Caspar Real Homestead

The small log cabin known as the "Little House"

This beautiful Victorian-era house, located on Lower Turtle Creek Road, is the Caspar Real homestead. Built by Caspar and Emilie Schreiner Real in the 1870s, it is one of the oldest homes in Kerr County and has been continuously owned and occupied by the same family. The fifth generation of Reals now own and live in it. Their grandchildren represent the seventh generation to enjoy this house.

The small barn between the house and garage encloses a log cabin thought to be the older of the two cabins.

Born near Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1824, Caspar Real came to Texas from Alsace in 1848, landing at Indianola. From there he moved to Bexar County and worked as a carpenter, then became a rancher, raising sheep and cattle along Martinez Creek. He had heard of the springs and creeks of the Hill Country, so when a severe drought arrived in 1857 he moved his cattle and sheep up the Guadalupe and settled by a spring on Turtle Creek. It is said he brought the first sheep to Kerr County and some of the first Hereford cattle.

There are two log cabins on the property, one of which is thought to be the first home of Caspar and Emilie before they built this two-story home. Both cabins are still in use today, one as a guest house, the other as a storage building. Family tradition says the one being used as a storage building was first used by the men who tended the livestock and is most likely the oldest of the three buildings.

Caspar Real served in several public offices, including county treasurer 1864-65, tax assessor and collector 1866-69, cattle inspector 1871-72, sheep inspector 1879, county commissioner 1883-85. He died in 1893. Emilie followed in 1918. They are buried together in the family cemetery not far from the home they built.

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If you have a home more than 50 years old that you would like me to  research and write about, please contact me at dgaudier@gmail.com  This address is only for blog mail and is checked infrequently.

Westland Park

Westland Park is bounded by W. Water Street, Woodland Avenue, and Elm Street.
It was originally part of the Lewis dairy farm property, which I wrote about here.
You can read all of my posts about the Westland area here.
The first mention of the park is in the Kerrville Mountain Sun for June 11, 1936, when it reported a birthday party for Emily and Mary Carol Busch thus:

Little Emily and Mary Carol Busch celebrated their birthdays last Thursday afternoon in the home of their parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Busch on Elm Street in Westland Place.  The young hostess invited their guests to play in Westland Park, which adjoins their home, and here many games and contests were enjoyed.

Emily was 7 or 8 and Mary Carol was 3. The family home was 510 Elm Street.

In March 1937 a crew of city workmen began work on Westland Park, including building curbs, work on adjacent streets and landscaping.
In April the Civic League gave a benefit card and domino party at the Blue Bonnet Hotel to raise money to purchase playground equipment "before the summer tourists arrive in Kerrville".  The price for the event was 35 cents, which included prizes.
They didn't meet their goal, as the first playground equipment wasn't installed until mid-September, the Rotary Club providing financial assistance. The June 8, 1937, Kerrville Mountain Sun reported "It is the hope of Civic League officials to have a supervised playground at Westland Park by next summer.  The park is open for the use of all white children in the city."  Only white children.  Sadly, this was common during the Jim Crow law era. In fact, the entire development was originally "whites only".

In 1939 there was a "Clean-Up Week" in preparation for Summer Playground activities sponsored by the public school system.

The April 28, 1977, Kerrville Mountain Sun reported that Westland Park was rename Elm Street Park and gave the following unfortunate report about some park history:

Due to the heavy flow of traffic on Water, the younger children not only use the park, but Elm Street also, and this is a three block street without much traffic.  It is in constant use, and not as much misuse as when it was built.  The original barbecue pit was demolished, wooden tables and benches were used for firewood, and the swings and other equipment wrecked. … It is now well kept and many adults bring lunches to eat there.  There is a deep well, which furnished water for the Lewis dairy cattle, in the area.  The long cement picnic table was the horse watering trough.

Some time later the park regained the name Westland Park.
Joe Herring Jr. has blogged about this park, including photos of the watering trough.  You can read more from his blog here.

College Cove

The plat for College Cove Addition was approved in August 1962. It consisted of 24.5 acres and is east of Motley Hills Addition, on the east side of Kerrville. The developer was V. "Happy" Clouse. The city manager C. R. Voelkel told Clouse that the Planning and Zoning Commission "commended him for making such a fine layout of the plat." Clouse was a Kerrville city councilman at the time. 

The first record I found of a home in College Cove was in the November 11, 1962, Kerrville Daily Times when it was reported that J. C. Murray, Tomahawk Trail, received a building permit for a residence for $15,500 and Virgil Clouse, Bow Lane, received a residential building permit for $22,500.

In addition to Tomahawk Trail and Bow Lane, other streeet names include Arrow Lane, Pinto Trail, Michelle Drive, Sky Blue Drive, and Danielle Drive.

The subdivision was annexed to Kerrville in 1963.

To read about other subdivisions in Kerrville go here.

Murray Heights

Murray Heights began development in late 1961. The first mention of this development was in the September 8, 1961, Kerrville Daily Times. It was so named because it was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Tom H. Murray on their property. That issue of the KDT included a plat map of the development and the following caption:

Work is underway on the development of Murray Heights, a subdivision of eleven homesites South of West Main Street between Woodcrest Drive and Galbraith. Built around asphalt-paved Circle Drive, an extension of Fairview Drive, there will be curb, root-proof sewer, water, gas and underground electric and telephone conduit installation. ... completion expected by the end of the year.  The plat has been engineered to save most of the oak trees in the landscape pattern.  R. H. H. Hugman and J. Harris Hein, San Antonio, prepared the engineering and architectural plan.  Mr. and Mrs. Tom H. Murray, 236 Fairview Drive, are initiating the development.

A correction ran a week later saying that Circle Drive was actually Fairview Circle, which is an extension of Fairview Drive.

The house at 236 Fairview is the oldest in the neighborhood and dates to at least April 1957, and probably earlier--most likely 1950 when it was described as being part of the Rees addition. The first mention of this address is in the April 18, 1957, Kerrville Daily Times when it was the home of W. D. "Bob" Walton.
UPDATE: The current owners tell me the house at 236 was built in 1947.

It appears that the first residents of the new "estate homes"of Murray Heights were Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Slater.

To learn about other subdivisions in Kerrville, go here.

River Trail Cottages

I first blogged about this property in 2012 when it was inexpensive rental housing. The original post is here.

This property located along the Guadalupe has now been restored and is known as River Trail Cottages.  I am pleased to see this happen and hope more people will find ways to use some of the older buildings around the area in innovative ways. 

Henry Noll Homestead

This antique house is currently for sale and needs loving restoration. I hope a buyer will be found who values it for its history and architecture.
NOTE:  This is not my home. I just like this house, plus its history and architecture are similar to my home's.
NOTE: 22 Aug 2017: This house has a new owner who plans to restore it.

This graceful 19th century Victorian home is the Henry Noll homestead.  Originally located at 909 Water Street, at the foot of Washington Street in Kerrville, it now sits atop Deer Park Lane about four miles south of town.  It was moved to its current location in 1983, one of many homes in Kerr County that have been saved by relocation.

This house appears on the first Sanborn Fire Insurance map for Kerrville, drawn in 1898, so we know for certain it is at least 120 years old. I believe it is older--perhaps a dozen years older. I have attached links to the 1898 and 1930 maps.
You will also see the 1898 and 1930 house footprints on this page.

On November 2, 1888, Christian Dietert sold a lot of land to Henry Noll for $300.  Other lots of land nearby were selling for about $100, so either there was already a house on the lot, or Noll paid a premium for the location on the river. If indeed there was a house on the property, Christian Dietert MAY have built it. He operated a grist mill and saw mill next door.

1898 footprint

Henry Noll operated a general store on Water Street near his home.

After he passed away in 1926 his son, Henry Noll, Jr. gave this house and the lot it sat on to his sister Elisabeth Johnston, who was married to Charles H. Johnston. He died in 1930.
Their son Charles H. Johnston, Jr. married Josphine Fawcett on September 8, 1936.  Surrounded by commercial creep, they moved to 345 West Water Street in 1939.  The Water Street location must have been lovely once. I found this comment in the March 23, 1939, Kerrville Mountain Sun, "Wouldn't you just love to have a bedroom like the one in the old Johnston home on Water Street, where the plum trees in full blossom completely surround the bay windows." You can see the bay window in the photo above.

1930 footprint

In May 1941 Charles A. and Mary Reiter bought the property from the Johnstons and lived here until at least 1977. It was convenient to their auto sales and service business next door.  By 1980 it sat vacant along with two neighboring properties owned by Notre Dame Catholic Church and was moved in 1983. Today 909 Water Street is a parking lot.  I am so grateful though that someone found this house worth saving.

Restaurants in Historic Buildings in Kerrville

The other day while lunching at Francisco's a friend and I were talking about the restaurants in historic buildings locally. There is something about dining in the midst of history that makes the experience more enjoyable.
I have blogged about some of these restaurants in the past and eat at several regularly. I hope you, dear reader will make it a point to visit or revisit them.
This is not a complete list. Only restaurants in the Kerrville "Main Street District" are included and I may have missed a couple. They are listed in approximate order of the age of the building.

Popo
 has opened at Pampell's.  This building has a state historical marker.

Francisco's is in the Weston Building.

Yeo-bo's Cafe is in the old First State Bank building.

Pint & Plow is in the Edward Dietert House.

Rails is in the old S.A&A.P.  Passenger Depot. (See also here for update) This building has qualified for a state historical marker, which will be install later this year.

Thai Bistro is in a century old house at 1201 Broadway.
 
Pax Coffee & Goods and Rita's Famous Tacos are both in the Baehre Building.

Conchita's on Main and Hill Country Cafe are in the Johnson Building.

Cartewheels is in this part of the old Chas. Schreiner store.

Grape Juice is in this spot.

Now go enjoy a nice meal out!