This church is a fairly accurate replica of the Vereins-Kirche of 1847, literally the “Society Church,” which stood just to the south of this building in the middle of Main Street until its demolition in 1897. The octagonal church was intended by the Adelsverein as a meeting place for all of the town's religious denominations, and was used by Lutherans, Catholics, and Methodists until they constructed their own houses of worship. The replica was constructed by the Gillespie County Historical Society as part of the celebration of the Texas Centennial, but differs from the original in one key respect; it is of stone, not fachwerk construction. The building houses the county historical museum, which is an excellent source of information on the history and architecture of the town.