MacArthur High School San Antonio German Program

Since 1975 when Ms El-Beheri and the German Program were honored by the San Antonio Conservation Society and the Texas State Library Association for contributions to the study of historic German-San Antonio, many generations of MacArthur students have contributed to an ongoing interest in the German heritage. In 1980 an NEH student grant was awarded to the German Program to develop a walking tour of German San Antonio with a slide show. This information and many digital photos have been incorporated into a website.

The late Leo Dielmann being interviewed,2000

In May 2000 the first and only German-San Antonio web site was launched by the MacArthur Advanced German Class. It includes ideas and information from past generations and will be continued by future generations. This site is owned by the MacArthur German Club and students are the webmasters. The site address is: German San Antonio Home Page!

San Antonio is the most important of the old German-Texan cities. Germans brought industry, beer, medicine, music, pharmacy, drama, insurance, newspapers, and many other assets to San Antonio including the first important hotel, The Menger, and the first surgeon, Dr. Herff. In the late 1840's many of the best educated Germans escaped from the revolution and came to San Antonio. At the turn of the century German, Spanish and English were on all signs in the city. The first city charter was in German.

Today the traditions of the oldest singing society in Texas, the Beethoven Maennerchor, continue. The Menger Bar is open. Names like Friedrich, Kampmann, Steves, Pioneer Mill, Mahncke, Guenther, Dielmann, Dullnig are all still in the San Antonio telephone book. 144 streets carry German names. Since 1974 the MacArthur German Program has been involved in the translation of the Minutes of the German English School and many other documents, including letters of the Dielmann family. A new generation of MacArthur students learns to read the "alte deutsche Handschrift" (Sueterlin) so that they can read family letters and other documents which might otherwise be lost as valuable historical information.

The German-Texan Heritage Society was founded in 1978 on the campus of MacArthur High School. There were six founding members. Today the organization is housed in its own building, The German Free School in Austin and has about 1,000 members.

German Texan Heritage Society Homepage
Email the GTHS at: GermanTexans@aol.com