Farmer Mathias Schmidt donated the land for a Crabapple school, earning the privilege by running a footrace with neighbor Crockett Riley who had also offered to donate land. Area families built the native limestone structure with their own labor. The 1878 school had a single classroom, with an adjoining room for the teacher living quarters.[3] An outer staircase led to a second story storage space. An additional room was added later. A second limestone school was built in 1882 that also served as a Lutheran church, until the St. John's congregation erected its own building in 1887. Twenty-eight teachers taught at Crabapple School before it consolidated with Fredericksburg Independent School District.[4]
The original schoolhouse also served as a post office from 1887–1910. The first postmaster was John J. Stein. There were a total of nine postmasters before the mail was routed to Willow City in 1910.[5]
^"THC narrative". Texas Historical Commission. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
^"Crabapple School and Community Center". The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools. Archived from the original on November 27, 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2012. The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools
