A rich history. A bright future.

Hill Country roots grow deep.

Juan Martín de Veramendi, a prominent early Texas political figure, secured a vast Spanish land grant that would become the foundation of the Veramendi community. After his death, the land passed to his heirs and eventually to the Landa family, who used it for ranching and helped shape its early development. In 1941, the Word family purchased the Landa Ranch and, together with the Borchers in later years, carried forward its legacy—ultimately transforming it into today’s Veramendi master-planned community, built on deep roots of family, heritage, and vision for the future.

Veramendi sits on over 2,400-acres of land with deep roots dating back to 1827 and eventually finding its way to Joseph Landa. The Landa family, the namesake of New Braunfels’ Landa Park, used the property to ranch cattle. The location of the ranch was ideal. It allowed the cattle to graze freely just outside of the young town of New Braunfels, and once the cattle were ready for market they could be herded down the hill to the railroad for shipment. Known as Landa’s pasture, the holding pen for the cattle was located on the corner of present-day Landa Street and Fredericksburg Road.

In 1896 Joseph Landa’s son, Harry, took over the family business. He operated the ranch and mills for 30 years before his mother’s passing, after which her will stipulated that the Landa estate be liquidated ten years after her death. This stipulation led to the meeting of Dean Word and William Hovestadt. William Hovestadt was involved with the real estate dealings of the Landa Estate and Dean Word ran a construction company that used mules to build roads. Dean Word would purchase the Landa Ranch on December 5, 1941, and just over 24 hours later the United States would enter World War II after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

The Word Family would remain steadfast through the war, and in 1956 extended their family to include the Borchers. The ranch would remain under the Word-Borchers’ ownership for the next 50 years when they would eventually partner with ASA Properties to envision a new standard of living in New Braunfels. Through their combined efforts, the vision for Veramendi grew into the master planned concept seen today.

We are honored to carry the story of the land forward in partnership with the Word-Borchers family and are committed to creating a lasting legacy of quality, sustainability, and community.