Fischer is an unincorporated community in Comal County, Texas, United States.[1] According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 20 in 2000. It is included in the Greater San Antonio area.
Fischer, Texas | |
|---|---|
 Fischer Hall | |
  Fischer  Fischer | |
| Coordinates: 29°58′37″N 98°15′57″W / 29.97694°N 98.26583°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Comal |
| Elevation | 1,148 ft (350 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 830 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1373720[1] |
History
editDuring the 1850s, Fischer grew as a supply town along the Devil's Backbone stretch of the San Marcos to Blanco road. Hermann Fischer settled the area in 1853, and after he constructed a wood trading post to service the nearby frontier population, the location became known as Fischer's Store. The post office at Fischer's Store was founded in 1876. The community's name was altered twice at the behest of postal officials: first, in 1894, it was called Fischer's Store, which was then abbreviated to Fischer in 1950. The Fischer family has held the local postmastership continuously since 1876, according to sources from the 1960s. For the majority of the 20th century, Fischer recorded a population of 40 or 50, but as Canyon Lake started to grow in population, that number dropped to 20 in the mid-1960s. Fischer was described as a country store and post office at a rural crossroads in 1967, exactly as it might have been a century before. 20 people were recorded as living there between 1967 and 2000.[2] The population jumped to 688 in 2010.[3]
Otto Fischer, Hermann's brother, also settled here after the two of them immigrated to the area from Germany. They established a self-sufficient rural community based on agriculture and ranching, economic activities that continue in the area. One of the surviving early 20th-century buildings in town includes an old nine-pin bowling alley whose pins are still set by hand. The town also includes a dance hall. The core of the village, as well as its surrounding landscape and transportation patterns, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 as the Fischer Historic District.[4]
Although it is unincorporated, Fischer has a post office, with the ZIP code 78623.[5]
In 2016, a species of fossil sea urchins called Tetragramma donaldtrumpi was discovered by William R. Thompson, Jr. in the community.[6][7]
The cover art for the Owen Temple album General Store was taken in front of the Fischer Store.[8]
Geography
editFischer is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 484 and 32, 20 mi (32 km) northwest of New Braunfels, 8 mi (13 km) southeast of Blanco, and 4 mi (6.4 km) north of Canyon Lake in the Texas Hill Country of northern Comal County.[3]
Climate
editThe climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fischer has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[9]
During the 2022–23 North American winter, a total of 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) of ice built up in the community.[10]
Education
editIn 1875, Potters Creek School started for neighborhood kids. In 1888, Fischer Store School replaced Potters Creek, and following World War II, Fischer became the hub of a northern Comal County educational system.[2] Today, residents are zoned to the Comal Independent School District.
Zoned schools:
- Mountain Valley and Rebecca Creek elementaries[11]
- Mountain Valley Middle School[12]
- Canyon Lake High School[13]
Media
editThe movie Harbinger was filmed in Fischer in 2016. Rancho Mirando, a wedding venue in the community, was the prime shooting location for the movie.[14]
Notable people
edit- Hal Ketchum, country music singer and songwriter.[15][16]
- Joe King, football player turned country music singer, recorded his EP entitled, "Starting Over Again" at the Studios At Fischer in the community.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fischer, Texas
- ^ a b Fischer, TX from the Handbook of Texas Online
- ^ a b "Fischer, Texas". Texas Escapes Online Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-28.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Fischer Historic District" (PDF). State of Texas. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-10-30.
- ^ USPS – Cities by ZIP Code
- ^ Thompson Jr., William R. (November 2016). Fossil Echinoids of Texas: A Monograph of Fossil Sea Urchins. River Stix. ISBN 978-1617042782.
- ^ "Tetragramma donaldtrumpi Thompson, 2016". ZooBank. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Fischer, Texas, The Wimberley Area - Fischer Store and the Bowling Alley". Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ Climate Summary for Fischer, Texas
- ^ "Ice storm crippling Texas, Mid-South as death toll, power outages climb". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- ^ "Elementary School Attendance Zones" (Archive). Comal Independent School District. Retrieved on August 28, 2016. Zones: Mountain Valley (Archive) - Rebecca Creek (Archive)
- ^ "Middle School Attendance Zones" (Archive). Comal Independent School District. Retrieved on August 28, 2016. Mountain Valley Middle zone (Archive)
- ^ "High School Attendance Zones" (Archive). Comal Independent School District. Retrieved on August 28, 2016.Canyon Lake High HS zone (Archive)
- ^ "Harbinger Brings Evil to Cannes with TomCat!". goldenstatehaunts.org. 2016-05-09. Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
- ^ Farrell, Paul (November 24, 2020). "Hal Ketchum Dead: Country Singing Icon Dies at 67 After Battle With Dementia". Heavy.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- ^ Blackstock, Peter (November 24, 2020). "Hal Ketchum, renowned Texas singer-songwriter, dies at 67". austin360.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
