Castroville is a historic little town with a rich cultural heritage nestled in the Medina River Valley just 15 miles west of San Antonio. It is known as “The Little Alsace of Texas” because of its origins. The town was founded in 1844 by Henri Castro, for whom the town is named. The first European emigrant settlers in this area were mostly Catholic farmers from Alsace, a region of France, brought over to fulfill Castro’s contract to colonize vacant Texas Land. Calling themselves Alsatians, they were mostly of German decent speaking a dialect of German and French.

The first town colonized on the Medina River and west of San Antonio, Castroville and its fertile Texas land and invigorating climate was seen as having endless possibilities to the Europeans. Land in Europe was expensive and hard to come by and usually only promised to the first born son. Henri Castro and his "Free Texas Land" were a dream to these settlers.

The first settlers set sail for the promised land on November 4, 1843. The voyage lasted 66 days and they experienced hardships such as no laundry, no bath, cramped quarters and a cold climate. They landed in the port of Galveston on January 9, 1844 only to find out that they still must travel 200 miles inland to find their resting place. They began their long trek down the Spanish trail to San Antonio. They arrived in San Antonio and waited for their leader, Henry Castro. On September 1, 1844, Castro and 27 of the 700 original colonists started their journey to the site now known as Castroville.

On September 3rd, they landed in the promised land and set up camp on the river's edge and on the 4th they started construction of a shed and store room. Their dreams were coming true. They began constructing homes and the first Catholic Church which was named after the French King, St. Louis. On September 12th, the town was named Castro-Ville in honor of its founder. From this point on, the other colonists made the voyage west of San Antonio to Castroville and began cultivating their new land.

Mostly a farming community in the early days, the city of over 2,600 people now boasts agriculture, civic, commercial and industrial advancements. Castroville still has strong cultural ties to Alsace as many of its citizens are descendents of the original settlers who journeyed here from Alsace in 1844.  It’s the home to many who can trace their ancestry back to their sister city, Eguisheim, Alsace, France.

Be sure to visit the Castroville Public Library, which houses a genealogy section with an extensive collection of information on Medina County residents.  The Oral History Collection there provides an invaluable source of unwritten history.  Select any of the options to the right for additional information about Castroville's rich heritage and history.

For an excellent and comprehensive history of Castroville, please visit the Handbook of Texas Online web site and enjoy reading Ruben E. Ochoa's article on the History of Castroville. You can also find extensive knowledge on Henri Castro and the town of Castroville in Julia Nott Waugh's book titled Castro-ville and Henry Castro Empresario, which is available for purchase from the Chamber of Commerce.