Homestead of Karl Itz
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Karl Itz (ca. 1838-1908), a native of Westerburg, Germany, arrived in Texas in 1852 and settled in Gillespie County. He married Henrietta Evers (1839-1923) in 1856. At the outbreak of the Civil War Itz joined a group of German immigrants in support of the Union. Marching toward Mexico in August 1862, the men encountered Confederate forces at the Battle of the Nueces. Though many of the Germans were killed, Itz was not injured and lived in hiding until the war ended. He moved his family to this site and built a stone home in 1875. A log house was later added. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1987
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Karl Itz left Westerburg, Germany, as a boy and settled among the German immigrants of Gillespie County in 1852, marrying Henrietta Evers a few years later. When the Civil War came, Itz joined fellow German Unionists who refused to fight for the Confederacy and set out for Mexico, only to be overtaken by Confederate forces at the Battle of the Nueces in 1862. Many of his companions were killed, but Itz survived and lived in hiding until the war's end. He later moved his family here and built this stone home in 1875.
Why it matters
Itz's survival of the Nueces massacre preserves the story of Texas Germans whose loyalty to the Union made them targets in a Confederate state. His homestead is a reminder that the Civil War divided immigrant communities as sharply as it did the nation.
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Related people
- · Karl Itz
- · Henrietta Evers
Related events
- · Battle of the Nueces
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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