2013-5 Remembrances Special Edition1
City of Schertz
Remembrances Special Edition 2013-5
Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
Our Neighbor’s Early History
Cibolo, Texas1
Some folks would consider it “snooping” if, as a neighbor, you were to begin asking questions
about a person’s background and/or ancestry. But those same folks would be quick to forgive if
it were learned that you both shared mutual origins and backgrounds. So too might our Cibolo
neighbors forgive the Schertz Historical Preservation Committee (SHPC) for seeking
information about their town’s history once they know of our two town’s mutual ancestral
connections. The story of Cibolo’s beginnings is a near mirror of that of Schertz.
Like Schertz, Cibolo’s earliest settlers arrived in the Cibolo Valley area as a part of the great
German migration of the mid to late 19th century. These settlers had been driven from their
Prussian homeland by fear of oppression, crop failures, overpopulation, unemployment,
repression of religious expression and universal conscription of the youth. Both sets of settlers
were inspired by the promise of free and fertile land situated in south-central Texas. Cibolo
settlers first set up homesteads in what was then known as the “Lower Valley” area. Among the
earliest families to arrive were the Bergfelds, the Pfiels, the Vordenbaums, the Sowells, the
Tewes, the Frommes, the Meeks, the Werners, the Hartmans, the Sassmanhousens, the
Schlathers, the Stappers, and the Dietzs. Some of the relatives of these same families chose
Schertz as their choice of living space. Most build farms but a few chose business enterprises as
their means of economic survival. John George Schlather, Sr. was one of the first prominent
business owners in Cibolo and upon the arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg, San Antonio
Railroad (GH&SA) (1876) in Cibolo he agreed with them to name the town “Cibolo”, an Indian
word meaning buffalo. The railroad’s arrival in Schertz was also the occasion for a name change
from “Cut Off” to “Schertz” primarily due to the Schertz family having donated the land for the
train depot.
As in nearly every German Texas settlement community, among the first buildings to rise once
the settlers became more established was the community church. Cibolo’s first church (1876)
was the Evangelical Reform Church, a small wooden building the land for which was donated by
John George Schlather, Sr... In 1905, the wooden church was replaced with the brick building
that now stands at the same spot and serves as the church of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ.
The first school built in the Cibolo area was likely the Lower Valley School built in 1877. That
school closed in 1966 and the building remained empty for forty years before Northeast
Lakeview College received it as a donation and plans to restor it on their campus for use as a
museum and active classroom. Cibolo’s first school building was built on church property and its
teachers were church ministers. In 1902, the first one room schoolhouse was built and twelve
years later a second frame school building was erected to hold the enlarged school population. In
1 Source material for this article was obtained from The Cook Book of Cibolo as published by Sandy Schlather,
publication date unknown. Photos were provided by F. S. “Fritz” Schlather, husband of Sandy.
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1916, Cibolo community leaders succeeded in having a bond issue passed for the construction of
a two story community high school. The first graduates of the high school took their diplomas in
1920. As time passed, a more modern high school was built in Schertz and the Cibolo high
school became a grade school. Mr. O. G. Wiederstein was one of the earliest teachers in the
Cibolo school system and taught there for fifty years. Today, streets in Cibolo and Schertz are
named after him as is an elementary school in Cibolo.
Cibolo began as a rural farming community and joined with all surrounding communities to
harvest cotton from the latter half of the 19th century through the early 20th century. Two cotton
gins were built, one in the 1880s and another in 1901. These gins were steam operated and the
water for the operation was hauled by wagon from the Cibolo Creek. The demise of the “Cotton
Is King” era brought about new crop cultivation to include: corn, wheat, oats and milo maize.
The first store to operate in Cibolo was owned by Ernst Jenull (town’s first Postmaster) and John
Geroge Schlather, Sr. In 1883, these men sold their business to Karl Fromme who eventually
owned the cotton gin, a lumber yard and a hardware store. Mr. Fromme sold the business to
Richard Pfeil and George Schraub. In 1921 the business became known as the Cibolo Mercantile
Company (or “Farmers Store” as it was often called). The mercantile store eventually went out
of business and a Handy Andy grocery store took its place. Other store owners of the early years
included Arthur Schraub, Richard Pfeil, August Blumbert, Robert Vordenbaum, Otto and August
Gobe and Ernest H. Schlather. The Cibolo Valley Grocery was the last independent grocery store
to operate in town (by Henry and Gladys Pfeil).
In the year 1913, both Schertz and Cibolo opened their first banks. The Cibolo bank first began
operations in the home of Karl Fromme until Arthur Schraub donated the land next to his store
on Main Street for a permanent building. In 1967, the Cibolo State Bank was granted a state
charter and F. S. “Fritz” Schlather was named President. The bank grew to the point where new
facilities were needed and eventually (1969) it moved to another building. A second move
occurred in 1975 to a location where now stands Wells Fargo Bank on Highway 78 south of
central Cibolo. The original bank building still stands on Main Street next to the jewelry shop
and Harmon’s Barbeque. After nearly 200 years the Cibolo State Bank returned the buffalo to the
area as it adopted Sampson the Buffalo from the local school district and allowed it to graze in
the fields where the Wells Fargo Bank now stands.
Like in neighboring towns the blacksmith was an essential element of the town’s early economy.
In 1893, Fritz J. Werner built Cibolo’s first blacksmith shop. In 1903, Mr. Werner opened a
gasoline station which became (as of 1970) the longest operating Gulf station in the United
States. Werner’s insightfulness led him to open a Ford dealership as the automobile began to be
produced. In 1926, Emil Rawe opened a blacksmith and wheelwright shop.
One of Cibolo’s most successful businesses was established in 1924 as the Cibolo Lumber
Company. Emil Wiederstein and Ewald Pfeil were the men who founded the company.
Recreation in Cibolo during the late 19th and early 20th century occurred at the local dance hall
(Crescent Bend), pool hall, bowling alley, festivals and parades, and at the local saloon (cards,
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dominos, skat, etc.). Like in neighboring towns shooting clubs were popular as were the sports of
hunting and baseball.
The Cibolo Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1956 and the women’s auxiliary in
1958. The Department continues to depend upon its volunteer component as a supplement to the
full time employees.
Cibolo became an independent township on October 20, 1965 with a population of just over 400
residents. Today, the city is growing at a record pace. It boasts land located between two major
interstate highways along the ever growing San Antonio to Austin corridor. The town’s early
history parallels the history of Schertz with regards to people, place and circumstance. It’s with
pride that we feature our neighbor’s early history in the hope that their story will remain alive
and appreciated by those now living in the area.
St. Paul E & R Church (1949) Cibolo Bank (circa 1916) Cibolo Cotton Gin
Main Street, Cibolo, Texas (1913) Werner Blacksmith Shop (circa 1900) Werner Garage/Ford Dealership