Welfare is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

southeast of

Waring Waring is an English surname with two derivation hypotheses: from the Frankish ''Warin'', meaning 'guard,' via Norman French ''Guarin,'' or from the Anglo-Saxon ''Wæring'', meaning 'confederate' or, more literally, 'oath companion.' Both hypothe ...

on the Waring-Welfare Road in west-central Kendall County, in the U.S. state of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. The school was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2000.

Establishment

Adelsverein colonists Carl Joseph and Augusta Beseler, along with their sons Ernst and Carl Philipp, emigrated to Texas in 1848. The family settled on Carl's land grant and opened a general store. The community of Welfare grew up around the general store. The Beselers' son Ernst died in the Nueces Massacre on August 10, 1862. His brother Carl Philipp was justice of the peace, postmaster, county commissioner, and tax assessor. The general store was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1996, Marker number 382. The settlement was originally named "Bon Ton" or "Boyton". The establishment of the post office in 1880 changed the name to "Welfare". Carl Philipp Beseler was the first postmaster. The post office was discontinued in 1976. The name changed to the German word ''Wohlfarht'', translated as "pleasant trip", after Alma Wohlfarht, who with her husband Perry Laas, ran the store for 50 years. In 1887, Carl Philipp Beseler assisted with Welfare being a railroad shipping point with the building of the

San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway The San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway first began operation in the U.S. state of Texas in 1886. It was developed by Uriah Lott and businessmen of San Antonio as a direct route from the city to Aransas Bay on the Texas Gulf coast. It was eventual ...

track section between

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

and

Kerrville Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

Decline

The community had 275 residents by 1892. Severe weather conditions, complicated by an infestation of boll weevils, caused a steady decline in the population.

U.S. Highway 87 U.S. Highway 87 (US 87) is a north–south United States highway (though it is signed east–west in New Mexico) that runs for 1,998 miles (3,215 km) from northern Montana to southern Texas, making it the longest north-south roa ...

bypassed Welfare in 1930, and the railroad was abandoned in 1970. What is left of Welfare is only accessible by the Waring-Welfare country road via the Welfare exit (Exit 533) of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

. German pioneer and founder of Sisterdale,

Nicolaus Zink Nicolaus Zink (1812–1887) was the founder of Sisterdale, Texas, and builder of the fort Zinkenburg. Under the direction of Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Zink led a caravan of new settlers from Indianola to New Braunfels. He laid out the town an ...

, retired to Welfare and died there in 1887. He was buried on his own property.

School

The community of Welfare built a one-room frame-structure school in 1878 on Joshua Creek. Around 1902, the school was moved to 217 Waring-Welfare Road. By 1907, the school had separate classes for students of African ancestry. In 1912, an expansion that included a porch was completed and made possible by parent donations. The peak year for enrollment was 1916. In 1952, the school ceased operation and students began attending classes in

Comfort Comfort (or being comfortable'')'' is a sense of physical or psychological ease, often characterized as a lack of hardship. Persons who are lacking in comfort are uncomfortable, or experiencing discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort c ...

. It was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark number 12370 in 2000.

References

External links

* * {{authority control German-American history German-American culture in Texas Unincorporated communities in Kendall County, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Unincorporated communities in Texas 1848 establishments in Texas

Establishment

Decline

School

See also

References

External links