We are dedicated to preserving and telling Our Story

In the mid-1840s, Germans looking for a better life were reading and hearing about Texas as a land of limitless opportunity. They risked everything to get here.  They tenaciously faced every obstacle and created a unique German colony in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

We are a combination museum and historical site on 3.5 acres on Main Street in downtown Fredericksburg. We showcase hundreds of everyday artifacts in 11 buildings, two of which are in their original spot from as early as the 1850s. It's a walking tour that takes most folks about an hour.

We also have the Vereins Kirche ("Society Church") two blocks away in the middle of the town square, which we call Marktplatz. This is a replica of the first public building constructed by the pioneers in Fredericksburg. The original, built in 1847 served as a combination church, school, and community center for decades. A replica was built in 1935, the project that launched the Gillespie County Historical Society.

The Pioneer Museum and the Vereins Kirche are two sites solely dedicated to preserving and telling the heroic story of our pioneers.

Come and let us share it with you.  

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