Comfort

History

Comfort was established in 1854 by German immigrants, who were Freethinkers and abolitionists. Ernst Hermann Altgelt, at the age of 22, is credited with surveying and measuring the lots that were later sold to the incoming Germans. He stayed and married Emma (Murck) Altgelt, and they raised their nine children in the township of Comfort. Fritz and Betty Holekamp built the first house in Comfort, having started construction before Comfort's official founding on September 3, 1854. The first churches were not established in Comfort until 1892. After some controversy, a cenotaph honoring "the Founding Freethinkers" was dedicated on November 2, 2002. The downtown area is possibly one of the most well-preserved historic business districts in Texas. The well over 100 structures in the area date back to the 19th century, and seven of them were designed by noted architect Alfred Giles. Mr. Giles lived in San Antonio and would ride horses, the stagecoach, and later the train to check his building sites in Comfort. Most of the population today is composed of descendants of those original pioneer families of the 1850s and the 1860s. Comfort is also known for a tragic event that took place during the American Civil War. The Treue der Union Monument ("Loyalty to the Union") was dedicated in honor of 35 men who died at the Battle of the Nueces, which took place because they opposed the state's secession from the Union. The German settlers were killed on their way to Mexico during the Civil War. They were attacked by Confederate forces near Brackettville on August 10, 1862. The bodies were not buried, and the bones were retrieved and placed here in 1865. The monument was erected in 1866. In 1918, Albert Steves erected a hygieostatic bat roost on his family farm in Comfort. This…

Geography

Comfort is bordered to the west by Kerr County. It is southeast of Kerrville, northwest of Boerne, and northwest of San Antonio. The town is at the interchange of I-10 and US 87. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Comfort CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.27%, is covered by water. The community sits on the north side of Cypress Creek where it joins the Guadalupe River. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Comfort has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,396
• Black-crested Titmouse

  Baeolophus atricristatus (Cassin, 1850) · Aves
  6,461
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  5,755
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  5,508
• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,477
• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,857
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  4,603
• Black Vulture

  Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793) · Aves
  4,283