The Lindheimer House is located in the city of
New Braunfels, county of
Comal, in the
U.S. state of
Texas. It was added to the
in 1970, and designated a
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1936. The house is currently owned and run as a museum by the
New Braunfels Conservation Society.
Ferdinand Lindheimer
Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer
Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (May 21, 1801 – December 2, 1879) was a German Texan botanist who spent his working life on the American frontier. In 1936, Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 1590 was placed on Lindheimer's grave.
Biography Ear ...
(1801–1879) was known as the father of Texas
Botany. Born in
Frankfurt, Germany, Lindheimer emigrated to the
United States in 1834 to escape persecution resulting from his political activities. After military participation in Texas, Lindheimer moved to
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
to partner in botanical research with
George Engelmann
George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, (2 February 1809 – 4 February 1884) was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora of the west of North America, then very poorly known to Europeans; he was particu ...
and
Asa Gray
Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessarily mutually excl ...
. His research brought him in touch with
John O. Meusebach
John O. Meusebach (May 26, 1812 – May 27, 1897), born Otfried Hans Freiherr von Meusebach, was at first a Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer and politician who served in the Texas Senate, District 22.
Early years
John O. Meusebach ...
, after which Lindheimer moved back to Texas where he spent the rest of his life.
Saltbox house
Lindheimer built his
timber-framed house in 1852, in the
saltbox style, with the roof at the back of his house sloping lower than the roof at the front of the house.
Stucco covers the fachwerk totally on three sides of Lindheimer's house, but leaves it exposed in the back. A popular architecture style in
New England,
the saltbox house was also utilized among German immigrants in Texas.
Rather than a full second story, Lindheimer's house has a loft as the second story. A centralized chimney heats the home. The front of the house has two
transomed, paneled doors. In 1853, Lindheimer became the editor of the ''Die Neu Braunfels Zeitung'', and published it out of his home for the next two decades, converting the rear of his house into a print shop. The New Braunfels Conservation Society operates the house as a museum.
See also
*
*
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks in Comal County
*
List of museums in Central Texas
The list of museums in Texas encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or ...
References
External links
Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindheimer House
Houses in Comal County, Texas
German-American culture in Texas
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas
Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks
Museums in Comal County, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas
National Register of Historic Places in Comal County, Texas