Community Comes Together to Rebuild
Der Stadt Friedhof Cemetery Wall
This photo shows the part of the historic wall around Section C of Der Stadt Friedhof that has been
rebuilt. For more information about the project to restore the wall, read the original article below.
Saturday, Oct. 8 & 15 at 8 a.m.
The Fredericksburg Branch members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announce that
they have planned a community service project at the historic Der Stadt Friedhof in Fredericksburg and would like to
invite the community to participate. The service project, which will be held on two consecutive Saturdays in October,
October 8 and 15, starting at 8:00 a.m., will consist of the rebuilding of nearly 60 ft. of the 15-inch thick limestone
rock wall located around the African American section of the Der Stadt Friedhof. Those that want to assist are
encouraged to wear old clothing and bring their own masonry tools, eye-protection, hat and sack lunch. Water will be
provided.
The materials for this project have been generously donated by Fredericksburg businesses and
residents and include Dennis Durst (cement mixer), Dittmar Lumber (mixing sand), ProBuild (mortar mix), Jill and Rick
Cole (limestone rock), Davis Rock Quarry (limestone rock), and Durst Sheet Metal and Roofing Company (bottled drinking
water). This project is also being supported by the three oldest Lutheran churches in Fredericksburg (Bethany Lutheran
Church, Holy Ghost Lutheran Church, and Zion Lutheran Church), which have maintained the cemetery over the many
decades.
Located on the corner of East Schubert Street and Lee Street, the cemetery, which is known for its striking granite
markers and headstones, many in German, was first known as Der Stadt Friedhof by the early German settlers.
It was later known as the Kirche Friedhof (German for "Church Cemetery") or Union Cemetery before returning to its
original name, according to local historian Glen Treibs. Der Stadt Friedhof is German for "Town Cemetery," and was
established in 1846.
"Der Stadt Friedhof is the oldest and largest cemetery in Gillespie County and is the final resting place for many of
the original German colonists who arrived when John O. Meusebach opened up the area to settlement," noted Treibs.
"When Herman Wilke laid out the town, a plot of land was set aside for the cemetery," Treibs said. "The various
denominations who worshiped in the Vereins Kirche were responsible for cemetery maintenance." (The Vereins Kirche was
the first public building in the town, and served as a town hall, school, and a church. The replica building stands in
the Marktplatz today.) In 1860, the Roman Catholics established their own cemetery in Fredericksburg, according to
Treibs.
"There are over 5,000 marked graves in Der Stadt Friedhof," noted Treibs. "The mass graves and many of the earliest
graves are not marked."
Some of the original graves had only wooden markers, which rotted with the passage of time. During cholera epidemics,
many people were buried in mass graves. Rather than being grouped in family plots, the deceased have been buried in
chronological order according to when they died. The oldest readable grave marker is dated 1849.
The graves in Der Stadt Friedhof are noted for their artistic carvings and sculptures. What is possibly the last known
work of sculptress Elisabet Ney, that of a tousled haired cherub resting over a grave and known as the 1906 Schnerr
Memorial, can be found at Der Stadt Friedhof.
The Fredericksburg Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located at 119 E. Driftwood Drive.
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