On January 23, 2006, the Gillespie County Commissioners Court established the Gillespie County Country Schools Trail, linking 16 former historic country schools and the Vereins Kirche (Community Church), the replica of the first school in Gillespie County on Market Square in Fredericksburg. This "schools" trail is a first in Texas and possibly in the nation.

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 and the various activities throughout the year. The intent of the trail is to document the history of public education in the county and to document the more than 40 school districts which existed, several which have been forgotten. The goal, once enough funds have been raised, is to have a permanent display at Market Square in Fredericksburg, documenting the districts and the remaining buildings for visitors to enjoy.

The "schools trail" allows visitors to Gillespie County learn about education and customs in the German Hill country of the 19th century, explore different architectural styles, and see the beautiful landscape of the area, especially during the spring wildflower season. Approximately 120 miles of trail have been broken down into color-coded routes directing the visitor to schools in a particular quadrant of the county. Visitors will be able to spend from two hours to half a day exploring this element of Gillespie County history.

Links to the 16 schools are listed on the left. White Oak School, which is located in the Pioneer Museum, is open daily. During the annual Historic Schools Tour held on the first weekend in April,The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools have several of the schools open to the public. All schools are now used as community centers and can be rented by the public for social activities.

Color-coded maps (see below) depicting the routes are available at the Fredericksburg Visitor's Center at 302 E Austin Street, Fredericksburg, and at the Up-Town Visitor Center on E. Main Street, The Vereins Kirche (Community Church), and at each school.

Historic information about each school and tidbits of information about such customs as school closings, early transportation, school lunches and discipline, outhouses, wells, and teacher salaries are available to the visitor.

Click here for driving directions.

42 School Districts in Gillespie County
taken from the 1892 "school district" map.

As many as 44 rural schools were in operation around Fredericksburg, the county seat of Gillespie County, in the early 20th century. German immigrants had poured into the area that became known as the Texas Hill Country in the mid to late 1800's, starting with the settlements of New Braunfels in 1845 and Fredericksburg in 1846.

These Germans brought with them a keen love of education. The first school in Fredericksburg was erected in the Marketplatz (Market Square) in the center of Main Street in 1847. This Vereins Kirche (Community Church) (Church of the Society of Nobles) was to serve as church, school, community meeting hall, and fort, if needed. Comanche Indians roamed the area, and the Germans had reached the frontier of Texas before the US Army.

As families moved on to land more distant from town, the earliest rural educational efforts normally involved hiring a teacher to educate the children in private homes. Eventually, land was donated by a family in the area, and a community school was built, taking names descriptive of nearby natural landmarks, such as Cave Creek, Crabapple, Pecan Creek, or Lower South Grape Creek. The German heritage of Gillespie County is evident in other names like Luckenbach, Meusebach Creek, Rheingold, and Nebgen.

Several of the 12 schools now listed on the National Register date from the 1870's and 1880's. The original Rheingold School is the oldest of the rural schools in Gillespie County.

Many of the Gillespie County rural schools offered courses in both in German and English. The end of the school year was celebrated with an all-day affair called the Schulprüfung (school examination). The students demonstrated their knowledge in front of family and friends, followed by a picnic and dancing into the night. The original school closing curtain is still on display in four of the schools, with advertisements for early-day Gillespie County merchants. Three of the schools still have the original student desks and teacher's desk.

The Gilmer-Aikin Law of 1949 resulted in the consolidation of most rural schools in Texas, bringing a close to this era of public education.

Some of the schools eventually were adapted as private residences, while two became interpretive pieces. The White Oak School was moved to the Pioneer Museum Complex, at 309 West Main Street in Fredericksburg, and offers a glimpse on a daily basis of the inside of one of the rural schools complete with desks and the teacher's bell. An admission to the museum is charged.

The one-room Junction School, located in the LBJ National Historical Park at Stonewall, is part of the National Park Service interpretive tram tour and was first attended by President Lyndon Baines Johnson at the age of four. You can participate in an LBJ Park Tour for a fee or drive directly to the school house.

In the 1950's, community clubs were organized, maintaining some of the rural school properties in Gillespie County using their own funds, even though they were owned by the Fredericksburg Independent School District (FISD). With a strong sense of community in the rural areas of Gillespie County still strong today, 14 of the schools continue to be used as community centers, social gathering halls, and polling places. These 14 schools can be rented by the public for social activities.