The 1860 Witte-Schmid Haus was donated
to the Texas German Society in 1986
by Annie Schmid and her son, Sanford Schmid.
The German fachwerk structure known as "Das Haus"
was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in December, 1997.
It is located in the Schoenau community
between Industry and Shelby in Austin County, Texas.
The first owner of the house was Dr. Ernst Witte,
a lawyer born in Blomberg, Germany, in 1793.
After a successful career
in law and politics in his native land,
he followed his sons to America,
and with his wife, Lisette,
bought 1422 acres of land in Texas.
He turned his attention
to raising cattle and cotton.
Shortly thereafter, the Wittes
began construction on the house,
which reproduced many of the details
of the Wittes' house in Germany.
The structure is of stone and timber,
with two levels and a cellar.
The first level has a sandstone perimeter
with a stucco finish;
the upper level is faced with clapboard siding.
Interior walls are of half-timber,
or fachwerk construction
filled-in with adobe bricks.
Dr. Witte died in 1869 and was buried
in a small cemetery a short distance
southeast of the house.
His wife died in 1883 but was buried at Shelby
because wet weather
made the road to the
family cemetery impassable.
The house remained in the family
until December, 1986,
when it was given to
the Society by Annie Schmid
and her son Sanford Schmid.
It is an excellent example of
19th century German-Texan construction
and is among the oldest surviving
examples of German architecture
in Austin County.
(Texas German Society Website)
While in Texas,
we had the chance
to visit this historic house.
Artifacts include original items
from the home
and some "period pieces" donated.
A home that included many
children through the years.
The details show the horsehair
in the walls upstairs-
to give strength and stability.
A gathering to celebrate
in the "Family HOME"-
and to give thanks for all the blessings
that have been given from the land
to this hard-working- German-Swiss Family.
