All Souls' Day - Time to Remember the Ancestors

Historic grave sites in Eldridge / Addicks / Bear Creek Area 

Graves of German settler families in Cullen Park

Beeler Family graves on Enclave Pkwy
in what is now a Harris County pocket park

Beeler Pocket Park with historic grave sites 

Koch-Schmidt Cemetery in Addicks Reservoir
near Groeschke Road

Grave markers at Koch-Schmidt Cemetery
alongside hike-bike trial in Cullen Park 

Addicks Methodist Church cemetery on Highway 6 at
Patterson Road / Bear Creek Pioneers Park 

Old Oaks towering over German grave sites of German settlers
 in Bear Creek Area  

The LH7 Brand - Texas Longhorn Cattle Ranch once operated in Barker, Texas

George Bush Park was once part of a large cattle ranch. 

Much of the ranch land later became Barker Reservoir, built to hold back water from heavy rains upstream to prevent flooding downstream in the City of Houston. 

The site of the Marks LH7 Ranch buildings today has a historical marker to commemorate its glorious past. Even the Houston Rodeo has its roots here. 

LH7 Ranch Texas Historical Commission Marker

These structures - a church, a general store and post office, and other farm buildings stand on the property today. They may not be original buildings that were part of the Ranch when it was operating, or were moved.
(I converted the digital photo taken 1/3/2013 to black & white to give an historic postcard-like look.) 

Satellite view of LH7 ranch site at Kingsland Blvd. / Barker-Clodine Rd. with small photo of ranch gate
and church building

Koch-Schmidt Cemetery (Friedhof in German) - Graves of German settlers in Addicks Reservoir - Graeber deutscher Einwanderer

Historical marker at Koch-Schmidt Cemetery in Addicks Reservoir / Cullen Park. Gedenktafel mit den Namen der hier bestatteten Mitgliedern der Gruenderfamien deutscher Herkunft.

This historical grave site contains the earthly remains of early German immigrants who settled in the Addicks-Bear Creek Area in the 1800's and also founded the Bear Creek German Methodist Church. Names of immigrant families include Adicks, Ankele, Gastmann, Groeschke, Hoffman, Leier, Matzke, Mueller, and Schmidt.  

Pastor's gravestone towering over those of the flock

View of German settler graves through the chain-link fence

Fallen tree with Spanish moss between cemetery and one of the Cullen Park picnic and playground areas (Phase 4)
West Harris County near Groeschke Road / West Houston Airport

The German immigrant families that settled on Bear Creek also founded a German Methodist Church. Its current incarnation has its church building South of the Addicks Reservoir on Highway 6 at Park Row, with spire and weather vane. 

Die deutschen Einwandererfamilien gruendeten auch eine protestantische Gemeinde und errichteten ein Kirchengebaeude. Die heutige Version der Methodistenkirche befindet sich suedlich vom Reservoir einen Block von der heutigen I-10 Autobahn entfernt. Das urspruengliche Gebaeude fiel einer Ueberschwemmung zum Opfer. Um eine Wiederholung zu verhindern, wurde die Kirche ausserhalb des Ueberschwemmungsgebietes wieder-aufgebaut. 

Addicks Texas: Old German Church (United Methodist) Kirche deutscher Einwanderer in West Houston

German Church at Night - Addicks West Houston TX

Steeple of modern version of Addicks-Bear Creek area church founded by German Pioneers in the 1800s

Historical background for church founded by German Immigrants on plaque in front of the Church Building
Historischer Hintergrund zur von deutschen Immigranten gegruendeten Kirche

Addicks United Methodist Church in the shadow of the Highway 6 Overpass
1212 Texas 6 Houston, TX 77084 U.S.A.

Addicks United Methodist Church on SH-6 at Park Row - Sign with worship schedule and motto:
"The Little Church With A Big Heart"
(Kleine Kirche mit grossem Herz)

Addicks United  Methodist - Church founded by German Settlers - on the Google Map
(Satellite view with thumbnail photo)

The church was originally located farther to the North inside what is today Addicks Reservoir, but was destroyed in a flooding. Three cemeteries with the remains of German settlers or their descendants are on reservoir grounds, one at the corner of Highway 6 and Patterson Road, which is still being used and therefore has recent graves, another one off an abandoned road running parallel to North Eldridge (at lower elevation) and the third one -- known as the Koch-Schmidt Cemetery -- is located close to the West Houston Airport South of Groeschke Road in Cullen Park Phase 4 South of the picnic and playground areas.

Addicks Bear Creek Cemetery of German immigrants and their descendants

One of three cemeteries inside what is now Addicks Reservoir. This one, located on the corner of Highway 6 and Patterson Road (near the Houston Farm and Ranch Club facilities), is still in use. The original Methodist Church was located here, but moved South because of the periodic flooding.