New Baden

New Baden is on U.S. Highway 79 four miles east of Franklin in central Robertson County. It was founded in 1881 by German immigrants under the auspices of the Texas Land and Immigration Company and was directed by trustees Matern Leber, J. G. Meyer, and A. B. Langerman. The colonizers first built a two-story structure known as the Immigrant House and later renamed the Colony House. The second floor housed immigrants until they could build their own residences, and the first floor was used for religious services and for school. New Baden opened a post office in 1882 and soon added a drugstore, a hotel, a church, and a railway station. The Meyer home, the first residence, housed that family, the post office, and a railway ticket office; it also served as a freight depot. In 1885 the New Baden population was forty; it increased to 175 by 1915. New Baden reported six businesses and a population of 150 in 1936. In 1947 the number of businesses dropped to five, in the 1950s to four, and in the 1960s to three; the population was still reported as 150 during this period. In 1970 the town had a store and a population of 105; it still reported 105 residents in 1990. By 2000 the population was 150.