Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery State Historic Sites facts for kids
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Kreische, Henry L., Brewery and House
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The ruins of the Kreische Brewery. Decks were added for the interpretive tours.
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 Kreische, Henry L., Brewery and House
Location in Texas
Kreische, Henry L., Brewery and House
Location in the United States
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| Location | S of La Grange off US 77 on Monument Hill, La Grange, Texas |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Built by | Henry Ludwig Kreische |
| Architectural style | German Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001974 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1975 |
Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery are two important historic sites in Texas. They are managed by the Texas Historical Commission. You can find them south of La Grange, Texas, near U.S. Route 77. These sites sit on a high sandstone bluff, about 200 feet above the Colorado River.
Monument Hill is a special place that honors Texans who died in two historical events: the Dawson Massacre and the Black Bean Episode of the Mier Expedition. These events happened a long time ago, and the hill serves as a memorial.
The Kreische Brewery ruins show us what a busy brewery looked like in old Texas. It also highlights the contributions of German immigrants to Texas culture. Heinrich Kreische, a German immigrant, owned the land. He was a stonemason and a brewer. He built his house and the brewery in the 1850s and 1860s. He ran the brewery until he passed away in 1882. The Kreische Brewery and house were recognized as a National Historic Place on April 16, 1975.
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A Look Back at History
On September 18, 1848, the remains of Texans who died in the Dawson Massacre and the Black Bean Episode were brought to Monument Hill. They were reburied together in a special tomb with a sandstone vault. A group chose this spot because it was high up and could be seen from far away. More than 1,000 people came from all over Texas for the ceremony. Heinrich Ludwig Kreische, a German immigrant and stonemason from La Grange, built the limestone tomb. He used stones from the bottom of the bluff.
Kreische's Brewery
On January 17, 1849, Heinrich Ludwig Kreische bought 172 acres of land on the bluff. This land included the tomb. Heinrich was a skilled stonemason. He built a three-story German-Texan style house. In the late 1860s, he started building his brewery.
By the 1870s, the brewery was very busy. By 1878, it was the third-largest brewery in Texas. It produced 774 barrels of beer that year. This beer was sold all around the local area. The brewery's most famous product was called "Kreische Bluff Beer."
The Kreische family was an important part of the German community. They let a local shooting club, called the Bluff Scheutzenverein, use a small part of their land. This club held gatherings, competitions, and celebrations there. Heinrich also owned the Union Beer Hall in downtown La Grange. There, customers could enjoy his Bluff Beer and other popular national beers.
In the late 1800s, big changes started happening. New technologies like railroads and commercial refrigeration made it hard for small, local breweries to compete. By the 1880s, Kreische’s brewery business began to slow down. Besides running his brewery, Kreische also worked on other stonemasonry projects. He even built an icehouse in downtown La Grange.
Heinrich Kreische passed away unexpectedly in 1882. This was a big blow to the brewery. It finally closed down in 1884. His family tried to keep the business going for two years. But without Heinrich's leadership and with the decline of small breweries, the business failed. The brewery building was left empty. Over the years, the old brewery became a popular spot for picnics and adventures. The only old pictures we have of the brewery are from people visiting in the early 1900s.
The Tomb and Monument
Heinrich Kreische took care of the tomb for the Dawson and Mier men throughout his life. But after his death in 1882, both the tomb and the Kreische Brewery started to fall apart. The Kreische family lived in their house on the bluff until Julia Kreische, the youngest daughter, died in 1952. During those years, the family often asked for the tomb to be moved. This was because people sometimes damaged it.
On September 18, 1933, a new granite vault was dedicated. For the 1936 Texas Centennial celebration, a tall monument was built. This 48-foot monument, with an art deco mural, clearly marked the mass grave. In 1949, the site was given to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The monument and tomb were added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 6, 2019.
How the Historic Sites Grew
When Julia Kreische died in 1952, she left most of her land to the Hostyn Catholic Church. The state already owned a small part of the land. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the state started archeological digs and worked to preserve the Kreische family's history. After these studies were finished, the entire site opened to the public in 1986.
By 1989, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department managed both sites together. In 2019, the Texas state government moved the Kreische Brewery and Monument Hill State Historic Sites. They are now managed by the Texas Historical Commission. This agency works to preserve historic places in Texas.
Nature at the Bluff
The bluff at Monument Hill is a special place for nature. It's where a type of sandstone from the Miocene era ends. This bluff creates a border between two different environments: the Upland Post Oak Woodlands and the Fayette Prairie. The way this sandstone has worn away has created areas with alkaline soil.
This alkaline soil is perfect for certain plants and animals. These species are usually found in the Texas Hill Country, which is about 70 miles northwest. The Colorado River helped bring these species to Monument Hill. This created a unique group of western plants and animals living alongside those from the eastern woodlands and prairies.
See also
