Johann Joseph Knopp House
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built of native stone in 1871, soon after Knopp and his wife Katherina (Stein) came to America. From Germany they traveled six weeks by clipper ship to Indianola and by oxcart to Fredericksburg. They bought this homesite for $70 in gold. Knopp was a stonemason; family farm, a mile from this home, was worked by the wife and children. (Of the 15 children born to the Knopps, nine reached adulthood.) House, restored in 1939, was extensively remodeled in 1968. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1971
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Newly arrived from Germany after a six-week clipper voyage to Indianola and an oxcart haul inland, stonemason Johann Joseph Knopp bought this Fredericksburg lot for seventy dollars in gold and built a native-stone house here in 1871. While he worked his trade, his wife and children farmed the family land a mile away, raising a large family in the plain, durable style typical of the German Hill Country.
Why it matters
The house embodies the immigrant grit behind Fredericksburg's German heritage, where hand-cut stone and divided family labor built a lasting community.
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Related people
- · Johann Joseph Knopp
- · Katherina Stein Knopp
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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