Welfare, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Welfare, Texas
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Welfare, September 2018
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 Welfare, Texas
Location in Texas
Welfare, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Kendall |
| Elevation | 1,348 ft (411 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 830 |
| FIPS code | 48 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2034977 |
Welfare is a small, unincorporated community in Kendall County, Texas. This means it's a place where people live together, but it doesn't have its own official town government. Welfare is located about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Waring. A historic school building in Welfare was recognized as a special landmark in 2000.
How Welfare Began
In 1848, a family from Germany, Carl Joseph and Augusta Beseler, moved to Texas with their sons, Ernst and Carl Philipp. They settled on land given to Carl and opened a general store. Over time, more people came to live near the store, and that's how the community of Welfare started.
The Beselers' son, Ernst, sadly passed away in 1862. His brother, Carl Philipp, was a very important person in the community. He served as a judge, managed the post office, was a county leader, and helped with taxes. The family's general store was also named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1996.
The settlement was first called "Bon Ton" or "Boyton." But in 1880, when a post office was set up, the name changed to "Welfare." Carl Philipp Beseler was the first postmaster. The post office closed in 1976. The name "Welfare" comes from the German word Wohlfarht, which means "pleasant trip." This name was chosen after Alma Wohlfarht, who, with her husband Perry Laas, ran the general store for 50 years.
In 1887, Carl Philipp Beseler helped Welfare become a railroad shipping point. This happened when the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway built tracks connecting San Antonio to Kerrville.
Changes Over Time
By 1892, about 275 people lived in Welfare. However, the population started to shrink because of bad weather and a problem with tiny bugs called boll weevils that damaged crops.
In 1930, U.S. Highway 87 was built, but it went around Welfare, not through it. Then, in 1970, the railroad tracks were no longer used. Today, you can only reach Welfare by taking the Waring-Welfare country road, which you can get to from Exit 533 on Interstate 10.
Nicolaus Zink, a German pioneer who founded another nearby community called Sisterdale, moved to Welfare later in his life. He passed away there in 1887 and was buried on his own land.
The Welfare School
In 1878, the people of Welfare built a one-room wooden schoolhouse near Joshua Creek. Around 1902, the school was moved to 217 Waring-Welfare Road. By 1907, the school had separate classes for students of African ancestry.
In 1912, the school got bigger with an expansion that included a porch. This was possible because parents donated money to help. The most students the school ever had was in 1916. In 1952, the school closed, and students started going to classes in Comfort. The school building was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2000.
