Castell ( ) is a small

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

, rural town in

Llano County, Texas Llano County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 21,243. Its county seat is Llano, and the county is named for the Llano River. During the American Civil War, the c ...

, United States. It is part of the Texas German belt region, and most residents are still ethnic German-Texan. Its population was 104 at the 2010 census. Located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, its northern border is formed by the

Llano River The Llano River ( ) is a tributary of the Colorado River, about long, in Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin. Two spring-fed tributaries, the North and South Llano, stre ...

. It was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

in 1964, marker number 9440.

Founding

Castell began in 1847 as a land grant in Comanche territory settled by German

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

and

Free-Soil The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

ers. The unsettled land had formerly been part of the Fisher–Miller Land Grant. It was part of a series of immigrant settlements sponsored by a group of prominent Germans known as the

Adelsverein The ''Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein'' (''Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas'', "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the ''Mainzer Adelsverein'' (, "Nobility Society of Mainz"), orga ...

, including Count Emil von Kriewitz,Castell, Texas
by James B. Heckert-Greene in the ''Handbook of Texas Online''. Accessed August 7, 2007. John O. Meusebach,

Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels Prince Carl (Karl) of Solms-Braunfels (27 July 1812 – 13 November 1875), was a German prince and military officer in both the Austrian army and in the cavalry of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. As Commissioner General of the Adelsverein, he spearhe ...

Hermann Spiess Hermann Spiess (c. 1818–1873) was co-founder of the Bettina, Texas commune in 1847. He became Commissioner-General of the Adelsverein after the resignation of John O. Meusebach. Early life Hermann was born around 1818 in Offenbach am Main, Gr ...

Gustav Schleicher Gustav Schleicher (sometimes spelled Gustave) (November 19, 1823 – January 10, 1879) was a German-born Democratic United States Representative from Texas. He was an engineer who served briefly in the Texas legislature, and was a veteran ...

, Ferdinand Ludwig Herff, and Count Carl Frederick Christion of Castell-Castell (1801–1850). Count Castell was the vice president and business manager from the beginning of the Adelsverein until about the time of Castel's founding. The other communities were Schoenburg, Meerholz, Leiningen, and

Bettina Bettina is a female name predominantly found in the Italian and German languages. This name has various interpreted meanings and origins. In Italian, Bettina originated as a diminutive of the names Elisabetta and Benedetta. Benedetta is the Ita ...

. The first two were unsuccessful from the start. Leiningen and Bettina had brief lives, with Bettina lasting only a year. Only Castell remains in Llano County. Describing conditions in Castell in the mid-19th century, a tour guide has written

Mormonism

Castell briefly experienced an influx of about 20

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

pioneer families under the leadership of

Lyman Wight Lyman Wight (May 9, 1796 – March 31, 1858) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the leader of the Latter Day Saints in Daviess County, Missouri, in 1838. In 1841, he was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apo ...

. They had settled in Zodiac, Texas, in 1847, in Mormon Mill in 1851, and then settled in Castell briefly before moving south in 1854 to

Bandera, Texas Bandera (Spanish: "flag", ) is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States, in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 857 at the 2010 census. Bandera calls itself the "Cowboy Capital of ...

. Wight died on March 31, 1858, and his body was returned to Zodiac for burial.Lyman Wight's Mormon Colony in Texas
excerpt from "Mormon Trails" chapter in ''Hill Country'' travel guide by Richard Zelade (2001). Accessed August 6, 2007. Due to the Mormon custom of sending out missionaries, the Castellite congregations of 19th-century

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

possibly took their name from the Mormons who lived briefly in Castell, Texas.

Modern era

The community was originally on the north bank of the Llano River, but now is on the south bank in the western part of Llano County near the Mason County line. Castell had a population of 72 people in 1972 and again in 2000. In 2007, a Castell promotional site claimed a population of only 23.Castell, Texas — 76831
basic information about the town. Accessed August 7, 2007. Castell is in the

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordina ...

and is assigned ZIP code 76831 and area code 325. Castell has several small businesses, mainly centering on camping and hospitality as a result of the flyfishing and kayaking opportunities there.Castell, Texas
/ref>

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Castell has a humid subtropical climate, ''Cfa'' on climate maps.

Notable people

Emil Kriewitz Emil Kriewitz (January 18, 1822 – May 21, 1902) was a German immigrant and veteran of the Mexican–American War, who came to this country with the Adelsverein colonists. After John O. Meusebach successfully negotiated the Meusebach–Comanch ...

lived with the Penateka Comanche, and served as guide for Fisher-Miller Land Grant settlers. He was the Llano County justice of the peace in 1870, Llano County election judge in 1871, and postmaster of Castell from 1876 to 1883. He was buried in the Llano City Cemetery.

References

External links

Castell, Texas Community Profile
includes numerous links to various Castell maps, aerial photos, Census data, local government offices. Accessed August 7, 2007.
Castell, Texas — 76831
a reference to the area's zip code, with information about the town's business community and photo of plaque commemorating the founding of Castell, Bettina, and Leiningen. Accessed August 7, 2007.
Biography
(English) of Count Carl of Castell-Castell {{authority control German-American culture in Texas Latter Day Saint movement in Texas Unincorporated communities in Llano County, Texas Populated places established in 1847 Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Unincorporated communities in Texas 1847 establishments in Texas