Page 27 - 2025 Comfort Chamber Membership Directory

economic growth and change, although the town never grew very large. When the Comfort News, still in operation today, was established in 1904, the publisher, Vincent McAteer, recorded the population as 500. He further described Comfort as a town situated among the beautiful West Texas hills, 1500 feet above the level of the sea. Comfort’s winter climate is as mild as that of the South of France with the advantage of being dryer and more bracing. Comfort’s summer climate is as pleasant as that of our Northern lake resorts, with the advantage of being free from malaria. (July 1, 1904)
McAteer kept the front page lled with national and international news in those early years of his paper, while the inside pages had news from neighboring towns and items of local interest. There seemed to be a ball at least once every two weeks—costume balls, masked balls, children’s Grand Balls—followed by an article the next week describing each event. The German culture which included music, singing and dancing remained dominant, and much of the entertainment was presented in the German language. Balls, shooting contests, saloons, bowling at the Comfort Turnverein, theatrical productions, and the Geburtstag (or birthday party) were a big part of the social life of the community.
Early commerce in the area depended largely on cypress shingles, and it grew to include agriculture, grains, lime burning, masonry, building rock, and lumber. Christian (Christel) Lindemann was known as one of the nest of the local craftsmen in the years from the 1880s to the 1930s, in a thriving local area handmade furniture business. When the railroad arrived, less expensive machine-made furniture gradually replaced that craft, and antique dealers are now in hot pursuit of those original pieces.
Comfort was primarily a farming community that was moving into cotton production and cattle ranching in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, only to lose the cotton crops to disease in the l920s. The ranching industry added sheep and goats to their livestock, and in the 1940s and 1950s when the Hill Country was an international wool and mohair center,
Comfort Area Chamber of Commerce
Adolf Stieler of Comfort was named Angora Goat King of the World.
In addition to German turner exercise and sports activities, modern Volksmarsch celebrations were widely observed and continued into the 20th century, as did a tradition of secular funerals. During the mid to late 20th century, agribusiness continued to substantially in uence the local economy while hunting, shing, sightseeing, youth camps and antiques drew increasing numbers of tourists. The beauty and healthy climate of the Hill Country also drew those interested in photography, biking and bird watching, while others just wanted to enjoy a short vacation at local resorts or guest houses.
The post o ce in Comfort was established in 1856 and still serves the unincorporated area today. In 1990 the post o ce served over 1400 residents and businesses, and today the number has grown to more than 2500. There are nearly one hundred pre-1910 buildings within walking distance of the town center. As a result, Comfort has been designated a National Historic District and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are also currently 26 historic medallions in town. Signi cant architectural sites include a theater, Bolshevik Halle, and numerous limestone and Victorian structures that survived a disastrous ood in 1978, and seven structures and later additions designed by noted English architect Alfred Giles.
Comfort is home to antique dealers, unique gift shops, restaurants, wineries, a distillery, B&B establishments, guest houses and event centers. Man-made and natural attractions are abundant. Pioneer German architecture in the form of original log cabins and fachwerk structures of wood frame and native limestone gives visitors a taste of Comfort’s earliest years.
We invite you to come and enjoy Comfort’s unique past and experience its most interesting present!
830-995-3131
www.ComfortChamber.com
info@comfort-texas.com www.ComfortChamber.com 25
Comfort Area Chamber of Commerce