the area in the 1830s. Several freedmen, including George Smith, John Burt, Lewis Hall, and Van Benton and their families, obtained pre-emption land grants in the area in the 1870s and 1880s, and soon a close-knit community was formed. Although the Germany community did not have its own post office and never was incorporated formally, its citizens organized the New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and a public school. The church still serves a loyal congregation. The school held classes in a building shared with the church. It was expanded, possibly with Julius Rosenwald Fund assistance, and continued in operation until 1949. Still a rural community, Germany is home to a few resident families and serves as a gathering place for former residents. Many former citizens are returned here for burial in the community cemetery, which dates to the 1880s. Maintained by citizens and volunteers, the cemetery contains marked and unmarked graves of pioneer settlers and their descendants. (1997)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Civil War, families of formerly enslaved people settled this East Texas community, which locals say took the name "Germany" from a German immigrant family that had arrived in the 1830s. Freedmen such as George Smith, John Burt, Lewis Hall, and Van Benton secured pre-emption land grants in the 1870s and 1880s and built a close-knit settlement anchored by New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and a public school, the latter possibly aided by the Julius Rosenwald Fund. Never incorporated, Germany today is a quiet rural place whose 1880s cemetery still draws descendants home for burial.
Why it matters
Germany is one of the many freedom colonies founded by emancipated African Americans across Texas, communities where land ownership, church, and school became the foundations of self-determination after slavery.
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Related people
- · George Smith
- · John Burt
- · Lewis Hall
- · Van Benton
Themes & tags
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