This area was settled in the 1840s, back when Texas was making a real effort to build up it's population. Henri Castro from the Alsace region of France was given a land grant in exchange for taking responsibility for setting up new colony here just outside San Antonio.
If you're like us, you would have never heard of Alsace before. It seems Alsace is a region within France that sits alongside the border with Germany. Interestingly, Alsatians actually speak German and not French. The German influence here is obvious - in the architecture, in the cuisine and in the inhabitants.
Getting back to our history lesson: dozens of families from Alsace were brought by ship to populate his land grant here on the banks of the Medina River. After struggling for a short time, the population began to flourish. In fact, the community became so self contained, so isolated, that for generations the people here still spoke in the same dialect as when they first colonized the area decades before.
Sixty heritage buildings dating back to the 1800s still stand in Castroville. We spent several hours earlier today walking through the historic neighbourhood, mesmerized by these beautiful old buildings.
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