LaMar's Signs 'n' Stuff

08/03/2026

We just love this event and all of their amazing traditions! If you ever have a chance to go watch and support them it’s definitely worth it!!!

07/30/2026

📷Members of the 1918-1919 Gillespie County Commissioner's Court inspect a new roller and grader that would be used initially to pave Main Street. The roller-packer wheel, attached to the front of the steam-operated tractor, could be filled with water for additional weight. The tractor would pull the grader; the grader operator steered from a standing position as the grader was not equipped with a seat.

Join us tomorrow for our First Friday Presentation from the Hill Country Antique Tractor and Engine Club. There will be antique tractors on display at the presentation and then on the Pioneer Museum grounds until the Gillespie County Fair.
Door open at 3:00 with tractors on display and presentation begins at 3:30.

07/27/2026

Dr. Keidel lived on Bear Creek, but on certain days he would see patients in town. Whether there was one or two patients or a whole roomful he received a $1.50 an afternoon for treating them.

Even Indians came to Dr. Keidel for treatment. Their way of paying him was to sneak up during the night and leave a dressed deer carcass or a wild turkey hanging from a tree in the yard.

At first Dr. Keidel traveled everywhere on horseback, but around the start of the Civil War he bought a buggy made by a wheelwright and upholsterer in Fredericksburg. The buggy had a black oilcloth top and was fairly waterproof.

People knew the days Dr. Keidel went to town. On those days they would bring sick friends and family members out to meet him, and he would treat them there along the side of the road.

Dr. William Keidel's grandson, Dr. Victor Keidel, (born in Fredericksburg in 1882) borrowed money from Henry Klaerner to buy his first horse and saddle. Later he bought a "gig"- a light 2-wheeled wagon with a forked drawbar pulled by a single horse. A gig was high enough off the ground to clear most big rocks and stumps and ford most creeks without getting the driver's feet wet.

Dr. Keidel purchased his first car after being convinced by a salesman to do so.

One night Dr. Victor Keidel made a house call to a sick man in Willow City. Woman's intuition told Mrs. Keidel (Clara Stieler) to go along.

On a particularly dangerous part of the road the headlamps on the car went out so Mrs. Keidel walked ahead of the car with a lantern. Then a storm came up, and a heavy rain put the lantern out.

Without a lantern, visibility was zero. Sitting in a car that dark and stormy night was like standing in a dark closet or at the bottom of a well.

To keep the car out of the ditch Mrs. Keidel ran ahead as far as she could at each flash of lightning and called to Dr, Keidel who drove to the sound of her voice. Then they would wait for the next lightning flash to go a little farther down the road.

Doctoring in the early days of Gillespie County was always an adventure. Sometimes getting there was an adventure in itself.

Story credit: Michael Barr

05/18/2026

05/08/2026

🎉 Happy 180th Birthday, Fredericksburg! 🎉

Today, May 8, we celebrate 180 years of history, heritage and community since our founding in 1846. From our rich German roots to the vibrant Hill Country town we are today, Fredericksburg continues to be a special place to live, work and visit.

The City of Fredericksburg team is honored to serve this community and help preserve the traditions, character and spirit that make our town so special.

Here’s to 180 years—and many more to come! ❤️