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!

Lewis Dairy Farmhouse

July 2016

This graceful Victorian-style home at 313 Jackson Road, Kerrville, was erected by Judge Danforth Rogers Lewis in 1914 for his family home after he purchased land for a dairy on the outskirts of Kerrville. The land today is Westland Place.  The house is not in its original location.  It was reportedly moved from the corner of what is now West Main and Jackson Road when the land was sold for development about 1925.  The concrete picnic table in Westland Park was once the watering trough in the dairy barnyard. The house originally had seven bedrooms and no indoor plumbing.

Undated

47-year-old Danforth R. Lewis and his family, including wife Lucinda, daughter Mary, and son Arthur L. "Pinky" Lewis, came to Kerrville in 1914 from New York.

D. R. Lewis received his L.L.B. in 1896 from Cornell University and practiced law in Auburn, NY.  He first ran for office in 1897, campaigning as a Republican for Justice of the Peace.  He served 1897-1901, then was elected special county judge in Cayuga County and served three terms. He had been a Republican candidate for the New York state assembly from Cayuga County in 1910.

After poring through old newspapers and other publications, I cannot determine why he packed his bags and left upstate New York for Kerrville. Often tuberculosis was the reason, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Why would a judge and attorney leave an established practice to move two thousand miles away and give up practicing? Was there a friend who encouraged the move? Was it wanderlust? Were they tired of harsh winters?  Did he decide he didn't like the law?  Do any of my readers know? 

The first mention of the Lewis Dairy in Kerrville is in the March 20, 1915, Kerrville Mountain Sun when D. R. and A. L. Lewis posted a trespass notice. "Notice is hereby given that no hunting or other trespassing will be permitted on the Lewis Dairy Farm.  D.R. and A. L. Lewis."
By June of that year they were well enough established in business that they were advertising "pure Jersey milk and cream, delivered to your door twice daily."

In January 1917 they advertised for an experienced dairy man to live in a tenant house and work on the farm.





By 1918 the Lewis Dairy had expanded into hogs, featuring registered Poland China hogs, including a "fine service male."

In January 1920 in a bow to the growing demand for housing they offered one of their cottages for rent "no sick", in other words, no one with tuberculosis.

The February 20, 1920, Kerrville Mountain Sun ran a front-page story about the search for a hospital for veterans and an offer the Lewis Dairy made to sell the property for that purpose.  (The hospital was built east of town instead and became the VA Hospital.)  As a result, rumors were unfortunately floated in town that the dairy was closing.  These were refuted in a letter published in the newspaper.

It was for sale though, and in April 1925 a group of local businessmen purchased most of the Lewis Dairy property for a development that became Westland Place Addition. Then in April 1926 Henry Woodruff purchased what remained of the dairy.  The sale must have not have gone through because the Lewises were again running the farm at the time of Danforth's  death in 1928.
By 1930 Winford Warren took over the dairy. There were no future newspapers items after December 1930, so the dairy may have closed.

Lucinda Lewis died in 1937 in her home near the intersection of Cottage and Lewis Streets.
Danforth, Lucinda, Arthur (and his wife Cynthia) are all buried at Glen Rest Cemetery.

*****
If you have a house you'd like me to research and post on this blog, please post below or email me at dgaudier at gmail dot com.  I use this address only for the blog.

Four more historical markers approved

Kerr County has a rich history, and a collection of more than 80 state historical markers proves that. Today the Kerr County Historical Commission was notified that four additional places in the city of Kerrville have been approved for markers.
It will be many months before the marker installations and dedications but I thought I'd share this good news. Click on the links for more about these buildings.

The first three places are being named Registered Texas Historic Landmarks in recognition of their architectural and historical significance.
They are the Kennedy-Peterson House on Earl Garrett Street,
and two buildings on the Depot Square:
Kerrville Lumberyard (a.k.a. Beitel's Old Place, now used as an event center) and
Kerrville Depot (currently home to "Rails, a Cafe at the Depot").

The fourth place is Barnett Chapel Methodist Church, which is receiving a subject marker in recognition of its long rich history of service dating back 120 years.

Congratulations to those who have worked to preserve and protect our historic built environment.