Doss is an unincorporated farming and ranching community at the crossroads juncture of FM 783 and FM 648 in northwestern Gillespie County, Texas, United States. It is 19 miles NW of Fredericksburg and 14 miles NW of Harper. Postal zip code is 78618. Elevation is 1729 feet.

• The U.S. Census for year 2000 shows a total population of 225

• 1914 Lange's Mill community population was 150

Doss enjoys the same full 4 weather seasons as the rest of the Hill Country. Spring and Fall tend to be moderate, with some extremes in Summer and Winter. Click here for Doss Weather

History

Ground Zero

The Handbook of Texas provides the area's basic history:

Doss, Tx was founded in 1849 by brothers John E. and Thomas C. Doss, who built a gristmill and distillery on Threadgill Creek in 1856 and later added a dam and sawmill. They sold the dam in 1864 to August Steiness, who tore down the distillery and expanded the gristmill's capabilities. A room he added onto the house served for many years as a mail delivery station for the community. After Steinesz's death in 1866, his widow sold the mill to William F. Lange, a German immigrant, who built a larger dam. This dam, which was destroyed by a flood, was rebuilt between 1872 and 1875 by stonemason Philip Buchmeyer , and the mill came to be known as Lange's Mill. The Doss school was founded in 1884. A post office called Lange was opened in F. W. Lange's store in 1898, but in 1907 the name was changed to Doss, and the office was moved to what is now the Doss townsite, two miles south of the mill.