Museum News! May Happenings

MAY CALENDAR

1- Founders Day Luncheon

1- Friday Public Program featuring Evelyn Weinheimer

2- First Weekend Living History

9- Founders Day Wreath Laying at Marktplatz

13 & 27 - Conversational German Series

Through July- Temporary Exhibit- America's 250th

Memorial Day- May 25- Open for regular business hours

May 22 & 23- Vereins Kirche Museum Closed

Save the dates!

June 5 & 6- First Weekend Living History

July 3 & 4- First Weekend Living History

The Friday Public Program is slated for Friday, May 1.

The program is titled Telling the Story of German Immigration to Texas at the Pioneer Museum and Vereins Kirche Museum and will feature historian and former Archivist for the Gillespie County Historical Society, Evelyn Weinheimer.

Weinheimer will present on the story of Fredericksburg and how that story is interpreted at the Pioneer Museum and Vereins Kirche Museum.

The presentation will be held on Friday, May 1 from 3-5 p.m. in the Gillespie County Historical Society Sanctuary. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the program will begin at 3:30 p.m. It will also be available on live stream here.

Watch the live stream here

First Weekend at the Museum

Come Share Our Story!

2026 First Weekend Living History is here! We are excited for another great slate of living history activities for all ages! Find the full schedule here.

Saturday, May 2

Pioneer Museum open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Temporary Exhibit located in the Pioneer Museum Store- America's 250th
Spinner Demonstration
Handwerker Demonstration
Blacksmithing Demonstration
Frontier History Company Interpretive Living Historians
Museum scavenger hunt
Frontier History Company Blank Weapons Demonstrations at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m.

PLUS....

Vereins Kirche Museum, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Historic Jail, 117 W. San Antonio St. with Interpretive Living Historians 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Shopping in the Museum Store – 10% off Book of the Month

Read the winning scholarship here

America's 250th

Honoring America's 250th Birthday and the 180th Anniversary of Fredericksburg

America's 250th will honor and celebrate the 250th Birthday of the United States of America and the 180th anniversary of the founding of Fredericksburg.

This exhibit looks at how the United States developed over time, starting with the founding of the nation and its key ideas, moving through immigration and settlement, and ending with how American identity has changed across generations. It connects national history with local examples from Gillespie County.

Admission to this exhibit is complimentary and is located in the Damach-Besier building, the entrance to the Pioneer Museum.

The exhibit concludes at the end of July.

Artifact of the Month

Baptismal Certificate

This document is a certified copy of the baptismal record for Lorenz Mueller from the Kingdom of Württemberg. It was issued as official proof of baptism, which was required when he planned to leave for North America.

The record comes from the Donau region, in the province of Wangen, and is tied to the parish of Wallenhofen. A pastor certified the accuracy of the excerpt on October 9, 1845, based on the original church records.

According to the entry, Lorenz Mueller was born on February 21, 1816, and baptized the next day, February 22, 1816, in the church at Wallenhofen. His father was Mathias Mueller, a ropemaker. His mother’s name is difficult to read in the original record. One of his baptismal sponsors was Alois Gross of Wallenhofen.

This is displayed in the hallway of the Dambach-Besier Building, the entrance to the Pioneer Museum.

10% off all month long!

Fredericksburg, Texas: The First Fifty Years

"Fredericksburg, Texas: The First Fifty Years,” is the Book of the Month for May. Robert Penniger left a rare gift by writing and compiling this history of Fredericksburg from its founding in 1846 to the Jubilee celebration in 1896. Penniger was the publisher of the Wochenblatt, the town's newspaper that likely began publishing as early as 1871. As a newspaper man, he knew there were no better sources than people who actually live the story giving their firsthand accounts. This book is a journal of collective memories contributed by those who experienced the hardships of immigration to Texas from their beloved homeland.

The book is 10% off all month long and can be purchased during regular museum hours, Monday- Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. or online at pioneermuseum.org.

Merchandise Spotlight

Copper Vereins Kirche Ornament

Take home a piece of Fredericksburg with this special copper ornament of the iconic Vereins Kirche Museum. Each ornament is handmade with stamped metal.

Find it in the Museum Store or online here.

Learn About All Museum Events Here

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