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Castroville was founded as the first settlement of the Castro Colonies on Sept. 3, 1844. Located between San Antonio and the western border of the Republic of Texas, Castroville is situated on the banks of the Medina River 25 miles west of San Antonio.
In the summer of 1844, seven ships – the Ebro, Lyons, Louis Phillippe, Jean Key, Heinrich, Ocean and the Jeannette Marie – were commissioned to carry over 700 people from Europe to Texas for Henri Castro’s colonization project. At least 20 more ships eventually delivered a total to about 2,500 people.
On Sept. 12, 1844, the men who first arrived at the site unanimously agreed to name the new town Castroville, after Henri Castro. The original colonists were recorded as Jean Batiste Lecomte, Theodore Gentilz, Aug. Fretelliere, J.S. Bourgeois, Louis Huth, Geo. Cupples, Chas. Goubard, Jean Faivre, Jean Marie Resec, Jean Nic. Fourgeaux, Denis Boileau, Anton Erath, Jos. Baby, Jos. Bader, Geo. Oertel, Leonhard Hans, Xr. Clovis Chapoy, C.F. Macles, Leopold Menetrier, Theophile Mercier, Antoine Gully, Philip Schneider, Louis Graf, Johannes Haller, G.L. Haass, Chas. de Montel, Sax Gaspard, Aug. Weber, Aug. Bartz, Berthold Barth, Lorenz Rihn, Jos. Marc, Durs Spani, Ovide Reseq, Jos. Haegelin, Jos. Discher, Xavier Jung, Jacob Zinsmeyer, Jean Stefan, Jos. Burell, Jacob Haby, Anton Gsell, Jos. Weber, Nicolas Haby, Michel Simon, Jean Ulrich Zuercher, Zacharie Ludwig and Mathieu Weber.
– Rihn, Connie. “Communities: Castroville.” The History of Medina County, Texas, Rev. ed., vol. 1, Castro Colonies Heritage Association, Castroville, TX, 1994, pp. 62-67.
