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COMFORT, Texas

"Star of the Hills"
"Haven in the Hills", "Antique Town"

Population (2000): 2,358Elevation: 1,427 ftArea: 3.2 smCounty: Kendall
Zip Code: 78013Area Code: 830-995Time Zone: CST
Coordinates: 29° 58' 10" N, 98° 54' 26" W
Location: Western edge of county, 16 mi NW of Boerne, 45 mi NW of San Antonio,
17 mi SE of Kerrville, 23 mi S of Fredericksburg
Highways: US I-10 (2 exists), US 87, TX 27, RR 473
Creeks: CypressRivers: GuadalupeParks: See below

REFERENCES

DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT: More than 100 structures dating from the 1800s. Shopping; Over 20 B&Bs and lodging places in the area around the district or Guadalupe River.

ANTIQUING: Known for high quality antiques at dozens of shops. See: Antiques

BUCKHORN GOLF COURSE: See full details below.

COMFORT CELLARS WINERY: See full details below.

NUECES TREUE DER UNION MONUMENT: Burial site that honors 35 men who died at the Battle of the Nueces during the Civil War. One of only 5 sites in the nation where the flag is allowed to be flown at half-staff at all times. See history details below.

SINGING WATERS VINEYARD: See full details below.

COMFORT BAT ROOST:
In 1918, Albert Steves erected a "Hygieostatic" bat roost on his family farm in Comfort. This roost was built to attract bats in an effort to control mosquito populations by natural means. The current population is a mix of about 1,000 Cave myotis (Myotis velifer) and Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), though at one time there may have been as many as 10,000. It was originally researched and developed by Dr. Charles Agustus Rosenheimer Campbell of San Antonio. The idea was to use bats against malaria carrying mosquitos. At one time, there were sixteen bat roosts built in the United States and Europe, of which only two sites now remain - one in Comfort and one in the Florida Keys." History & Details.

Location: On the banks of the Guadalupe River in Comfort at the private residence of Marshall Steve, the third generation of the family to grow up with a famous bat roost in the backyard. At 29.9704,-98.8849, off FM 473 east of town. Cited in the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1983.

THE COMFORT MUSEUM: See full details below.

NEARBY & HILL COUNTRY-WIDE ATTRACTIONS: See Attractions.

Some of the very nearby attractions include:

BANDERA: COWBOY CAPITAL; DUDE RANCHES; FRONTIER TIMES MUSEUM; GOLF; POLLY'S CHAPEL

CAMP VERDE: CAMP VERDE GENERAL STORE

PARKS: There are many state parks in the greater area as profiled on the Parks page. Local city parks include:

COMFORT PARK:

JANE KIEHL MEMORIAL PARK: On Riverbend Rd, off RR473.

EVENT CALENDAR: For full details on each event see Chamber web site and
Festivals & Events

January: Flat Rock Mountain Bike Opening

February: Valentine's Day Weekend Wine-Lover's Trail

March: Wildflower Season

April: Comfort Spring Spree-Shopping; Wildflower Season; Gospel & Music Fest; Easter Volksmarch; Little Theater Annual Production; Weekend Wine & Wildflowers

May: Tour of Homes; Comfort Village Spring Antique Show: www.texasantiqueshows.com)
Little Theater Annual Production

July: 4th Celebration, Parade, Games & BBQ

August: Harvest Wine Trail

September: Comfort Fall Art Walk

October: Scarecrow Invasion; Texas Wine Month Passport Trail; Halloween Volksmarch
Comfort Village Fall Antique Show: lvt@hctc.net, www.texasantiqueshows.com

November: Christmas Festival & famous Lighted Night Parade; Girls Night Out Shopping (music, fun)

December: Holiday Wine Trail; Christmas Lights & Decorating Contest

ON-GOING EVENTS: For full details on each event see Hill Country Market Days, Trade Days, Farmers Markets:

COMFORT AREA FARMER'S MARKET: May through August. Fresh, locally grown vegetables, fruits, jellies and jams, home preserves, herbs & flowers! Located in the Comfort Park on Hwy 27. Saturdays from 8a to 1p or until sold out. Doris Wallace, 830-995-3368 or Jay Zapata, jzap@hctc.net; Web: www.comfort-texas.com/shopping1.htm

COMFORT TRADE DAYS: 830-446-6402; "Old-Fashioned Open-Air Market". Grand Opening April 16, 2011. Open every Sat 9a-5p; 3rd Sat, April-November, rain or shine. Located at 52303 IH-10 (Exit 524), Comfort. Contact: Sherry Dennis, www.comforttradedays.com.

WEATHER: Weather Underground

MEDIA COVERAGE:
Newspaper: COMFORT NEWS: 830-995-3634; 525 7th St, Comfort, TX 78013
Latest News

MAPS: Google, GeoHack

HISTORY & profiles: Handbook of Texas Online:
"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 from New Braunfels that settled in 1852 along the banks of the Cypress Creek above its confluence with the Guadalupe River. Freemasons, freethinkers, and political activists, middle-class German families, and liberals from Bettina and Sisterdale settled the area. Townsmen organized the community along cooperative lines and steadfastly opposed formal local government. Comfort 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 of the Nueces in 1862. The Treue der Union monument on a hillside across from the high school campus honors these dead. From 1856 until Kendall County was organized in 1862, Comfort competed with Kerrville to become the county seat of Kerr County; Kerrville won.

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.

Much of the original townsite 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 (see TURNVEREIN MOVEMENT) activities and modern Volksmarsch celebrations continued. A local museum, volunteer and mutual aid organizations, and service and literary clubs provided informal governance. The population of the unincorporated town was over 1,400 in 1980, when the post office, established in 1856, still existed. In 1990 the population was 1,477, and in 2000 it increased to 2,358."

Wikipedia: "Comfort was established in 1854 by German immigrants, who were Freethinkers and abolitionists. Hermann Ernst Altgelt, at the young age of 22, is credited with surveying and measuring the lots that would later be sold to the incoming German immigrants. He stayed and married Emma (Murck) Altgelt, and they raised their nine children in the township of Comfort. The first churches were not established in Comfort until 1900.

The downtown area is possibly one of the most well-preserved historic business districts in Texas. There are well over 100 structures in the area dating back to the 1800s, and seven of them were designed by the noted architect Alfred Giles. Mr. Giles lived in San Antonio, and he would ride horses, the stagecoach, and later the train to check his building sites in Comfort. Most of the population today is composed of descendants of those original pioneer families of the 1850s and the 1860s.

Comfort is also known for a tragic event that took place during the Civil War. The Treue Der Union Monument was dedicated in honor of 35 men who died at the Battle of the Nueces, which took place because they opposed the state's secession from the Union. The German settlers were killed on their way to Mexico during the Civil War. They were attacked by Confederate forces near Brackettville on August 10, 1862. The bodies were not buried and the bones were retrieved and placed here in 1865. The monument was erected in 1866.

In 1918, Albert Steves erected a bat roost on his family farm in Comfort. This roost was built to attract bats in an effort to control mosquito populations by natural means. It was originally researched and developed by Dr. Charles Agustus Rosenheimer Campbell of San Antonio. The idea was to use bats against malaria carrying mosquitos. At one time, there were sixteen bat roosts built in the United States and Europe, of which only two sites now remain - one in Comfort and one in the Florida Keys.

Early in the 20th century, J. Marvin Hunter, the Texas journalist, historian, and author of the American West, published the Comfort Times, which he soon disbanded. Hunter later formed Frontier Times magazine and Frontier Times Museum in Bandera."

Founded 1854. The only town in Texas that voted not to secede from the Union during the Civil War (but the County did!).

COMFORT HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Ruth Kiel, 830-995-2708; Museum open Tue AM downtown.

PRIOR NAMES:

NATIONAL REGISTRY SITES: NUECES TREUE DER UNION MONUMENT; Many of the buildings of the original townsite.

CEMETERIES:

AVAILABLE SERVICES: Gas: yes; Convenience Stores: yes; Restaurants: yes; Lodging: yes; Grocery Stores: yes; Banks: yes; Vehicle Repair: yes; Hospital: no; Med Clinic: no; Post Office: yes; Public Schools: yes; Cemetery: yes

PORTAL WEB CAM GALLERY: Comfort

OTHER PROFILES: ePodunk Profile; City Data; Texas Escapes; Travel Texas (not available)

NOTES:

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