John Peter Tatsch Home, 1856
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built by Tatsch (1822-1907), using local stone. A cabinet-maker and turner, did woodwork himself. At first floored only front rooms, using wide boards. North front room had the only fireplace. Rear gallery kitchen, fireplace and oven were added later. Tatsch, from Germany, during Civil War was a minute man. Wife was Maria Elizabeth (1828-1885). Children: Elizabeth, Sophie, Caroline, Wilhelmina, Richard. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John Peter Tatsch, a cabinet-maker who emigrated from Germany, built this sturdy stone house in 1856 in the young German colony of Fredericksburg, doing the woodwork himself and adding rooms and a rear gallery kitchen over the years. Like many of his neighbors he served as a local minute man during the Civil War, defending a frontier community far from the war's main theaters. The home stands as a well-preserved example of German Hill Country craftsmanship and daily life in mid-nineteenth-century Texas.
Why it matters
The Tatsch home embodies the German immigrant culture that shaped the Texas Hill Country, where newcomers built enduring stone houses and communities that still bear their imprint.
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Related people
- · John Peter Tatsch
- · Maria Elizabeth Tatsch
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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