Medina County, Castroville (retired)
This trip was to my 3rd cousin's, Jonathon Schueling, wedding. It didn't take much convincing to take Mom on this side trip to a courthouse I missed.
View from the right side.
It now serves as Castroville's City Hall.
Zion Lutheran Church. My Wurzbach ancestors were charter members this church. Most all of my Wurzbach family members were baptized or confirmed here (except me), and my brother and my awesome sister-in-law were married here. I'm a little fond of this church even if I have no direct ties to it, only family ties. (Cue the paintbrush painting Meredith Baxter's dress red.)
THC/Historical Marker: Many of the German settlers who arrived here in the 1840s were Lutherans who kept their religious traditions by meeting for worship in their homes. The Rev. Christian Oefinger sailed from Bremen, German, arriving in Galveston. From there he made his way to Castroville. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized on January 29, 1852, with 12 charter members, their families and other organizers, most from Castroville and surrounding communities.
Construction of the church building began in 1853, with a loan for $400 secured from the General Synod. Congregants provided the rock, sand, and timbers. A parsonage was erected next to the church using the remaining stone. The church prospered and became an important part of the Castroville community. Pastor Oefinger held Castroville’s first public school classes in the Lutheran Church building in 1857.
The Courthouse and Me
