Cruising the Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail in Fredericksburg, Texas.

In Fredericksburg, Texas, there is a driving trail called the Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail.

If you haven’t heard about it, drive the trail next time you’re in Fredericksburg. It’s a lovely addition for those who’ve been to Fredericksburg many times and are looking for new things to do. Or, if you prefer history to shop. 

You will drive through the beautiful countryside around Fredericksburg while looking for country schools.

My family and I drove the Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail on our last visit to Fredericksburg, Texas. It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Fall colors were still dotting the country. I read springtime is even better with bluebonnets and wildflowers carpeting the ground. A leisurely drive in the beautiful Fredericksburg countryside.

Here’s what I learned about Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail.

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Gillespie County Country Schools History

Before we cruise the trails, let us check out brief information about the historic schools in Gillespie County.

In the mid to late 1800s, German immigrants flooded the region. It began with the settlements of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg in 1845 and 1846, respectively. They arrived in Texas’ frontier before the US Army and brought a strong passion for learning.

In 1847, the German immigrant built the first school in Fredericksburg in Marktplatz (Market Square) of Main Street. It took place in the Vereins Kirche, the church of the society, that served as a church, community meeting hall, school, and fort, if needed.

Later, families moved onto land farther from the town. They hired teachers to educate their children in their homes. Eventually, a family in the area donated land for a community school. They named the schools from nearby natural landmarks.      

In the early 20th century, 44 rural schools were operating in the Fredericksburg area. Many of these rural schools provided instruction in both German and English.

The Gilmer-Aikin Law of 1949 resulted in the consolidation of most rural schools in Texas. Some of the schools eventually were adapted into private residences.

A group of people organized community clubs to maintain some of the rural school properties in Gillespie County in the 1950s. They used their funds. At that time, Fredericksburg Independent School District owned the rural schools.

A rumor “they’re selling our schools” came to the surface. It brought a group of Gillespie County citizens to organize themselves into The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools (FoGCCS.) They are interested in preserving the traditions of the schools, the community clubs, and the history of Gillespie County for future generations.  

After years of works and rallies, the FoGCCS received preservation awards from the Texas Historical Commission and Preservation Texas in 2002.

In January 2005, the Texas Historical Commission placed 12 properties on the register of National Historic Places.

In April 2006, the Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail officially opened. The first in Texas, and possibly in the nation.  

Fourteen schools have functioned as community centers, social gathering halls, and polling places. They are available for public rental for social activities.

Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail

There are 17 rural schools on the Gillespie County Country Schools Driving Trail, including Vereins Kirche at the Marktplatz. One of the places to see when visiting Fredericksburg for the first time.

The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools, in cooperation with the Gillespie County Historical Society, the LBJ National and State Park, the Cherry Mountain Community Club, and the Grapetown Community Club, sponsor the trail. They conduct various activities throughout the year as well.

Besides Vereins Kirche and White Oak School in the Pioneer Museum complex, all schools in the trail are closed to the public. Several are open to the public during the annual fundraiser in April.

The Schools Trail is approximately 120 miles. You can find the color-coded routes that point visitors to schools in various county quadrants on the map. Additionally, there are Gillespie County Country Schools signs on the road pointing to the location of each school. Allow two to four hours to explore Gillespie County’s history. 

Get the trail brochure at the Fredericksburg Visitor Information Center. There are four trails plus a downtown area to do. You can do all of them or choose ones that fit your time in Fredericksburg. We have visited the ones in the downtown area several times and drove through a few of them on other visits. On this particular visit, we did Trail C and Trail D.   

Now let’s cruise the trail. We will visit every school and learn about them. From when they built, the school’s traditions, the languages they used, and the consolidation times.

Downtown and Wrede School (includes 2 schools and Vereins Kirche)

Estimated drive time: 1 hour

VEREINS KIRCHE

The first Vereins Kirche was built in 1847 and served as both a Lutheran and Catholic church and a classroom. When the German settlers departed their homeland, they were guaranteed access to public education, and they did. In 1896, they destroyed the original structure and constructed a replica in 1936. It is now a museum.

Address: 100 Block of West Main St.

WHITE OAK SCHOOL

It was constructed in the 1920s, consolidated in 1950, and relocated to the Pioneer Museum in 1990. The museum charges a fee for entry. For school fundraising, they had a box suppers tradition. The young ladies decorated a box to fill it with sandwiches, cakes, fruit, and other goodies. They then auctioned it off to the men. The men would distribute the contents to the creator once they had sold the boxes.

Address: 325 W Main St.

WREDE SCHOOL

The school was built in 1896 and consolidated in 1960. On October 15, 1896, they held the first class. In 1949, the Pedernales School merged with Wrede, and soon after that, students from Bear Creek School consolidated with Wrede also. Even though most students did not speak English when they entered first grade, speaking German on the school ground was forbidden.

Address: 3828 South State Highway 16.

You can walk or drive from Vereins Kirche to White Oak School, but you must ride a car to Wrede School. Drive 3.8 miles on State Highway 16 South (South Adams St.) Turn right after you pass Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park and Ernst Market. 

Trail A (includes 4 schools)

Estimated drive time: 2-3 hours, suitable for bicycles.

CHERRY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL

In 1883, they built a log cabin school. It was rebuilt in 1926 with concrete and consolidated in 1949. Discipline was strict in the family homes and at school. Common disciplinary were staying in the classroom during recess, facing a blackboard with the nose stuck in a chalk-drawn ring, and standing in the corner or by the teacher’s desk.

Address: 2866 Cherry Mountain Loop.

PECAN CREEK SCHOOL

In 1883, the community built Pecan Creek School on Loudon Road. The present school on Pecan Street was built in 1916 and consolidated in 1955. They arranged the seat by grade. One of the most important features was the recitation bench close to the teacher’s desk. It’s for a particular class grade for their lesson or recitation.

Address: 3410 Pecan Creek Rd.

CHERRY SPRING SCHOOL

Community residents constructed the school with limestone in 1885. They built the pavilion in 1935, and the school consolidated in 1962. Lower grades occupied the pavilion classroom while older students through the 9th grade attended in the rock “Big Room.”

Address: 5973 Ranch Road 2323.

CRABAPPLE SCHOOL

The community built the first school in 1878 and the present school in 1882. The first building served as a teacherage and also a post office. Typically, the land for the school was donated or bought for $1. At Crabapple, Crockett Riley and Mathias Schmidt decided to have a footrace to see who would have the privilege of granting the land. Mathis won, and they built Crabapple School on his land.

Address: 14671 Lower Crabapple Rd.

You will drive northbound on this trail, cruising the area between US 87 N and FM 965. You can combine driving Trail A with a visit to Enchanted Rock. Historic St. John German Lutheran Church is near Crabapple School.

Trail B (includes 4 schools)

Estimated drive time: 2-3 hours, suitable for bicycles.

WILLOW CITY SCHOOL

The first building, a one-room log cabin, was built in 1876 and washed away in the 1880s flood. The second building couldn’t support the overgrown number of students. In 1905, two community members donated land on higher ground for the two-story, three-room school building. The school consolidated in 1961. 

Address: 2501 Ranch Road 1323 

RHEINGOLD SCHOOL

Log school house built in 1873. Frame schoolhouse built in 1900. The school had outhouses for boys and girls. 

Address: 334 Rheingold School Rd.

NEBGEN SCHOOL

In 1881, the community built the Smith Valley School of logs and Lindemann School in 1901. Present one-room frame Nebgen School erected in 1936 and consolidated in 1949. One of the four schools with a pavilion and stage used for “school closings.” School closings were a significant community celebration with “Schulprufung” (an oral and written school exam) in the morning. In the afternoon, there were games. In the evening, the adults put on a play, followed by a dance. The men prepared BBQ, sold it by the pound, and families provided their side dishes.

Address: 1718 North Grape Creek Rd. 

CAVE CREEK SCHOOL

Cave Creek School was built in 1881 and consolidated in 1950. Many students rode horses, donkeys, or mules or walked barefooted to school during all kinds of weather. Later, several schools had buses, and parents brought children by car.

Address: 470 Cave Creek Rd.

This trail will take you cruising the Willow City area on the east. It will be beautiful during bluebonnet season. When coming from Llano’s direction to Fredericksburg, you can execute this trail first.

Trail C (includes 4 schools)

Estimated drive time: 1,5 to 2 hours, suitable for bicycles. 

MEUSEBACH CREEK SCHOOL

The community built the first school in the early 1800s and the fourth during the 1930s. The school consolidated in 1964. A picture from the earliest year showed several children of freed slaves going to school with other children. It could be considered one of the first integrated schools in the South.

Address: 515 Kuhlmann Rd. 

GRAPETOWN SCHOOL

In 1859, the student went to the former Wm Doebbler home for the first school. Ten years later, the community built a log school. They constructed the present school in 1884. It turned to teacherage in 1887 and consolidated in 1949.

Address: 7325 Old San Antonio Rd. 

LUCKENBACH SCHOOL

In 1855, they built the first log schoolhouse and added native limestone in 1881. Then the community added a teacherage in the 1860s and erected a new limestone school in 1905. The school consolidated in 1964. An old school bell summoned the children to class at 9 a.m. Boys lined up on the left and girls on the right to enter the one-room schoolhouse for grades 1st to 8th. Older students helped the younger ones with grammar and math. At 4 p.m., the older boys had to bring in firewood for the stove, and the girls swept the floor. First grades were responsible for cleaning the erasers.

Address: 3566 Luckenbach Rd.   

LOWER SOUTH GRAPE CREEK SCHOOL

The community built a log cabin school in 1871. The present school was built in 1900 and consolidated in 1960. On holidays, students presented programs for families and the community. They memorized all parts. They held the Christmas plays inside the school, with a curtain at the front and students entering and exiting through the side windows. Santa Claus handed out oranges, apples, and candy and lit the candles. One year his beard caught on fire. He quickly exited through the window and headed for the water well. Today the school is sandwiched between Mendelbaum Cellars and Inwood Estates Vineyards, Winery & Bistro.

Address: 10273 East Highway 290.     

The trail will take you through US 87 to Luckenbach and ends at Highway 290. You will drive through Fredericksburg’s beautiful countryside, with a large estate popping up here and there. We couldn’t find the Grapetown School, though. Somehow we missed the sign on the road.

Trail D (includes 3 schools)

Estimated drive time: 1,5 to 2 hours.

LOWER SOUTH GRAPE CREEK SCHOOL 

See the information above.

JUNCTION SCHOOL

The first school was located about 1 mile east of the present school, established in 1882. It was a tent on the Pedernales at Christadelphian. The last school was built in 1911 and consolidated in 1947. It was President Johnson’s school, and he returned to the school and asked his first teacher, Ms. Kate Deidrich, to witness the signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act on 11 April 1965.

Address: 144 State Park Rd. 49 in the LBJ National Historical Park, Stonewall.

WILLIAMS CREEK (ALBERT) SCHOOL

The community built the one-room log cabin school in 1891. The limestone building was built in 1897 and consolidated in 1950. They installed a bell in the tower. The curriculum consisted of arithmetic, reading, writing, spelling, history, geography, and penmanship. During WWI, all subjects must be taught in English according to a new law, except for the foreign language. German was not allowed to speak on the school grounds anymore. On Fridays, there would be spelling bees. Young LBJ went to Albert School.

Address: 5501 South Rand Road 1623.

You will drive to Stonewall on Highway 290 E, passing vineyards and wineries. Then you go south to Albert to see Williams Creek School. Next to the school is the famous Albert Dancehall and icehouse, where you can watch live music while dancing the night away. While visiting Junction School, you might combine the trip to the Texas White House and Sauer-Beckmann Farm. Also, you can find the historic Trinity Lutheran Church here. It’s hard to miss this beautiful church from the road. Return to Highway 290 E to Fredericksburg or continue to Johnson City.

We combined Trail C and D on our way to Johnson City to see Lights Spectacular during the Christmas holiday. It was a beautiful and fun drive. A family renting Lower South Grape Creek School was kind enough to let me go inside. Next time we go to Fredericksburg, we will do the whole Trail A and B.

I hope you enjoy this virtual trip, and one day you’ll be able to drive the Gillespie County Country Schools driving trail yourselves.