|
 |
History
in a Pecan Shell
Bushdale was a German town that never grew beyond a
one-room school and a business or two. After the school was consolidated
with the Rockdale ISD, the community
lost what little identity it had. Bushdale no longer appears on highway
maps, official or otherwise.
The Cemetery is the only reminder that a community did exist. The
founders and early inhabitants of Bushdale remain together as they
did in life.
Immediately after entering through the gate, you'll see the headless
torso of a fallen statue. This was a Union officer who served during
the Civil War and one has to wonder if the desecration of his grave
was simply vandalism or a posthumous revenge by bitter Confederates.
A new bench, a plaque and a new wooden bulletin board show that the
Texas Historical Commission has recently included the Bushdale cemetery
in their cemetery program. |
The fallen Union
Officer
TE photo, 2001 |
He survived the
war, but fell in peace.
TE photo, 2001 |
Historical Marker:
FM 908, 4 miles NW of Rockdale,
on roadside pull-off near Bushdale Cemetery
Bushdale Community
The community of
Bushdale was founded in this area of Milam
County by German immigrants in the 1870s. Within ten years the
population of the county doubled and the Bushdale area developed into
a thriving farming community. A community cemetery was established
on land owned by John and Johanna Broeckl. In 1878, school trustees
Herman Henniger, John Timmerman, Sr., and Paul Pieper purchased two
acres south of the cemetery for five dollars. A schoolhouse was erected
on the site and it also served as a church on Sundays. In 1883 the
Reverend Immanuel Glatzel organized Peace Lutheran Church. A church
and parsonage were built on a seven-acre parcel of land donated by
Herman Henniger. John and Martha Brockenbush operated a general store
in the community, and a cotton gin and blacksmith shop were established
by Gustav Backhaus in 1883. A two-story dance hall erected by the
Herman Sons Lodge was the site of many social activities.
The Bushdale community gradually declined. Peace Lutheran Church moved
to nearby Rockdale in 1909, and
the school was closed in 1949. The cemetery is the only remnant of
this once active community.
(1997)
Incise on back: Some known early families of Bushdale community area:
Backhaus, Bauer, Brockenbush, Broeckl, Dornhoefer, Dockall, Doss,
Druschke, Foehner, Gruttner, Henniger, Hirt, Leschikar, Loehr, Mayer,
Menn, Pieper, Nieschwitz, Seelke, Seidl, Stolte, Stork, Strelsky,
Strube, Timmerman, Vogel, Von Gonten, Voss, Wanoreck, Wenzel and Witkowski. |
|
 |
L - Bushdale
Cemetery entrance
R - Parking problems are everywhere
TE
photos, 2001 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and recent or vintage photos, please contact
us. |
|
|
HOME
