STIEREN, TEXAS. Stieren, sometimes called Stieren Ranch, was just east of State Highway 304 seven miles northeast of Gonzales in northern Gonzales County. In 1896 Adolph Stieren, owner of the 3,400-acre Stieren Ranch, broke his property up into farm-sized lots and established the community of Stieren on the country road between Gonzales and Thompsonville. Stieren School was organized in 1897, and the community was granted a post office for a few months in 1903. Many of the early settlers were German immigrants, including the Ott family, who ran a gin and mercantile business. There were also several blacksmith shops in the community. Lutheran services were held in the school during the early years of the settlement, and from 1908 to 1925 a German Methodist minister conducted services in German. In 1940 Stieren had a school and scattered dwellings. The school was consolidated with the Gonzales schools in 1947, and by the 1960s Stieren was no longer listed on state highway maps.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Gonzales County Historical Commission, History of Gonzales County (Dallas: Curtis, 1986).

Mark Odintz