Another
of those forgotten places... If you've ever driven through the little community of Hochheim, Texas, and blinked once, you might have missed seeing it. However, most folks in Gonzales County are very familiar with the spot. For those who don't know, Hochheim is located south of Gonzales at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and State Highway 111. According to The Handbook of Texas, the area was named for Valentine Hoch. He was a native of Alsace-Lorraine, France, and was of German ancestry. As was the case with most immigrants in those days, Hoch had contracted for a home site in DeWitt County before he came to Texas. His namesake, Hochheim, has been known by several names over the years, including Hoch's Home, High Home, and Dutchtown. Some say that the name "High Home" was appropriate, in that the family settled on a hill. Sadness seemed to follow Valentine Hoch on his trek to Texas. His youngest child died before the family left Europe, but the group continued on with the journey to their new home. Shortly after landing at Indianola, Texas, Mrs. Hoch died and was laid to rest in that coastal community. Apparently undaunted by the adversity he had faced in the past, Valentine Hoch was determined to start a new life in Texas. Hoch and his remaining three children arrived at their DeWitt County home site in the early 1850's. He spent several years building his new home. Constructed from Guadalupe riverbank stones, the two-story house was completed in 1856. Shortly afterwards, Hoch married a woman who had three daughters - he adopted the girls and went on to provide a good life for his family. As the years went by, Hochheim continued to prosper. Six more families followed Valentine Hoch into the area. The little town was located on the Indianola-Austin stage route and it soon became a thriving trade center. In 1870, a post office was established and the settlement had two grocery stores, a drugstore, and a blacksmith shop. By 1885, daily stagecoaches connected the community directly to the cities of Gonzales and Cuero. During this time the settlement was shipping cotton, wool, and hides, from the railhead at Cuero. The town of Hochheim had grown to a population of 200 and boasted ten businesses. A steam gristmill had also been built in the area. Over the years several churches were established in Hochheim. Some of these included the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Hochheim German Methodist Church, and a Baptist church. A Masonic lodge was also located in the area at one time. (This information is listed by The Handbook of Texas and only reflects data up to the 1980's.) Records indicate that the Hochheim community reached its peak population in 1904 when it reported 261 residents. After that, the place continued to decline and in 1990 only reported a population of 70. Valentine Hoch's home was restored in 1954 and was later recognized with a Texas historical medallion. The structure is located on the old Hochheim-Cuero road about a mile from the Guadalupe River. Above its door is inscribed, "V. Hoch-1856." The historic home is on private property and is not open to the public. I've been told that the structure was purchased recently and only time will tell what the future holds for the place. But if the old stone house has just half the strength of the man who built it, chances are it will be around for many years to come.
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