In 1895, a visionary priest by the name of Father Joseph Reisdorff decided to found a German Catholic township, much as he had in Windthorst, Texa, some years earlier. At the time, Father Reisdorff had been ordained some twenty-three years and had served in Sait Louis before coming to Texas for health reasons. Father Reisdorff’s vison was to make available land purchases for German immigrants or German descent settlers who wished to farm. Accompanies by Hugo Herchenback, Father Reisdorff travelled to Galveston in the winter pf 1894 to visit with Mr. J.C League, a land investor who owned over 52,000 acres in Knox County, Texas. Father Reisdorff convinced Mr. League to set aside 12,000 of his acres for a colony, the land to be sold to German Catholics only.
Father Reisdorff was a native of the Rhine province of Germany. Part of his early dream, no doubt, was to establish a fertile area in North Texas, not unlike the fertile soil along the Rhein(or Rhine) River in Germany. Although the nearby Brazos River different from the large Rhein River in nearly every way, still Father Reisdorff chose to call the new community “Rhineland”
On March 19, 1895 Father Reisdorff initiated the project, a date that coincided with the feast of St. Joseph, under whose patronage the community would be founded, and who also was the patron of Father Reisdorff.
Father Reisdorff advertised in German language newspapers in the United States and in Germany. He particularly wanted to offer a new opportunity to German families who were dissatisfied with living in cities, or to small farmers who wished to have more land for their growing families, or to people with poor health who might prosper in the climate of North Texas.
Historical lore says that the first man who came to look for land arrived on a day when there was a strong sandstorm. Taken aback by the conditions, he became so angry he would not even get out of his buggy to survey the land. He is quoted as saying that, “If I owned Rhineland and Hell, I would rent out Rhineland and live in Hell”.
Fortunately for the young community, others who came did not have the same opinion. John Bruckner of Iowa came in the summer of 1895 and was among the first to settle permanently. He said to have bought a farm “Outright with very little talk or argument”
People traveled by train to Seymour, after which they traveled the last miles to Rhineland by buggy. Others came on wagons pulled ty teams of horses.
Prices of farmland varied from $3 to $8 per acre. Plots generally were sold in acres from 800 down to 160, although smaller lots were available. The favorite size sold seems to have been the 160 acre block, which suggests that most settlers had modest means.
In 1890, Knox County had a population of some 1,134 people. Ten years later, the population had risen to 2,322. By 1910, Knox County numbered 9,625, an indication of how quickly the area was being settled.
Always at the center of the community was its church. At first, the settlers gathered in “The Colony House” to attend Mass on Sundays. As the community grew, so did the need for a larger place in which to pray. A wooden structure was built next, which would accommodate the people for the next quarter century. Aside the church was the parochial school, staffed by Benedictine Sisters from Jonesboro, Arkansas.
In 1927, Father Boniface Spanke, a Benedictine from Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas, became pastor and initiated a building project that would result in the present Church structure, although the completion of the project would be interrupted by the Great Depression of the 1930’s.
The church was not completed fully until Father Fabian Diersing was assigned to Rhineland as pastor. The work was completed in November of 1951. On Thursday, November 8, 1951, St. Joseph’s Church was dedicated for a second time.
In subsequent years, other improvements have been made to the Church. Most notable among these improvements was the installation of cut-glass windows in the early 1970s during the pastorate of Father Bartholomew Landwermeyer.
The first cut-glass window was installed in May of 1972. It depicted the annunciation of the birth of the Lord by the angel Gabriel to Mary. In time, all the widows in the church would be completed.
The windows in the nave of St. Joseph's Church depict central events in the life of Christ, such as His birth, His transfiguration, and His crucifixion. The windows in the sanctuary represent bread and wine themes found both in the Old and the New Testaments. Windows in the sacristy are, in the choir loft, and in the facade of the church represent important saints in the life of the church and in the life of the Rhineland community, such as St. Isidore, Patron of farmers, and St. Benedict, founder of the Benedctines.
Notable for its special beauty is the Holy Family window that graces the center of the belfry and is visible from the interior. The windows were paid for by generous donors in the parish whose generosity continues to benefit other generations.
These may years later, the Rhineland community continues as a proof of the rightness of Father Reisdorff’s vision combined with the grace of Almighty God. With the spires of Saint Joseph’s Church standing high above the community, the residents remain under the benevolent watch of their patron, Saint Joseph, now as then.
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