Curtains, for guinea fowl

 “In April 1906, the Kurten (Texas) City Council passed a law that prohibited the sale and distribution of guinea fowl. Originally from Africa, these imported birds became very popular in the Central Texas region. However, their popularity declined as the guinea population faced a rapid increase in number. Consequently, the birds quickly became a problem for the local townspeople. They crowded the streets and became aggressive when confronted. In early April 1906, 11 different guinea fowl attacks had been reported, and the Kurten City Council passed the Fowl Redistribution Act.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurten,_Texas

Kurten is in Brazos County. The 2010 population was 398. Estimated population in 2019 was 409. Kurten is eight miles east/northeast of Bryan.

The Texas State Historical Association has this on Kurten:

 

“Kurten is at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 190, State Highway 21, and Farm Road 2038, ten miles east of Bryan in Brazos County.

“The town was founded by Henry Kurten, a German soldier who decided not to return to army life after his furlough in America ended. Beginning in the early 1850s Kurten carried freight between Mexico and Brazos County. In 1864 he bought half of Isaiah Curd's Mexican land grant and brought settlers over from Germany.

“Kurten let many of the newcomers pay for their passage from Germany by working on his farm. Many of the immigrants stayed in the area, purchasing tracts from Kurten. Kurten donated land for two German churches-the Lutheran church and the Evangelical Lutheran church-a black church, two cemeteries, and the Masonic hall.

“A post office was established at the community in 1890. In 1896 Kurten had a population estimated at 300, twelve businesses, and Baptist and Methodist churches.

“The town had four businesses, two churches, one school, and a number of scattered dwellings by 1941. Its population was listed as 100 from the 1920s to the 1960s. That figure grew to 150 during the 1970s and 1980s.

“In 1981 Kurten had two businesses, two community halls, a church, and a cemetery. The community reported 150 residents and seven businesses in 1989. The population remained the same in 2000 with eleven businesses.

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/kurten-tx

In the early 1830s and following the Texas Revolution, Central Texas saw hundreds of immigrants from Germany. Texas land was cheap, and German farmers wanted land. Immigration picked up again following the revolutions that swept Europe in 1848.