Arnold-Rauch-Brandt Homestead
The Arnold-Rauch-Brandt Home is a beautiful example of an early German-Texan style home with hand-chiseled limestone and hand-hewn timbers. It is located off of State Highway 46 just west of New Braunfels in Comal County, Texas, in an area that was historically considered Mission Valley.
The homestead is on ten acres deeded to the New Braunfels Conservation Society for the purpose of preservation of the property to be maintained as close to the construction time period of 1855 to 1885 as possible. The Google image to the left shows the original land grant with the ten acres enclosed and also the entrance for easement access from State Highway 46. The home and out-building contents are also to be preserved and displayed on the premises. The property houses numerous historic structures that were built by the Gottlieb and Maria Koch Arnold family and their descendants. Gottlieb and Maria immigrated to Texas from Germany to find a better place to live and to take advantage of the liberal land grant policies of the early State of Texas. They used available resources as building materials for the structures on the property and raised animals and gardened for necessary food. The home was originally built in 1852 with an addition in 1883.
Along with the home, there is a fully intact limestone barn and smokehouse. These structures combined showcase life in early New Braunfels. Until the death of the Arnold’s great-granddaughter, Agnes Rauch Brandt in 2010, the home and property had been passed down through the family since 1852.
The original land grant was 160 acres, but the property was expanded to over 389 acres by the time of Agnes’ death.
Arnold-Rauch-Brandt Homestead Narrative
