Albert, Texas
Encyclopedia
Albert, originally Martinsburg, is a ghost town
16 miles (25.7 km) southeast of Fredericksburg
and 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the Blanco County line in southeastern Gillespie County
, Texas
, United States
. The town was a stop on the Fredericksburg-Blanco
stage
route and in 1967 became a stop on the President's Ranch Trail.
In late October 2007, the town was put up for sale on the auction
website
eBay
.
and Travis
counties.While the signers were overwhelmingly German immigrants, names also on the petition were Castillo, Pena, Munos, and a handful of non-German Anglo names.
The first white settlere were George Cauley, Ben White, Sr., and a man named Jacobs. Around 1877, blacksmith
Fritz Wilke, George Maenius, and John Petri moved from Fredericksburg seeking pasture
for their cattle
. Wilke bought land from a man named Elmeier, who was robbed and murdered
years later.
The Martinsburg post office
operated from 1877 to 1886. In 1892, Martinsburg got a new post office and a new name, after Albert Luckenbach
sold his store in Luckenbach
, and arrived to register a new post office in town, under the name Albert.
A school was established in 1891, and in 1897 postmaster Otto Schumann opened the town's first store. In 1900 a new school building was erected where Lyndon Baines Johnson was briefly enrolled. A local Lutheran mission, the Lutheran Church of Stonewall
, was established in 1902 which LBJ attended.
and Blanco
— for $216,000. Cave then built a tavern
(in a style area locals
call an icehouse) on the site of the town's former general store
; after investing nearly half a million dollars, in 2007 he put it up for sale on eBay
with a reserve price of $2.5 million. In 2009 the town was carved up and again for sale, this time with an asking price of $883,000.
12.09 acres (48,926.5 m²) of the town was purchased by the Easley family (Point Evans, LLC) from Austin, Texas, and Brandon Easley, was nominated by the family to be the town manager. He has made several improvements to the ice house and surrounding property, and currently the dance hall is under renovation.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
16 miles (25.7 km) southeast of Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
and 1 miles (1.6 km) west of the Blanco County line in southeastern Gillespie County
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The town was a stop on the Fredericksburg-Blanco
Blanco, Texas
Blanco is a city in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,205 at the 2010 census. The region Devil's Backbone is located nearby in the colorful Texas Hill Country....
stage
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
route and in 1967 became a stop on the President's Ranch Trail.
In late October 2007, the town was put up for sale on the auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
.
Early history
On December 15, 1847, a petition was submitted to create Gillespie County. In 1848, the legislature formed Gillespie County from BexarBexar County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,392,931 people, 488,942 households, and 345,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,117 people per square mile . There were 521,359 housing units at an average density of 418 per square mile...
and Travis
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
counties.While the signers were overwhelmingly German immigrants, names also on the petition were Castillo, Pena, Munos, and a handful of non-German Anglo names.
The first white settlere were George Cauley, Ben White, Sr., and a man named Jacobs. Around 1877, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
Fritz Wilke, George Maenius, and John Petri moved from Fredericksburg seeking pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
for their cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. Wilke bought land from a man named Elmeier, who was robbed and murdered
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
years later.
The Martinsburg post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
operated from 1877 to 1886. In 1892, Martinsburg got a new post office and a new name, after Albert Luckenbach
Albert Luckenbach
Carl Albert Luckenbach was the first postmaster of Luckenbach, Texas. He would later move to another village which would become known as Albert, Texas.-References:...
sold his store in Luckenbach
Luckenbach, Texas
Luckenbach is an unincorporated community thirteen miles from Fredericksburg in southeastern Gillespie County, Texas, United States, part of the Texas Hill Country. It consists of between South Grape Creek and Snail Creek, just south of U.S. Highway 290 on the south side of Farm to Market Road...
, and arrived to register a new post office in town, under the name Albert.
A school was established in 1891, and in 1897 postmaster Otto Schumann opened the town's first store. In 1900 a new school building was erected where Lyndon Baines Johnson was briefly enrolled. A local Lutheran mission, the Lutheran Church of Stonewall
Stonewall, Texas
Stonewall is a census-designated place in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census. It was named for Thomas J. Jackson, by Israel P. Nunez, who established a stage station near the site in 1870....
, was established in 1902 which LBJ attended.
Population decline
Albert had 50 residents in 1925, only 4 in 1964, and 25 in 1972. By 1985 the store had been torn down, the school converted into a community club, and the dance hall a storage locker, though Albert still had 25 residents and two businesses. The population would stay at 25 through 2000, but by 2007, the town had been all but abandoned.Since 2004
In 2004, Bobby Cave, at the time an insurance broker, bought Albert—more specifically, property on Ranch Road 1623 between StonewallStonewall, Texas
Stonewall is a census-designated place in Gillespie County, Texas, United States. The population was 469 at the 2000 census. It was named for Thomas J. Jackson, by Israel P. Nunez, who established a stage station near the site in 1870....
and Blanco
Blanco, Texas
Blanco is a city in Blanco County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,205 at the 2010 census. The region Devil's Backbone is located nearby in the colorful Texas Hill Country....
— for $216,000. Cave then built a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
(in a style area locals
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
call an icehouse) on the site of the town's former general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
; after investing nearly half a million dollars, in 2007 he put it up for sale on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
with a reserve price of $2.5 million. In 2009 the town was carved up and again for sale, this time with an asking price of $883,000.
12.09 acres (48,926.5 m²) of the town was purchased by the Easley family (Point Evans, LLC) from Austin, Texas, and Brandon Easley, was nominated by the family to be the town manager. He has made several improvements to the ice house and surrounding property, and currently the dance hall is under renovation.