The Onion Creek Post Office

 

The Post Office's front door

In July 2020 I shared a brief history of the Onion Creek Stagecoach Park in Buda, TX.  I recently returned to Buda and stopped by the park to explore this small, limestone block building behind the stagecoach stop house.  From reading the National Register of Historic Places nomination form I knew that it had served for a few years as the Onion Creek post office.  Truthfully, there isn't much to see, but there is some history here worth mentioning as the post office and the stage stop worked together to serve the community and connect it with other communities in Texas and beyond.

Carved lentin above the post office door, possibly commemorating the celebration of the Nation's centennial

The Austin to San Antonio stagecoach route found the Onion Creek area ideal for a stopping place to water horses or to change them out if needed.  The route was considered to be a "Fast Line" in that it only took 13 hours to travel from Austin to San Antonio. Modern travelers often feel is still takes that long due to congested traffic!

Hays County, Austin to the North with San Antonio to the South

Quite possibly travelers along this route would have taken the stage operated by the team of Sawyer & Risher.  The 4-horse stage left San Antonio every other day at 6 A.M. with stops in Selma, New Braunfels, San Marcos, and so on until reaching Austin.  From Austin you could connect with the rest of Texas and beyond.  (source:  Texas Transportation Archive).

The Onion Creek post office and stage stop were established in April 1875.  Here, the mail would be delivered and picked up and the team would be watered with fresh water from nearby Onion Creek.  If need be, horses could be changed out at the stop.  Travelers rarely spent a night at this stop, it was the equivalent of a modern-day rest stop along the interstate.

Originally there was a small rectangular window under this carving on the side of the building.

The post office was a one-room limestone brick structure, constructed between 1875 and 1876.  Facing the door of the structure was a two-room dog trot cabin that was home to the postmaster.  The post ofice would only serve this area for a few years until the post-Civil War boom brought growth to the area as well as the International & Great Northern railroad;  the stagecoach line was discontinued. The town of Buda (pronounced Bew-dah) was officially established and the post office relocated a short distance into town.

View of the back of the post office. 

On the left side of the building are the remains of a cistern and concrete water trough.  The piece of equipment behind the building is the remant of a pump house that was attached after the stage stop closed. The little building was in a very delapidated state when restoration began.  Happily, the post office building has withstood the test of time due to its outstanding craftmanship, considered very unusual for the time period of its construction.

Before restoration. Photo c. 2002, retrieved from NRHP nomination form 8.31.21

From the library to the museum

 

30 October 2020

On December 7, 1975, the Bell County Museum hosted its official opening and this building at 201 N. Main Street in Belton, Texas, began a new phase of life, welcoming visitors inside to explore the County's history. Citizens were already very familiar with it as it had been serving the community since 1905 as Belton's Carnegie Library.  A new library had been built nearby, so the Bell County Commissioners granted use of the building to the Bell County Historical Commission. 

The library traces its beginning to 1899, when the Women's Wednesday Club met for the first time in the parlor of a local hotel with the purpose of establishing a public library in the city of Belton. Each member donated a book, collecting 350 volumes to form the new library which opened its first location in a small room in the hotel. By the time the new Carnegie Library opened in 1905 the Club had collected over 1,500 books. 

No other building in Belton exhibits the rich details of the library building.

The Club began to seek funding from the Carnegie Foundation for a library building, sending letters in 1899, 1902, and 1903 asking for funds for a public library to be constructed in Belton.  

After the 1903 request, the group was notified that if the City of Belton agreed by resolution of council to maintain a free public library at a cost of not less than a thousand dollars a year, and provide a suitable site, then Mr. Carnegie would be pleased to furnish $10,000 to help erect a free library for the city.  By proper resolution and public subscription, citizens were able to provide the lot and Mr. Carnegie forwarded his personal check.  (National Register of Historic Places nomination form)

 

Inside the first floor main room.  The display in the back contains one of Miriam "Ma" Ferguson's inaugural ball dresses and other artifacts from her life.  She was a Bell County native who served two terms as Texas' governor (that's a long story for another day). She was not a fashionista as this display shows the viewer!

The Carnegie Library building is considered to be significant in both its architecture and its indication of the cultural and educational awareness of Belton citizens. Other buildings in Belton constructed in this time period were designed with classical elements, but the library's Beaux-Arts classicism is considered to be "exuberant" in its design and ornamentation.  

The little known firm of Smith and Moore designed the library.  The contractor, Ben Lee, was well know to Belton for the local buildings he had constructed, one of which was the Bell County Courthouse.

The two-story library consisted of an open first-floor room separated into four spaces by Ionic columns supporting an entablature adorned with very detailed garland swags.  Each time I visit I am torn between gazing at the room's features and looking at the exhibits, it is mesmerizing!

Second floor auditorium/lecture hall stage

The second floor was devoted to a large auditorium type room used for lectures and meetings.  During the lean years of the Great Depression this room filled the need for a public meeting facility in Belton,  hosting graduation ceremonies, plays, and USO shows among others. This room is still used for public meetings and other gatherings. The day I wandered in to make photographs they were either setting up or taking down an exhibit, so the pictures are a little cluttered.

Second floor meeting room.  Both floors of the building feature pressed-tin ceilings

The preservation minded city of Belton began a comprehensive renovation program in 1988 that restored the interior to its 1905 floor plan by the removal of walls that had partitioned the rooms into smaller spaces. In 2003 the Museum began the 3-year process of connecting the library and the next-door Guffy Building with a two-story central walkway.  Today the main entrance into the library is through this walkway and the two buildings flow together seamlessly.

Original front entrance

Of the 32 libraries built in Texas with funding from the Carnegie Foundation 13 exist today. The Belton library retains most of its original features due to the fact that very little modifications took place over the years it served as a library.  The renovation and careful addition of the connecting walkway have served to preserve the library's original integrity.

Photograph taken in 1985, copied from the NRHP Belton Commercial Historic District nomination form.

The property was listed on the National Register of Historic places on March 4, 1985.

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Onion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach House

The high bluff overlooking nearby Onion Creek made it a convenient location for a post office and stagecoach stop along what is now known as the Old San Antonio Road running from Austin to San Antonio, Texas. Water from the creek provided refreshment for the stagecoach horses and the sight was conveniently located near the highway. Ground was broken for the small, limestone post office in 1875 along with a two room dog-trot style house.

The post office was finished in 1876 and served residents of the community and stagecoach passengers until 1880 when the Postmaster moved the post office to the nearby developing town of Du Pre, renamed Buda (pronounced BYOO-dah). in the late 1880's. The completion of the International & Great Northern Railroad lines to San Antonio and Laredo ended the necessity of a stagecoach stop.

These very large oak trees to the side of the house probably saw the stagecoaches arrivals and departures.

T.E. McElroy and his wife bought the house and surrounding 234 acres and developed a successful livestock and agricultural program while eventually adding over 1,000 acres to the ranch. In 1906 Ann and John Severn purchased the ranch from the McElroy estate and continued the ranching operations.  Upon their deaths the house and property saw several owners and the eventual sale of individual tracts of land.  In 1998 the current owners, brothers Victor and Joe Stanzel, donated the house, post office building, and remaining 51-acres to the City of Buda with the stipulation that the house be restored and used for community purposes.

Renovation on the house revealed answers to questions about its transformation from the 1875 two room dog-trot style cabin to its current appearance.  Updates are traced to 1885, 1900, 1920, and 1950.  The Severns were very influential citizens and are thought to be responsible for the 1920 renovation; the house has been restored to that time period with the exception of a mantle painted by artists that rented the house for a time in the 1970's.

Evidence found during the renovation process indicates that the house was originally oriented to face the tributary of the creek located to what is now the rear of the house. The two rooms on either side of the front door comprised the original two room dog-trot cabin.

Each renovation seemed to change the structure even more while making it useful and modern for the residents.  As a result, it assumed some strange characteristics that added interest to the house.

I stumbled upon this property on a recent visit to Buda and had no idea of its historical significance until I returned home and began researching it.  I did not make many pictures, so a return trip when the weather cools off is on my go-to list. The surrounding park features many amenities as well as walking trails through the former stagecoach stop and ranching property.

The house serves at the Buda Visitor Center, but is currently closed due to the COVID pandemic.  However, from reading the nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places designation about the evolution of the cabin to modern home I am sure it will be worth exploring.

The remains of a watering trough are located a short distance from the house.

This one room building tweaked my imagination as to its original purpose.  There is a vent pipe visible on the back of the roof indicating that there was some type of wood burning stove inside.  Possibly the ranch office, but I'll have to find out on the next visit.

Bandera County, Texas Courthouse

The National Register of Historic Places nomination form for the Bandera County, Texas Courthouse begins with the statement

The three-Story rusticated cut limestone courthouse built in 1890-91 with a central clock tower, is the focal point of the Bandera public square, and the dominating architectural feature of the town

And, indeed it is dominating.  From anywhere in this charming Hill Country town that calls itself "The Cowboy Capital of the World" the Courthouse's clock tower can be seen. However, don't look up to see what time it is as the clock face is actually painted on the tower.  Time in Bandera is frozen at 10:10.

Bandera County was created in 1856 and the town of Bandera was designated as the county seat.  From 1877-1891 the county used a coursed rubble limestone building built in 1856 as its makeshift courthouse.  The completion of the current day courthouse in 1891 was a sign of Bandera's post-Civil War prosperity.

B.F. Trester, Jr. of San Antonio, Texas was chosen as the architect. In recent years an intriguing mystery about Trester and the design of the courthouse came to light in the discovery that an identical architectual twin existed in Boone County, KY.  Today, the Boone County Courthouse is altered in appearance, but it's still easy to see the similarities.  To read about this mystery and see comparison pictures click here.

On Friday, July 11, 1890 County Commissioners accepted the bid of William Braden and Sons to construct the Courthouse according to Trester's plans for a sum of $19,914.00. Sometime between that time and February, 1890, Trester passed away at the age of 40 years and County Commissioners appointed A.B. Frankel as supervising architect. 

Trester's death was just one of the delays that would plague Braden in completing the project.  These trials, including the walking off the job by Braden are detailed in The Bandera County Historian, Fall 1991 issue that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Courthouse's completion. 

This article describes how Braden used itinerant Russian rock masons to cut the limestone blocks from a quarry across the Medina River. Sand for the mortar was dug from along Indian Creek and hauled to the construction site by two local men. The blocks were lifted in place "in four-man slings up staircase-like scaffolds"; as a result there were no lifting holes drilled into the stone blocks.

During 1966-67 the interior underwent a remodeling, although I couldn't tell what might have been remodeled as it seemed to retain many of its original features.  I did notice the wall-to-wall carpet in most areas of the building.  At the same time a one-story addition to the east side of the building altered its façade.  The windows were replace with modern aluminum frames.

Hallway of 1966-67 addition

I966-67 addition in foreground

In 1998 work to stabilize and repair the clock tower/cupola was undertaken after receiving an emergency grant from the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation program.  Temporary shoring was used to stabilize the ceiling above the judges' bench in the district courtroom.  The tower and cupola were reinforced and the metal roof replaced.  Work was completed in 2006.  Just to note I could not find any reference as to when and why the tower had been painted silver. To see before and after pictures click here.

District Courtroom, August 2018

A very kind bailiff or deputy sheriff took me into the courtroom and into several offices to see the original fireplaces. 

 The Courthouse was designated as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1972 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. 

Liberty County Courthouse

South entrance - the original doors and transoms have been replaced 

Each of the Texas Courthouses have an interesting story or two to share and I'm always excited to visit, explore and research each one! The Liberty County Courthouse is remarkable in that it has had very little change to the exterior since its completion in 1931 and its interior remains remarkably intact today.  This courthouse is the seventh one to occupy the courthouse square laid out in 1831 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. That's impressive, so come on, let's go exploring!

***

The discovery of oil in Texas created many boomtowns in southeast Texas and brought new prosperity to existing towns like Liberty at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1925 the Liberty County Commisioners, encouraged by the county's oil driven economic boom, requested Houston architect Corneil G. Curtis to prepare a comparison of repairing and updating the existing 1895 courthouse versus replacing it. His report thoroughly examined both scenarios, but he favored a new, modern courthouse of fireproof construction.

The progressive minded commissioners agreed and asked for the submission of bids. However, the bids were considered to be too high and no action was taken for three years; yes, government moves slowly. A second request for bids in September 1930 led to the awarding of the construction contract to M.H. Ryland of Uvalde in November.  The new courthouse would be completed in December 1931 at an approximate cost of $250,000.

There had been considerable opposition to the demolition of the existing courthouse, but the "demands of progress" overcame the protests. The 1895 courthouse was vacated, demolished and replaced with a new, modern building demonstrating the County's progressive attitude of moving forward into the modern world.

Curtis' design incorporated the era's most current and progressive architectural trends and is now considered one of the earliest examples of Art Deco architecture in Texas. Interestingly it is also referred to as a "modernistic" (or Modern Classical) example of Art Deco in that the interior is relatively unchanged from the courthouse designs of the late 19th century while the exterior reflects the modern influence.

The two story courthouse is constructed of concrete and steel and finished with Texas Cordova Cream limestone. A low earth berm surrounds the windows of the raised basement to give visual height to the flatness of the site. A two story addition, built in 1956, covers most of the west side of the courthouse including the original west entrance, but overall does not detract from the original courthouse design.

Central first-floor corridor, looking west

The interior is a traditional four entrance plan with corridors that divide each floor into four quadrants. Stairways at each end of the east-west corridor provide access to the upper and lower floors. The original exterior doors and transoms have been replaced, but the building retains most of its original integrity including beautiful mosaic floor tiles and marble wainscotting.

Original mosaic tile flooring

Marble wainscoting and original steam heat radiator in east stairwell

District Courtroom

The double-height District Courtroom retains all of its original furnishings, finishes, and light fixtures.  The courtroom's walls mimic the exterior with flat pilasters and and an "egg-and-dart" band at the top.  This room is considered to be an excellent example of Art Deco design.

District Courtroom light fixture - bronze with faceted glass

While the exterior follows the Art Deco concept of geometric massing, flat unornamented surfaces and stylized forms of ornamentation it also picks up on the Texas theme with low-relief sculptured panels featuring longhorns, covered wagons, water lilies pine trees, oil derricks and the Texas Lone Star.  Some of these can be seen in the photo below.

Lone Stars, covered wagons and longhorns are etched on pilaster tops.
Eagle over the door represents the building's Federal government function.
Liberty bells are embossed between first and second floor windows.

Northeast corner
The waves along the dado represent the nearby Gulf of Mexico. 
The thin strips of stone set between the larger blocks of limestone give visual appeal.

North entrance

The Wedgwood

  Northside of building on left, with partial west side visible on right. Note the two balconies of the large apartment (looking northwest) created in the 1990's remodeling of the 11th floor. photo made October 2018

For many years The Wedgwood apartment building was known as a moderate priced, fashionable residence for senior citizens. The blue, brown, and beige "Y" shaped building located in the City of Castle Hills was a familiar landmark on the northside of San Antonio.  I never went in the building, but knew people that lived there and they considered it to be very pleasant.

In December 2014 fire broke out on the third floor and five seniors lost their lives; a sixth would die later of natural causes. The other 250 or so residents were displaced due to major smoke damage; the building was closed after substantional internal demolition took place. The cause of the fire was never determined; however, the building had been completed prior to current fire codes and the only fire sprinklers were in the basement.

Second and third floor windows boarded up after the fire. East side of building.  September 2018. 

Dallas architect Walter W. Ahlschlager designed both the San Antonio Wedgwood and its Dallas twin, also named The Wedgwood, with plans that never materialized for a third building in Houston. The almost identical buildings were designed in what is described as "midcentury interpretation of the International Style".  The Dallas Wedgwood is now known as The View at Kessler Park and has been renovated.  Contruction of the Castle Hills Wedgwood began in early 1964 with T.C. Bateson as general contractor and a projected cost of $4.5 million; it would open to residents in October 1965.

Described as a “city within a city,” the Wedgwood  was a new concept in apartment living.  It featured a restaurant, grocery, drugstore, insurance office, clinic, beauty salon and barber shop, dry cleaners, dress shop, and stockbroker’s office. The Wedgwood was a

 “complete residential apartment building that puts the dweller above the skyline and provides him with wonderful scenic views, in luxurious comfort and convenience.” San Antonio Light, October 2, 1965, special section. 

The complex also featured a 49,000 gallon swimming pool, gardens, a lighted waterfall and a putting green.  A spacious parking lot surrounded the complex.

Early stages of renovation. 
Note smoke damage on left of building.
September 2018

Renovation in progress with gutting of building.
February 2019

It is interesting to note that the building's almost 8 acres of land was originally part of a 320-acre tract awarded to Jethro R. Bancroft for his service during the Texas Revolution.  The land was divided and sold many times over the years.  Post World War II saw the movement of Baby Boomers northward and the area was rapidly developing.  Concerned citizens incorporated their community and formed the City of Castle Hills in 1951. Continued development of the city's highway infrastructure encouraged the construction of homes and businesses in this area in addition to newly fashionable high-rise apartment homes such as The Wedgwood.

East side of building. Note the lettering imprint on the left of building
and rock garden entryway visible lower right. 
February 2019

In 2016 the property was sold and the new owner, Pat Bernaki, is currently renovating the building using State and Federal tax credits made possible after the Wedgwood was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in early 2017.  An article in the San Antonio Express News on August 23, 2018 states that he intends to offer moderately priced senior housing at prices similar to those before the fire. 

After the tragic fire the State Legislature passed a law that requires Bexar County high-rise buildings with elderly or disabled people comprising a majority of residents to be retrofitted with sprinklers by 2027.  In addition to retrofitting the building with the required sprinker system Bernaki is also working with City officials to determine what went wrong at the Wedgwood and additional ways to add safety to the building. Expected re-opening is late 2019.

A glimpse of the remains of the garden/walking path area visible from a nearby parking lot.