Old Kammlah House
Fredericksburg, Gillespie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Four front rooms with outside stair to attic, built 1849 by German settler Henry Kammlah I. Smokehouse and rooms at rear added 1875. Old world technique of wall plaster over woven twig supports used in interior. Henry Kammlah II and wife Amalia, opened a general store in front room in 1870. This was continued by Henry III until 1924. House purchased 1956 and restored as museum by Gillespie County Historical Society. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1966
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German settler Henry Kammlah built the four front rooms of this house in 1849, using the old-world technique of plaster over woven twig supports, with an outside stair climbing to the attic. In 1870 the family opened a general store in the front room, a business the Kammlahs ran for more than half a century. Purchased in 1956 and restored by the Gillespie County Historical Society, the house now serves as a museum of pioneer life.
Why it matters
As both an early settler home and a long-lived family store—now a museum—the Kammlah House preserves the daily texture of German pioneer life in the Texas Hill Country.
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Related people
- · Henry Kammlah
Themes & tags
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