Lindheimer House facts for kids
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Lindheimer House
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Lindheimer House in New Braunfels
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 Lindheimer House
Location in Texas
Lindheimer House
Location in the United States
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| Location | 491 Comal Ave., New Braunfels, Texas |
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| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1852 |
| Architectural style | German Fachwerk |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000744 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | August 25, 1970 |
The Lindheimer House is a special historic home in New Braunfels, Texas. It's located in Comal County, Texas, which is part of the great U.S. state of Texas. This house became a protected historic site in 1970, when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Comal County, Texas. It was also named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark back in 1936. Today, the New Braunfels Conservation Society owns and takes care of the house, running it as a museum for everyone to visit.
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Meet Ferdinand Lindheimer
Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801–1879) is often called the "father of Texas Botany". Botany is the scientific study of plants. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany. Lindheimer moved to the United States in 1834. He left Germany because of problems related to his political activities.
After serving in the military in Texas, Lindheimer moved to St. Louis, Missouri. There, he worked with famous plant scientists George Engelmann and Asa Gray. His plant research connected him with John O. Meusebach. After that, Lindheimer returned to Texas and lived there for the rest of his life.
The Unique Saltbox House Style
Lindheimer built his house in 1852. It was made with a special building method called timber-framed, which uses a strong wooden frame. The house is built in a style known as "saltbox." This means the roof on the back of the house slopes down much lower than the roof on the front.
German Fachwerk Design
The house also features "fachwerk," which is a traditional German way of building with exposed timber frames. On three sides of Lindheimer's house, a plaster-like material called stucco covers the fachwerk. However, on the back of the house, you can still see the cool timber frame design.
The saltbox style was very popular in New England. But German immigrants in Texas, like Lindheimer, also used this unique architectural design. Instead of a full second floor, Lindheimer's house has a cozy loft upstairs. A chimney in the middle of the house helps keep it warm.
A Home and a Print Shop
The front of the house has two paneled doors. Above each door, there's a small window called a transom. In 1853, Lindheimer became the editor of a newspaper called Die Neu Braunfels Zeitung. For the next 20 years, he ran the newspaper right from his home. He even turned the back part of his house into a print shop!
Today, the New Braunfels Conservation Society keeps the house open as a museum. It's a great place to learn about Ferdinand Lindheimer and how people lived in Texas long ago.
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