Comfort History

Comfort, Texas, was established in 1854 by predominantly "Freethinker" German immigrants. Today, Comfort is an unincorporated community in Kendall County.

Downtown Comfort's Historical District

The downtown area is possibly one of the most well-preserved business districts in Texas. There are well over 100 structures in the area dating back to the 1800s, and seven of them were designed by the noted architect, Alfred Giles.

Giles lived in San Antonio and was Comfort's first commuter. He would ride horses, the stagecoach, and later the train to check his local building sites.

Comfort Water District

A water district, established in the 1950s, covers the town area of approximately one square mile. The current population in the water district is 1,350. Some 2,500-3,000 people live within a three to five-mile surrounding area.

The Families of Comfort

Most of the population today is composed of the descendants of those original pioneer families of the 1850s and the 1860s. Ernst Altgelt, at the young age of 22, is credited with surveying and measuring the lots that would later be sold to the incoming German immigrants. He stayed and married Emma (Murck) Altgelt and they raised their nine children in the township of Comfort.

Treue Der Union Monument

Comfort is also known for a not-so-pleasant event that took place during the Civil War. Many tourists view the Treue Der Union Monument that was dedicated in honor of 35 men who died at the Battle of the Nueces because they opposed the state's secession from the Union.

Famous Bat Roost from 1918

In 1918, Albert Steves erected a bat roost on his family farm and summer home in Comfort. This roost was built to attract bats in an effort to control the mosquito population by natural means. It was originally researched and developed by Dr. Charles Agustus Rosenheimer Campbell of San Antonio. At the time, this was the latest in medical technology in the campaign against malaria. At one time, there were 16 bat roosts built in the United States and Europe, of which only two sites now remain—one in Comfort and one in the Florida Keys.

Comfort Today

Comfort has an incredible beauty, with lush green hills and mild climates, discreetly tucked in the middle of the Hill Country. In fact, it has become known as the "Star of the Texas Hill Country." There is a feeling of peace and contentment in this small community, which has been here from the very beginning.

(Source: Comfort Chamber of Commerce, http://www.comfort-texas.com/HistoryCC.htm)