Beaver Creek

Hilda was near Beaver Creek a half mile east of Ranch Road 783 in southeastern Mason County. As early as 1855 settlers began arriving in the area; they were part of the overflow from the German settlements of Fredericksburg and New Braunfels. During its early years the community suffered from Indian raids and a shortage of supplies. Settlers had to travel by wagon to Fredericksburg to grind their corn and purchase provisions. Though the first preaching in the community began as early as 1856, the first church was not erected until 1865, when the Methodists built a combination church and school from cypress logs and stones. This was one of the first school buildings in the county, and classes there were first taught by Henry Bierschwale. A new school was built for the community in 1893. In 1902 the old church was torn down and a new one built from its stones. The town was originally called the Beaver Creek Community after the nearby stream but was renamed Hilda when retired minister Gustave Schulze established the community's first post office in his store. Emma Schulze, the first postmistress, is said to have named the post office after Hilda Schulze. By 1914 the town had telephone service. Its post office was discontinued in 1919, and a community hall was built in 1920. By 1939 there were about thirty-five families living in the area, most of them engaged in stock raising. The community consisted of the school, a community hall, a church, and scattered stone buildings. Only the church and cemetery were shown on the 1985 county highway map.