Richland Texas. (original) (raw)

History in a Pecan Shell

Henry Pfluger, namesake of nearby Pflugerville arrived with his family around 1849. The name was not hyperbole or wishful thinking, since the soil was indeed rich.

Cattle raising produced an income - the animals being sold and then set up the Chisolm trail. Corn, wheat, and rye were grown as crops and each homestead had their vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. In addition - sugarcane was grown before cotton became the principal commercial crop.

Religious persecution and military inscription were two factors for the majority of immigrants to make the long arduous journey to Texas. A school was established in 1877 on a local farm and on Sundays it served as the community's first church. In 1882 a public school was established.

School had been taught by German preachers, but this was challenged in 1888 by the state. The state's argument was that German pastors were not qualified to teach in English and so a compromise was reached - the state furnished the salary for a full-time teacher. The school term was extended from only four months to a full six.

The St. John German Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed by its tiny congregation of nineteen in 1878. The Sons of Hermann gave a charter for a hall in Richland in 1894. In time, a store, cotton gin and blacksmith opened - but Richland was far from the railroad and never quite developed into a community with a defined center. The school was consolidated with Pflugerville schools in 1945.

Richland had a scare in the late 1980s when the city of Austin was eyeing it as a site for a new airport. When Bergstrom AFB was decommissioned and given to Austin - Richland was left in peace - just the way the residents prefer it. Although Richland has no discernible center - over one hundred families still live in the area.