SHARING THE PAST
Historical figures from Boerne’s past will step forward from their final resting places in Boerne Cemetery on Oct. 31 to tell the stories of their lives.
In this annual “Gone But Not Forgotten Tour” sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Kendall County, the Patrick Heath Public Library and the city of Boerne Parks and Recreation Department, actors in period dress give voice to the deceased. This is not a ghost tour. The presentations are historically accurate and respectful life tributes to those who have gone before us.
This is a walking tour which begins at the Boerne Cemetery east gate on School Street. Tour start times are 10:15, 10:45 and 11:15 a.m. The 2026 tour will feature eight former residents of Boerne: * Dr. William G. Kingsbury (1823 – 1896).
* Carolyn Kampermann Herff (1904-1922) * William George Hughes (1859-1902) * Emil Richter (1858-1920) * Edith Agnes Gray (1898-1975) * Alice Krause Gerfers (1918-2014) * Ferdinand Harz (1824-1903) * Rudolph Carstanjen (1827-1902) Kingsbury had a great impact on the history of Boerne. A former dentist, he devoted himself to attracting others, especially English immigrants, to Texas.
He induced thousands of people to come to Texas through his speeches, pamphlets, articles and books. Like George Kendall before him, he made extravagant claims of the health and wealth to be found in Texas. Many early English settlers found success but when a severe, prolonged drought ruined crops and killed livestock, many farms failed. Kingsbury was denounced as a charlatan. However, he persisted in promoting Texas.
When the railroad came to Boerne, largely through his efforts, it was Kingsbury who was there to give the welcoming speech on behalf of the Boerne Businessmen’s Association.
Kampermann Herff was doubly descended from Boerne’s most famous founder, Dr. Ferdinand Ludwig Herff. Her paternal grandfather, Augustus A. Herff, was the son of Dr. Herff. Her maternal grandfather, John Bennett Herff, was a grandson of Dr. Herff.
John had lost his father at an early age and was raised by Dr. Herff as one of his own children. Carolyn married Augustus Herff in 1921 and died in San Antonio in 1922 a month after giving birth to twin girls.
Hughes was one of the most successful English settlers attracted to Texas by Dr. Kingsbury.
He was from a well-to-do family and graduated from Marlborough College in London but, not being the youngest son, did not inherit land.
At 18 he booked passage in steerage and came to America. He prospered raising sheep, goats, cattle and horses. His brothers joined him and their partnership acquired more than 13,000 acres.
Hughes was civic-minded. He established the Hastings Post Office and donated land for school. Tragically, his life was cut short at 43. He was accompanying a load of sheep to Kentucky when the train wrecked near Bellville, Illinois, and he was killed.
Richter was a successful rancher who owned land on the Guadalupe River. He died as the result of an accident with an axe in March 1920. It is said that he once offered 50 cents for every home run hit by the Boerne White Sox baseball team as long as it did not exceed 50. Gray was born in Kendall County in 1898. She was well known for writing about Kendall County history and was the official Historian for the celebration of Boerne’s100th anniversary. Krause Gerfers was born in Comal County in 1918. In 1950 she and her husband opened BIGS grocery store in Boerne, the first of its kind. She ran the store until 1978. She died in 2014 just shy of her 96th birthday.
Harz was born in Saxony, Germany, in 1824. He came to America in 1852 and established one of Boerne’s first general stores. He died in Boerne in 1903.
Carstanjen was born in Duisenberg, Germany, in 1827. He was a member of early Texas settlements at Bettina, Tusculum and Sisterdale. He invested in many buildings in Boerne, and the Carjstanjen Building still stands. He died in Boerne in 1902.
“Sharing the Past” is a series organized by the Kendall County Historical Commis s ion; www.facebook.com/ KendallCountyHistorical-Commission.
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