German immigrants August Tolle and Dr. Theodor Koester purchased lots 271 and 272 in 1864 and built a large two-story building 100 feet long and 60 feet wide using hewn trunks of cedar. The building was built as a brandy distillery and to manufacture medicinals. In 1868, the building was sold to the New Braunfels Woolen Mill Manufacturing Company. The factory utilized the Comal River water for steam power installing a boiler, chimney and warning bell. The company was successful, but lacking a trademark, closed because other manufacturers used the name and produced inferior products. In 1901, German immigrants Franz and Anna (Mielke) Popp bought the property and converted the building to the Comal Steam Laundry. It was the first laundry in New Braunfels and capitalized on the turn of the century desire for cleanliness and reducing the laborious task for citizens to wash their clothes. After Franz retired in 1913, the laundry was run by Anna and her children, Emma, Martha, Rosa and Bruno. During the great depression, Emma operated the laundry and also worked as a cook at the Phoenix Café to support her children. In 1934, the laundry closed due to a kerosene stove fire that resulted in Anna’s death. The building that had been a New Braunfels landmark for so many years was razed in 1954. The Popp family still owned the property in the early 21st century. Although all that remains of the building is the old bell, rock foundation and part of the chimney, it serves as a reminder of business ingenuity utilizing the Comal River.
New Braunfels Woolen Mill
The roadside stories worth pulling over for.
New Braunfels Woolen Mill is a historical marker in New Braunfels, Comal County, dedicated in 2015. It is one of 103 historical markers documented in Comal County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 248 historic sites cataloged across the county.
The site sits at 29.7011, -98.1194 near New Braunfels. The nearest cataloged historic site is August and Karoline Tolle House (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Lindheimer, Ferdinand, Home, Lindheimer House, and Lindheimer, Ferdinand, Home.
This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018076. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.
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