Pfluger Park

Pfluger Park

By Pam Stephenson Friday, 01 May 2009

Families in the Pflugerville community have gathered along Gilleland Creek for decades. Sunday picnics and family reunions were regularly held there with families enjoying any opportunity for wading, swimming and keeping cool in the creek.

The creek was described by early residents as a beautiful place to gather. The clear spring water ran over a solid rock bottom. It was 15- to 20-feet wide at points, and the water was cold. In the early years, families could be seen washing their cars by driving up and down the creek. At a location on the creek known as the “swimming hole,” children would gather to swim in water that was well over an adult’s head.

On Dec. 3, 1974, Leon and Gladys Pfluger gifted 9.24 acres of land near the creek to the City of Pflugerville. The land was to be used for a municipal park.

“Not only Pflugers, but other families came down there for reunions, so we decided that it should be a park and we should just go on and give it to the city as parkland,” Gladys Pfluger said during an interview for the Pflugerville Oral History Project.

The Pflugerville City Council secured a grant from the Economic Development Administration for $30,000 to fund park development and improvement projects, according to the “History of Pflugerville,” published in 1976.

U.S. Congressman J. J. “Jake” Pickle, along with Travis County Commissioners, other county officials and Pflugerville city staff members gathered in the park, June 21, 1975 to dedicate the park. A barbecue and dance were held in celebration of the event.

An area near the playscape has been designated as Pfluger Grove. It has a covered gazebo, concrete tables and benches as well as barbecue pits and grills. During the summer months, the city hosts Music in the Park every other Friday. This summer the concerts begin June 12 with local bands and performers offering entertainment for local families.

“The wonderful thing about that park is that no matter how hot it is, with all those big trees, ‘cause we’d be over there where they called the Grove part, it would still be so cool,” said Sheila Carr, granddaughter of long-time resident Fannie Mae Caldwell. Carr’s family held reunions in the park. “But we would be playing kickball out there, softball out there in the park and just enjoying it.”

Deutschen Pfest

In 1976, a celebration for the Bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of the United States, was held at Pfluger Park. This celebration led to the annual Deutschen Pfest event, which celebrates the community’s German heritage and is held in the park each May. The 34th annual Deutschen Pfest is May 15-17. Live music, dancing, food, arts and crafts, parades and a Pfun Run/Walk are included in the festivities.

To honor those from Pflugerville who made the ultimate sacrifice, The Fallen Warrior Memorial is prominently located in Pfluger Park. The dedication of the life-sized bronze sculpture of three generations of servicemen was held in 2005.

The park is also part of an extensive hike-and-bike trail that winds through Pflugerville and joins numerous parks, such as Gilleland Creek Park, Bohls Park and Heritage Park.