Comfort, Texas

The town was laid out near the site of an Indian village in 1854 by Ernst Hermann Altgelt, though its history goes back to a group of Germans that settled in 1852 along the banks of the Cypress Creek above its confluence with the Guadalupe River. Wearied by their journey from New Braunfels, Texas, the small group was so pleased by this picturesque site and pure water that they named it Camp Comfort. Free-masons, freethinkers, and political activists, middle-class German families, and liberals from Bettina and Sisterdale, Texas, settled the area. Townsmen organized the community along cooperative lines and steadfastly opposed formal local government. Comfort citizens valued education and opened a school shortly after its founding, but not until 1892 was a church built. The town was a center of Union sentiment during the Civil War and lost many young men at the battle (or massacre) of the Nueces in 1862. A monument on a hillside across from the middle school campus honors these dead. It is one of only six National Cemeteries permitted to fly the U.S. flag at half-staff in perpetuity and the only Union War Memorial in the South.

Early agriculture and commerce in the area depended on sheep and goats, grains, lime burning, masonry, building rock, lumber, and shingles. In the 1940s and 1950s, when the Hill Country was an international wool and mohair center, Adolf Stieler of Comfort reigned as "Angora Goat King of the World." In the 1980s agribusiness continued to dominate the local economy, but hunting, fishing, sightseeing, and youth camps drew increasing numbers of tourists. Today tourist-based and antique businesses are prominent.

Much of the original town site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Significant architectural sites include Bolshevik Hall, Turner Hall, a theater, and numerous half-timber and Victorian structures that survived a disastrous flood in 1978. A tradition of secular funerals was still widely observed in the twentieth century, and German turner (Turnverein Movement) activities and modern Volksmarsch celebrations continued. The Chamber of Commerce, volunteer and mutual aid organizations, and service and literary clubs continue to provide informal governance. The population of this unincorporated town was over 1,400 in 1980, when the original post office, established in 1856, still existed. Today the population is around 2200.

Comfort Links of Interest

Comfort City Web Site

Comfort Chamber of Commerce

Shop Comfort

Local Recreation and Entertainment

The Buckhorn Golf Course - 1.5 miles. 36 FM 473. 18 Championship Holes with very reasonable greens fees. For reservations call Toll-Free 866-746-2711 or 830-995-5351. www.BuckhornGolfClub.net.

Mountain Biking at Flat Rock Ranch - 2 miles. Premier Mountain Bike Venue in the Region. Over 20 miles of specially designed trails from Single Track Beginner to Advanced Rider trails on a 1300 acre ranch. Three hills climb to above 1900 feet. Open daily from January to the last weekend of September. www.flatrockranch.net.

See our Hill Country Experience Page for more Area Links!