The Voigt House
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On lot deeded in 1845 to New Braunfels schoolmaster Hermann Seele. Fine Mansard-roof house was built 1870 by Dr. John P. Lehde. It has been owned since 1893 by family of Gustav Voigt (1854-1927), and Frank B. Voigt (1892-1951), a state legislator. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This handsome Mansard-roofed house rose in 1870 on a lot first deeded in 1845 to Hermann Seele, a schoolmaster of the German colony at New Braunfels. Built by Dr. John P. Lehde, it has belonged since 1893 to the family of Gustav Voigt, including state legislator Frank B. Voigt. The home reflects the prosperity and permanence achieved by German immigrant families a generation after founding their Texas settlement.
Why it matters
New Braunfels was a flagship of German immigration to Texas, and homes like the Voigt House show how those settlers put down deep, enduring roots in the American landscape.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
New Braunfels was founded in 1845 as part of an organized effort to settle German immigrants in Texas, sponsored by a society of German noblemen. Thousands of German-speaking settlers came to Central Texas in the 1840s, hoping for land, opportunity and a fresh start.
The early years were difficult. Colonists faced disease, shortages and the hard work of building a town from nothing on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. They brought with them a strong commitment to education, music, crafts and community life, and that shaped the town's character.
By 1870, when this house was built, New Braunfels had gone through those early struggles and the Civil War era and had become an established, prosperous town. Its well-built homes from that period show that the settlers and their children had put down permanent roots.
People & events
This property's story starts in 1845, the year New Braunfels was founded, when the lot was deeded to Hermann Seele, the colony's schoolmaster. It's fitting that one of the town's first parcels went to its teacher. Education mattered to these immigrants, and a school was among the first things they set up.
The house that stands here today came later. In 1870, Dr. John P. Lehde built a fine home with a Mansard roof. That steep, double-pitched roof, associated with the Second Empire style, was fashionable at the time and marked a house built for comfort and to be noticed.
In 1893 the house passed to the family of Gustav Voigt, who lived from 1854 to 1927, and it stayed with them for generations. His son Frank B. Voigt, born in 1892, went on to serve as a state legislator before his death in 1951. Long family ownership like this is a large part of why the house survives, and in 1973 it was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark.
Its place in the American story
German immigration was one of the major threads of 19th-century American history. Texas was a leading destination, and New Braunfels was one of the flagship settlements. The towns these immigrants built kept their language, architecture and traditions for generations.
The Voigt House follows that arc in one property: a lot granted to the founding schoolmaster, a fashionable home built by a doctor a generation later, and a long run of family ownership that produced a state legislator. It's an immigrant-to-American story told through a single piece of land.
It also reflects how immigrant communities became part of American public life. The colonists came as newcomers, and within a couple of generations their families were serving in the government of their adopted state.
If you visit
New Braunfels is a pleasure to explore. Its German heritage still shows in its older buildings, its food and its festivals. Walking the historic streets gives you a feel for how the settlers built a lasting town.
When you reach the Voigt House, look up at the roofline. The Mansard roof, with its steep sides, is the house's signature feature and a good example of the style that was popular around 1870. Historic homes like this one are often private, so please enjoy the architecture from the sidewalk.
New Braunfels sits between San Antonio and Austin, at the edge of the Hill Country, so it fits easily into a Central Texas road trip. Add a few nearby German-founded towns and you can trace a whole chapter of Texas immigration in one weekend.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Hermann Seele
- · John P. Lehde
- · Gustav Voigt
- · Frank B. Voigt
Themes & tags
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