ORIGINALLY part of the John D. Taylor and Isaac Bunker leagues on land granted to Stephen F. Austin by Mexico in 1824, and rumored to be a favored camping ground for Sam Houston’s forces in Texas’ early history; Hedwig Village was eventually settled many decades later mostly
by German farmers. One of them was Hedwig Jankowski Schroeder, only 19 years old when she emigrated from Germany to Texas with her husband in 1906 and purchased a large tract of land for 25 cents an acre. But it was she who, many years later, generously donated seven acres to the county as a right-of-way for what today is Hedwig Road, and thus guaranteed her place in area history.
The village that would become her namesake incorporated on December 23, 1954, and residents followed up by adopting zoning ordinances in 1955 to ensure orderly land use. While Hedwig Village only encompasses about one square mile, thereby making it one of the smallest self-ruled municipalities in metropolitan Harris County, it offers it citizens plenty of amenities, including award-winning schools, a serene and natural setting populated by a healthy canopy of stately trees, and large-lot properties.
Hedwig Village is dedicated to single-family homes with a minimum lot size of 15,000 square feet in one area and 21,000 square feet in another. It also has a self-contained commercial zone featuring the services of banks, grocers, retail establishments and restaurants. There is also easy access to the Katy Freeway (I-10).
As with many of Houston’s most desirable and close-in communities with proximity to the city’s major business centers, Hedwig Village enjoys a healthy mix of new and old. Many of its earliest homes have been torn down and, thanks to its generous lot sizes, replaced by newer and much larger construction.
The municipality is governed by a mayor and five councilmen and offers its own city services including the Hedwig Village Police Department, Village Fire Department, and its own water authority and tax rate. Hedwig Village children attend Spring Branch Independent School District schools as well as a number of well-regarded private schools in the area.
