Lindheimer House

Lindheimer House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
Lindheimer House in New Braunfels
Lindheimer House
Location	491 Comal Avenue New Braunfels, Texas
Coordinates	29°42′2″N 98°7′6.5″W / 29.70056°N 98.118472°WCoordinates: 29°42′2″N 98°7′6.5″W / 29.70056°N 98.118472°W
Built	1852
Architectural style	German Fachwerk
NRHP Reference #	70000744 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	August 25, 1970
Designated RTHL	1936

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 National Register of Historic Places listings in Comal County, Texas in 1970, and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1936.^[2] The house is currently owned and run as a museum by the New Braunfels Conservation Society.

Ferdinand Lindheimer

Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (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 to partner in botanical research with George Engelmann and Asa Gray. His research brought him in touch with John O. Meusebach, after which Lindheimer moved back to Texas where he spent the rest of his life.^[3]

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.^[4] 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,^[5] the saltbox house was also utilized among German immigrants in Texas.^[6] 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.^[7][8]

See also

• List of museums in Central Texas

External links

• Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey
• New Braunfels Conservation Society

Notes

1. Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "Home of Ferdinand Lindheimer". Recorded Texas Historic Markers. William Nienke, Sam Morrow. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
3. Ragsdale, Crystal Sasse. "Ferdinand Lindheimer". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
4. Harris (2005), p. 845
5. Howe, Fleming, Kemp (1995), p. 100
6. Wilhelm (1980), p. ix
7. "NRHP Lindheimer House". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
8. Zelade (2011), pp. 28–29

References

• Harris, Cyril M (2005). Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional. ISBN 978-0-07-145237-3.
• Howe, Barbara J; Fleming, Dolores A.; Kemp, Emory L (1995). Houses and Homes: Exploring Their History. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press. ISBN 978-0-7619-8929-5.
• Wilhelm, Hubert G. H (1980) [1891]. Organized German Settlement and Its Effects on the Frontier of South-Central Texas. New York, NY: Arno Press. p. ix. ISBN 978-0-405-13464-7.
• Zelade, Richard (2011). Lone Star Travel Guide to Central Texas. Lanham, MD: Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58979-604-1.