When the town’s planners picked names for the streets on the main thoroughfare, they encoded into the names of consecutive streets a ‘welcome’ and a ‘goodbye’.
Most of the city byways have large signs showing the name of the street and an illustration of the Vereins Kirche, a symbol of Fredericksburg that stands in the center of the city on Marktplatz.
The Vereins Kirche, through the years has become a commonly-recognized landmark of Fredericksburg and placing a sketch of the venerable structure on the street signs was a part of the city’s “dressing up” for the 125th anniversary of the founding of Fredericksburg in 1971.
Among the more German names of streets is Ufer, which runs parallel to Main Street and three blocks south. Ufer, in English, means stream bank, and undoubtedly was so named because it runs along the southern bank of Barons Creek, the main stream that flows through the city.
Originally, the street that runs along the north side of the creek was probably called Bach Strasse, but was translated to Creek Street when all of the city’s streets were first officially named and marked after the city was incorporated in 1933. It was several years later that the Fredericksburg Lions Club took on the project of giving all the streets names and purchased and installed street signs.
It was then that it was decided to name the streets running north and south across Main to spell out words. Starting at Courthouse Square, all of the streets crossing Main to the east were named so that their first letters would spell out “All Welcome”. These streets are Adams, Llano, Lincoln, Washington, Elk, Lee, Columbus, Olive, Mesquite and Eagle.
Traveling west from the Courthouse Square, the streets spell out “Come Back”. These street names are Crockett, Orange, Milam, Edison, Bowie, Acorn, Cherry and Kay.
Many of the streets found throughout the city are named in honor of trees — Mesquite, Cherry, Cottonwood, Hackberry, Liveoak, Mulberry, Apple, Orange, Plum, Pear, Pecan, Poplar, Spruce, Sycamore and Walnut.
Naturally, there is a street named Peach, in honor of the county’s most popular and prolific fruit.
There is an Elk Street and a Deerwood Street, but no deer street.
There are several named for famous native son Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, including Nimitz Street, Nimitz Drive, Nimitz Circle and Nimitz Parkway.
But, there are no Johnson streets or Meusebach streets. There is a Bunny Drive, in the shadow of Cross Mountain, which is undoubtedly named for the city’s famed Easter Fires characters.
There are some unusual street names, such as Kraupahen, a contraction of the names of Mayor Edward Krauskopf and Commissioners Willie Pape and Max T. Henke, who were in office when the streets were named.
And when the new Fredericksburg Post Office was built, the city named a street there “Theodore Specht Drive” in honor of the city’s first postmaster.
Actually, there were some streets named before the project began in the early-1930’s, among them San Antonio, Travis and Austin Streets, which retained their old names. However, what is today known as Main Street was originally San Saba Street.
Despite the fact that all of the streets in the city are now named, chances are that if one meets a native of long standing in the community and asks directions, he’ll give directions using landmarks in the city, by prominent businesses or houses, or by sketching out a route on a slip of paper.
For those who are new to the community and want to find their way around town, a map is included toward the back of this Visitors Guide.
Fredericksburg maps are available at the Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce office at 306 East Austin Street.
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