There may have been a little bravado involved in the naming of Comanche County. When the central Texas county was formed from parts of Coryell and Bosque Counties in 1856, Comanche rule was facing its first small challenges in that region (although pitched battles had been fought in other parts of Texas); a military road and about forty scattered families were the only signs of European encroachment, and even four years later the 1860 census found only 709 people living in the county.

“It would have been easier to build a brand-new house,” says innkeeper Margy Waldrip, “but we have so much history here.” Mrs. Waldrip and her son, Darrell, are the hosts at the historic Kuebler Waldrip Haus Bed-and-Breakfast, just outside of New Braunfels. And she is not exaggerating; the work of restoring the 160-year-old home of pioneers Andreas and Catherine Pape (pronounced almost like “poppy”) has been a monumental task, but even a brief visit is an impressive lesson in the history of German immigration to the Hill Country.