Nassau Plantation was a endeavor purchased by the

Adelsverein The ''Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein'' (''Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas'', "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the ''Mainzer Adelsverein'' (, "Nobility Society of Mainz"), orga ...

on January 9, 1843, in

Fayette County, Texas Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,435. Its county seat is La Grange. The county was created in 1837 and organized the next year. History Fayette County was established ...

, near what is now

Round Top Round Top is an extinct volcano in the Berkeley Hills, just east of Oakland, California. The peak lies entirely within the bounds of Contra Costa County. In 1936, the area surrounding the peak was established as Round Top Regional Park, one of ...

. A Texas State Historical Marker was installed in 1968, Marker 3550.

Original purchase

The league of land was purchased near from what is now Round Top, from Robert Mills by Adelsverein officers

Count Ludwig Joseph von Boos-Waldeck Count Ludwig Joseph von Boos-Waldeck (26 November 1798 – 1 October 1880) was a German noble who promoted the settling of Texas by Germans. Boos-Waldeck was born in Koblenz as the son of Count Clemens von Boos zu Waldeck (1773-1842) und ''F ...

and Count Viktor August of Leiningen-Westerburg-Alt-Leiningen, at a cost of seventy-five cents an acre. It was named for the

Duke of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...

, in whose castle the

was established. The acreage was developed as a full working

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

using

slave labor Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

bought by Count Boos-Waldeck in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. When Prince Solms inspected the plantation in 1844, he recommended the Verein divest itself of the property, rather than be associated with slavery. Initially, the plantation had been considered as the primary base for arriving German immigrants, but the immigrants instead went to colonies established by

Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels Prince Carl (Karl) of Solms-Braunfels (27 July 1812 – 13 November 1875), was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearhead ...

and John O. Meusebach. Nassau Plantation became a luxurious

noblemen Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...

's retreat for representatives of the Adelsverein. Prince Solms enjoyed horse racing and extravagant entertaining on the property. John O. Meusebach resided at Nassau from April to July 1846 to recover his health. One of the early managers of Nassau appointed by Prince Solms was Friedrich W. von Wrede, Sr. from

Oberhausen Oberhausen (, ) is a city on the river Emscher in the Ruhr Area, Germany, located between Duisburg and Essen ( ). The city hosts the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and its Gasometer Oberhausen is an anchor point of the European Rout ...

, Germany. On October 24, 1845, Wrede and

New Braunfels New Braunfels ( ) is a city in Comal County, Texas, Comal and Guadalupe County, Texas, Guadalupe counties in the U.S. state of Texas known for its German Texan heritage. It is the county seat, seat of Comal County. The city covers and had a popula ...

botanist Oscar von Claren were scalped and killed by Indians while camping about ten miles from

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Sale

The plantation was mismanaged and operated at a loss. Gustav Dresel, Special Business Agent for the Adelsverein, sold Nassau plantation and its twenty-five slaves on July 28, 1848, to Otto von Roeder. Von Roeder, in turn, sold off of undeveloped land and the

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

to fellow Prussian nobleman, Baron Peter Carl Johann von Rosenberg, who immigrated to Texas in 1849 with his family from their estate, Eckitten, near Memel in East Prussia. In 1853,

Bexar County Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

district court ordered the Fayette County sheriff to sell the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, to satisfy

creditor A creditor or lender is a party (e.g., person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property ...

s of the

. The sheriff sold the property to James A. Chandler on May 3, 1853. Chandler filed suit for

legal title Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

. In June 1868, Chandler recovered

judgment Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to decision-making, make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct u ...

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nassau Plantation German-American culture in Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks History of slavery in Texas German-American history Fayette County, Texas