Historic Buildings in the Texas Hill Country

The Texas Hill Country is a treasure trove of historic buildings. You will find them in every town and sometimes out in the pastures or sitting quietly along country roads.

County	Town	Location	Name	Description
			Index of Historic Buildings	The Texas Hill Country is a treasure trove of historic buildings. You will find them in every town and sometimes out in the pastures or sitting quietly along country roads.
Gillespie	Cherry Spring	Drive on US 87 approximately 17 miles north of Fredericksburg, then east on Cherry Spring Road approximately 1.2 miles.	Diedrich Rode Complex	The Diedrich Rode Complex is group of buildings in Cherry Spring that was constructed by German native Diedrich Rode (1828-1905). Cherry Spring flourished as a German immigrant community during the last half of the nineteenth century, but it is now a ghost town.
Gillespie	Grapetown	Old San Antonio Road near the ghost town of Grapetown.	Ferdinand Hohenberger Farmstead	The Ferdinand Hohenberger Farmstead is located on the old Fredericksburg-San Antonio Road near the ghost towns of Bankersmith and Grapetown. It is an excellent example of the early German farm settlements in the area.
Gillespie	Fredericksburg	120 East Main Street	Bank of Fredericksburg Building	Temple D. Smith, born in Virginia, commissioned Alfred Giles in 1898 to build the Bank of Fredericksburg building, which reflects the Richardsonian Romanesque design. The first floor served as the bank, with the second floor devoted to Mr. Smith's residence. The building served as a bank until 1936.
Kendall	Boerne	518 N Main	Beseler House	The Beseler-Harz House in Boerne was built in 1903 by Ed Clemens for Minna and Charles Beseler, as a gift from their son, Max. They were a German pioneer family who contributed greatly to early Boerne and Kendall County.
Kendall	Boerne	201 N Main	Dienger Building	The Dienger Building was built in 1884 as a general store. The Dienger family owned it and operated the store while living upstairs.
Kendall	Boerne	194 Main Street	Fabra Smokehouse	Julius Fabra, a native of Germany, migrated to Boerne in 1854. After working as a freight hauler, he opened a meat market to serve the local farm, and constructed this smokehouse and opened a store in 1887. The smokehouse is all that remains of the Fabra family business which spanned three generations.
Kendall	Boerne	Main Plaza	Gazebo	The Boerne Gazebo has been located on the Main Plaza for many years, although its design and location have changed several times. It is currently used for weddings, holiday functions, social events, and concerts, including the summer evening concerts by the Boerne Village Band.
Kendall	Boerne	705 S. Main Street	Hall Mansion	The Hall Mansion was bought in 1872 as a home for Rudolph Carstenjen, who was one of the nine men that camped on the site of Boerne in 1849. The Carstanjen's lived in this house for several years. Wilhelmina Phillip, owner of the Phillip House across the street, bought the home in 1914, and her daughter, Augusta, inherited it and lived it until her death in 1950. The house was sold to Mr. and Mrs. Gilman Hall, and has housed restaurants since 1978.
Kendall	Boerne	402 E Blanco-Behind City Hall	Henry J. Graham Building	The Henry J. Graham Building is two-room structure that served as the first bank building in Boerne, a beauty shop, a store where peanuts and popcorn were sold, a barber shop, storage for an automobile company, and an antique shop. The building was moved several times before being donated to the Boerne Area Historical Preservation Society in 1984.
Kendall	Boerne	204 E San Antonio Street	Historic Kendall County Courthouse	The Historic Kendall County Courthouse was built in 1870, seven years after Kendall County was formed. The front portion of the courthouse was added in 1909 under the direction of architect Alfred Giles. Along with the adjacent jail building, the Historic Kendall County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and it is a Texas Historical Landmark.
Kendall	Boerne	104 W Newton St.-Behind Bergmann Lumber	Jacob Theis House	The Theis House is one of the oldest homes in Boerne. The house, which has a Texas Historical Marker, was built by Phillip Jacob Theis in 1858. Mr. Theis was a blacksmith and wheelwright, who had his blacksmith shop in front of the house.
Kendall	Boerne	114 Oak Park	James House	The James House is majestic old two-story limestone block house that is believed to have been built about 1880 by Ives Brown for Ichabod and Alice Kingsbury. In 1925 it was purchased by Maria (Williams) James (1859-1940), the pioneer surveyor and early community leader who platted the town of Boerne in 1852. John James was the great frontier surveyor and businessman who contributed so much to the early development of Boerne. Maria named the house "Puccoon" for her ancestral home in Hanover County, Virginia. The James House remained in her family following her death, and received a Texas Historic Landmark in 1982.
Kendall	Boerne	904 S. Main Street	Kaiser-Oxley House	The Kaiser House at 902 South Main was built by stonemason Alexander J. Kaiser in 1879. Originally it was a one room house that was built as a place for the Village Band to practice.Later the house was expanded when it became the Kaiser home.
Kendall	Boerne	128 W Blanco	Kendall Inn	The Kendall Inn is a historic hotel located in Boerne, Texas that originally opened in 1859 as the "Reed House." It offered 4 rooms for travelers, and was an important stagecoach stop and hotel in the late 1880's. This two-story vernacular Greek Revival structure is one of the few remaining 19th century resort hotels in Texas.
Kendall	Boerne	402 E. Blanco St.	Kuhlmann-King House	The Kuhlmann House - circa, 1886 - was built in the late 1800’s for William Kuhlmann, a local druggist. At One time the Kuhlmann house served as a lunch room for the adjacent school. It is now preserved as the Historical House and Museum for the Boerne Area Historical Society.
Kendall	Boerne	118 E James St.	Luckenbach-Asher House	The Luckenbach-Asher House was built in 1849 by Jacob Luckenbach for Clara and Henry Clemens. This limestone structure is one of the oldest and best preserved in Boerne. Jacob Luckenbach also built the Luckenbach-Mitchell House next door.
Kendall	Boerne	402 E Blanco	Old Boerne Public School	The Boerne Public School has a long history dating from the earliest days of the settlement. In 1873 the Boerne Gesangenverein (Choral Society) purchased land which was given to Boerne for the erection of a school house. A subsequent and much larger school was built near the original building in 1910.
Kendall	Boerne	San Antonio and Watts Streets	Old Kendall County Jail	This building is known to have been used as a jail facility as early as 1870. John F. Stendebach became sheriff in 1869. Sheriff Stendebach was in charge of the jail until 1878.
Kendall	Boerne	402 E Blanco-Behind City Hall	Original Boerne Public Schoolhouse	The Original Boerne Public School House has a long history dating from 1873 when the Boerne Gesangenverein (Choral Society) purchased land for a school. The land was given to Boerne for the erection of a school house, subject to the condition that the building be completed within one year. A subsequent and much larger school was built near the original building in 1910.
Kendall	Boerne	208 E. San Antonio	Original Kendall County Jail	The history of this building is not clear. It is rumored that it was a commissary in the 1860's during the Civil War .
Kendall	Boerne	706 S.. Main Street	Phillip Manor	The Phillip Manor at 706 South Main was built and extended between 1860 and 1875. Beginning as a simple family home, it has been expanded through the years to become the present structure. Of the six hotels that existed in Boerne in 1890, only the Phillip Manor House and the Kendall Inn remain today.
Kendall	Boerne	525 S. Main Street	Robert E. Lee House	The Robert E. Lee House represents a significant period in the early history of Boerne. Records show that Colonel, and later Confederate General, Robert Edward Lee passed through Boerne several times between 1856 and 1861 on his way to and from frontier forts. It is said that he spent the night of March 20, 1856 in the cottage that is now called the Robert E. Lee House..
Kendall	Boerne	334 S Main	Staffel-Shumard Building	The Staffel-Shumard building at 334 S. Main played an interesting part in the early Boerne, Texas. Like many of the early settlers of the Boerne area, August Staffel was a German immigrant who arrived in Texas and in due course made his way to Boerne shortly after it was designated a town site in 1852. He was an enterprising business man who operated a livery stable, a stage coach stop, a campsite along Theissen Street toward the Cibolo, a hotel, or rooming house, and a saloon. August Staffel purchased the property at the site of the Staffel-Shumard building in 1854 and opened the Staffel Store.
Kendall	Boerne	612 North Main	Toepperwein-Wilkins House	The 1894 Arnold S. Toepperwein House at 612 North Main is not only a unique and interesting structure, but it belonged to a descendant of an unusually talented family that came to the Hill Country with the early-day German immigrants. In 1894, Arnold S. Toepperwein, built the Toepperwein House. He is still remembered for the outstanding quality of his furniture, and, of course, the well-known "Ringtail Rhino" trademark that he wrote on each piece of furniture he made. That trademark is still well-known and sought after because of his superb workmanship.
Kendall	Boerne	221 South Plant	Vogt-Clegg Log Cabins	William Vogt was born in Schlesien, Germany in 1826, where he married the former Ernestine Neihser. They immigrated to America in 1852. They moved to Boerne in 1856, and built their first one-room cabin in 1860. As their family grew, more rooms were added to the original cabin, in single file with outside entrances.
Kendall	Boerne	717 S. Main Street	Weyrick-Beissner-Kidwell Building	The Weyrick-Beissner-Kidwell Building is the oldest commercial building in Kendall County. Charles Weyrick purchased the land on October 5, 1877. In 1879 he constructed the building using rough cut limestone. In 1886, he building was sold to Fred L. Beissner who opened a grocery store there. Mr. Beissner and his family continued to own and operate the grocery store until 1910. The Weyrick-Beissner-Kidwell Building had several owners since the Beissner family disposed of it.
Kendall	Comfort	733 - 737 High Street.	Alex Brinkmann Building	The Alex Brinkmann Building, located at 733-737 High Street, was built in 1902. It was originally built for use as apartments by Alex Brinkmann, but the east side soon became the office of Comfort's most renowned physician of the first half of the 20th Century, Dr. C. C. Jones, who was one of the five founders of the bank next door.
Kendall	Comfort	Comfort	Apelt Armadillo Farm	Charles Apelt, a former basket maker from Germany came to the Comfort area at the tender age of fifteen and accidentally became an armadillo entrepreneur. He was hungry one day, and used a rock to kill an armadillo for dinner. After cleaning the critter and detaching the meat from the shell, he noticed that the empty shell curled up to form a basket. Eureka! A chance meal had suddenly spawned a business for the young man.
Kendall	Comfort	Corner of 7th & Main Streets	August Faltin Cabin	The August Faltin Cabin was constructed in 1854, the same year that Comfort was founded, by Fritz and Theodore Goldbeck who operated Comfort's first mercantile store. In 1856 the Goldbeck brothers wanted to return to San Antonio, and August F. Faltin, with his wife Clara bought the cabin and the Goldbeck’s mercantile business. The cabin is one of the oldest dwellings in Comfort that is still in its original location.
Kendall	Comfort	701 High Street.	Comfort State Bank	The Comfort State Bank building was built in 1907 for Alex Brinkmann. This structure was the first permanent home of the Comfort State Bank. When a new building was built for the Comfort State Bank in 1960, the property was purchased by Mr, and Mrs. Albert Faltin, Sr., (one of the bank's founders) who deeded it to the Comfort School District.
Kendall	Comfort	707 High Street	Ferdinand Pfeiffer Store	The Ferdinand Pfeiffer Store, located at 707 High Street, was built around 1907 by Ferdinand Pfeiffer and was first operated as the Pfeiffer Grocery.
Kendall	Comfort	527 Main Street	Heuermann House	The Heuermann House, located at 527 Main Street, was built by Wilhelm Heuermann in 1857. It is one of the oldest fachwerk buildings in Comfort.
Kendall	Comfort	Located behind the Heuermann House at 527 Main Street	Heuermann Log Cabin	The Heuermann Log Cabin was built by Wilhelm Heuermann in 1854-1855. It is located behind the Heuermann House at 527 Main.
Kendall	Comfort	610 Second Street	Holekamp House	The Holekamp House is a 4,600 square foot Sears and Roebuck kit home that was built by the Hugo family of San Antonio in 1910, and used as their summer home in the Hill Country. In December of 1919 Otto and Anna Holekamp, one of Comfort's founding families, purchased this grand Sears and Roebuck home, and the family made their home there. John and Mary Straley purchased the Holekamp House in October of 2003, and currently operate a Bed & Breakfast there.
Kendall	Comfort	818 High Street	Ingenhuett-Faust Hotel	The Ingenhuett-Faust Hotel was designed by Alfred Giles, and the original eight-room structure was built by Peter Ingenhuett in 1880. The western wing was added in 1894. Louis F. and Maatilda Faust bought the hotel in 1909, and operated it until 1946.
Kendall	Comfort	High Street between 6th and 7th	Ludwig Hein House	Ludwig Hein was born in Steinhoefel Kreise Friedeberg, Berlin on October 9, 1855 as part of a family of eleven children and he emigrated to Waring, Texas in 1877 at the age of twenty-two. There he met and married Rosa Treiber. The couple moved to Comfort in 1890 and purchased the lot where the house now stands for $150. Ludwig operated a blacksmith shop next door until 1914 when the family moved to San Antonio. The telephone switchboard was later moved to the Ludwig Hein house making it the “nerve center of Comfort” from 1923 until 1955.
Kendall	Comfort	814 High Street	Old Comfort Post Office	The Old Comfort Post Office was designed by Alfred Giles and built in1908 by Paul Ingenhuett. The renaissance revival style structure exhibits Giles' talent for blending red brick and limestone.
Kendall	Comfort	417 8th Street	Paul Ingenhuett Residence	The Paul Ingenhuett Residence was built in 1895 by Bruno Schott from a design by Alfred Giles. This was the third commission that Alfred Giles received from the Ingenhuett family.
Kendall	Comfort	NE corner of 6th & Main	Richard Faltin House	Richard E. Faltin was the son of August Faltin, founder of the Faltin General Store, which faces 7th street behind the residence. August Faltin's son Richard succeeded his father as store owner in 1889, and Richard's younger brother August III, soon joined him. They ran the store for nearly two decades. The house is a 1-1/2 story limestone residence, that was built in 1895, and is still in the Faltin family.
Kendall	Comfort	Approximately 3-1/2 miles east on FM 473	Seidensticker House	The Seidensticker House was built in 1915 by Heinrich (Henry) Seidensticker who was a son of one of the early settlers in the Comfort area. The house is located on F.M. 473 approximately 3-1/2 miles east of Comfort, overlooking the Guadalupe River.
Kendall	Kendalia	Kendalia	Old Lawhon Store	J. W. Lawhon built a limestone block store in Kendalia in 1898 at a cost of $300. He was the second merchant in Kendalia. Old store journals list the sale of a number of commodities at prices that seem ridiculously low today. For example, five pounds of coffee cost fifty cents. The Lawhon Store is now a private residence.
Mason	Mason	Mason	Seaquist House	The Seaquist House is three-story Victorian mansion in Mason that offers a glimpse of a grander day. It is a remarkable old home that is one of the Texas Hill Country's most beautiful landmarks.

REFERENCES

· Edmonds, Bettie. Along Country Roads . Austin, Texas: Hart Graphics, 1980.

· Edmonds, Bettie. Along Country Roads II. Austin, Texas: Hart Graphics, 1987.

· Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, List of Counties in Texas, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Texas_counties.

Compiled from various sources by

Joe Cooper

Voices of the Texas Hills

Kendall County, Texas

Created: September 9, 2007

Updated: August 27, 2010