Making an Alsatian Texas: World-Building, Materiality, and Storytelling in the Castro Colonies of Medina County

Summary

In many ways, Castroville, Texas is a world unto itself. As the "Little Alsace" of Texas, it has been built for over a century through work, struggle, and cooperation – with words and materials, memories and relationships. This world is continuously crafted today, through the restoration of historic Alsatian-style houses and the stories that are told about the town and its history. Though Castroville has been a nexus of Alsatian identity in Texas, other Alsatian colonies spread further into hill country, having set their roots in lesser-known places. These places similarly construct themselves through stories and things, though often in markedly different ways. This paper explores themes of storytelling and materiality in the project of world-building in the Castro Colonies of Texas.  It considers the act of storytelling as one of place-making, and examines how the stories that people tell intertwine with their material lives as they build their world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Memory, Materiality, and Alsatian Identity in Castroville, Texas   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 703