Castell ( ) is a small unincorporated, rural town in Llano County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Texas German belt region, and most residents are still ethnic German-Texan. Its population was 104 at the 2010 census. Located in the heart of the

Texas Hill Country The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Central and South Texas, forming the southeast part of the Edwards Plateau. Given its location, climate, terrain, and vegetation, the Hill Country can be considered the border between the Ame ...

, its northern border is formed by the Llano River. It was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

in 1964, marker number 9440.

Founding

Castell began in 1847 as a land grant in

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

territory settled by German immigrants. The unsettled land had formerly been part of the Fisher–Miller Land Grant. It was part of a series of immigrant settlements sponsored by a group of prominent Germans known as 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 ...

, including Baron Emil von Kriewitz,Castell, Texas
by James B. Heckert-Greene in the ''Handbook of Texas Online''. Accessed August 7, 2007. John O. Meusebach, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels, Hermann Spiess, Gustav Schleicher, Ferdinand Ludwig Herff, and Count Carl Frederick Christion of

Castell-Castell Castell-Castell was a county in the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by a branch of the Counts of Castell. It was established as a partition of Castell-Remlingen in 1668, and it was partitioned between itself and Castell in 1709. It annexed the County ...

(1801–1850). Count Castell was the vice president and business manager from the beginning of the Adelsverein until about the time of Castel's founding. The other communities were Schoenburg, Meerholz, Leiningen, and Bettina. The first two were unsuccessful from the start. Leiningen and Bettina had brief lives, with Bettina lasting only a year. Only Castell remains in Llano County. Describing conditions in Castell in the mid-19th century, a tour guide has written

Mormonism

Castell briefly experienced an influx of about 20

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

pioneer families under the leadership of

Lyman Wight Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apo ...

. They had settled in Zodiac, Texas, in 1847, in Mormon Mill in 1851, and then settled in Castell briefly before moving south in 1854 to Bandera, Texas. Wight died on March 31, 1858, and his body was returned to Zodiac for burial.Lyman Wight's Mormon Colony in Texas
excerpt from "Mormon Trails" chapter in ''Hill Country'' travel guide by Richard Zelade (2001). Accessed August 6, 2007. Due to the Mormon custom of sending out missionaries, the Castellite congregations of 19th-century

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

possibly took their name from the Mormons who lived briefly in Castell, Texas.

Modern era

The community was originally on the north bank of the Llano River, but now is on the south bank in the western part of Llano County near the Mason County line. Castell had a population of 72 people in 1972 and again in 2000. In 2007, a Castell promotional site claimed a population of only 23.Castell, Texas — 76831
basic information about the town. Accessed August 7, 2007. Castell is in the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

and is assigned ZIP code 76831 and

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

325. Castell has several small businesses, mainly centering on camping and hospitality as a result of the flyfishing and kayaking opportunities there.Castell, Texas
/ref>

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Castell has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Notable person

* Emil Kriewitz lived with the Penateka Comanche, and served as guide for Fisher-Miller Land Grant settlers. He was the Llano County justice of the peace in 1870, Llano County election judge in 1871, and served as postmaster of Castell from 1876 to 1883. He was buried in the Llano City Cemetery.

References

External links

Castell, Texas Community Profile
includes numerous links to various Castell maps, aerial photos, Census data, local government offices. Accessed August 7, 2007.
Castell, Texas — 76831
a reference to the area's zip code, with information about the town's business community and photo of plaque commemorating the founding of Castell, Bettina, and Leiningen. Accessed August 7, 2007.
Biography
(English) of Count Carl of Castell-Castell {{authority control German-American culture in Texas Latter Day Saint movement in Texas Unincorporated communities in Llano County, Texas Populated places established in 1847 Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Unincorporated communities in Texas 1847 establishments in Texas