Kiehne-Hermann Home
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
German-born Frederick Kiehne (1811-98), a blacksmith and Gillespie County commissioner, built this structure in 1850. It was the first two-story home in Fredericksburg, although many older residences had sleeping lofts. the hand-cut limestone, adobe bricks, and native timbers were materials often used by pioneer builders. The house was enlarged about the 1860s and again in the 1930s, when Walter Foerster was owner. It was restored in 1973-74 by Maria and ronald Herrmann. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German-born blacksmith Frederick Kiehne built this house in 1850, and it stood out immediately: the first two-story home in Fredericksburg, where even prosperous neighbors made do with sleeping lofts. He raised it from hand-cut limestone, adobe brick, and native timber—the improvised toolkit of frontier builders. A county commissioner as well as a smith, Kiehne left a home enlarged by later owners and restored in the 1970s.
Why it matters
A immigrant tradesman's ambitious two-story house marks the moment a raw frontier settlement began to imagine permanence and prosperity.
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Related people
- · Frederick Kiehne
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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