Muenster, the home of Germanfest and a mayor named Leo, is
a good
place to go in search of German cuisine. And so on a rainy day we
ventured forth to look for lunch away from home and to see what might be to the
north of DFW. Dave learned about this town and Germanfest back in the 1970s
when he and Mayor Leo Hess worked together for a technology company. Someday we’ll
go to Germanfest and maybe find Leo, again.
Muenster began as many small Texas towns began, with the coming of the railroad. It was in 1887 that the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad built
a line from Gainesville to Henrietta.
Of course the train needed a place to get water and fuel, so Muenster became
that stop. Two years later German Catholic settlers and land agents, Carl and
Emil Flusche, began the business of getting immigrants to move onto their
22,000 acres. The Flusches sent letters to other settlements they had
established in Iowa and Kansas and advertised in German-language papers for
colonists. No sooner had they begun surveying and dividing the land than the
settlers began arriving. Twenty-five men, seven women, and six children were living
in Muenster by December 8, 1889. Together they observed the feast of the
Immaculate Conception with a Mass celebrated by the Reverend H. Brickley of
Gainesville.
Catholicism was important to the early settlers, as was education; by the
end of 1890 they built Sacred Heart Catholic School. The
building remained in use until 1987, but the school still exists and is one of
only four high schools in the Fort Worth Diocese. The church, which was begun in
1891, had a rather rocky ride. The first building completed was destroyed by a
storm; the second was taken out by a tornado; finally, in 1897 a brick Gothic
style church was constructed and lasted until a new church was built in 1952.
Because most of the population is German and Catholic, traditional foods can be found at the local meat market and Bäckerei; and the city has
preserved many German customs. Germanfest is held in April, and
includes beer, barbecue, German food, music, and sporting events. There is also
a Christkindlmarkt held each year around Thanksgiving.
There are several places to eat in Muenster (For information about my
rating system, see Reading the
Reviews.) and we
chose Rohmer’s (217 E Division Street, Muenster, TX 76252, 940-759-2973). This is a
nice restaurant with very personable waitresses. Dave was the odd person out in
that he didn’t order German food. He selected catfish nuggets and got what he
deserved. He said they were okay but that he should have gone for German food.
Vince wanted to try the Reuben Sandwich; he said it was well prepared. I had a
Chicken Schnitzel with sour kraut and red cabbage. I liked the red cabbage
better than the kraut; the chicken was excellent, though.
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| Entrance to the City Park |
Muenster began as many small Texas towns began, with the coming of the railroad. It was in 1887 that the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad built
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| Semi-traditional house in the City Park |
Catholicism was important to the early settlers, as was education; by the
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| Muenster festival area |
Because most of the population is German and Catholic, traditional foods can be found at the local meat market and Bäckerei; and the city has
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| Meat market |
There are several places to eat in Muenster (For information about my
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| Left T to B: Menu, Reuben sandwich Right T to B: Chicken Schnitzel, Catfish nuggets |
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| Creek near Muenster |
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