Historical Markers in Castroville, Texas

Arcadius Steinle House · 1962

A native of Hettingen, Prussia, and a mason by trade, Arcadius Steinle emigrated to the U.S. in 1844 and moved to Castroville the next year. In 1847, he wed Marie Ann Dreyer and began construction of this home, where…

Landmark Inn · 1965

These limestone structures along the Eagle Pass - San Antonio Road at the Medina River ford were once centers of trade, travel, industry, and domestic life. Alsatian colonist Michel Simon settled here in 1844, followed…

Dubuis House · 1966

The two original rooms in this house were erected 1847 by Father Claude M. Dubuis, from Lyons, France, aided by Father Chazelle (who soon died of typhus). Father Dubuis, the first priest in Castro's colony, was captured…

F. Xavier Schmidt House · 1966

Built about 1870 by German artisan who constructed many houses in area. Cypress logs were floated down the Medina River, adzed lengthwise for attic timbers. Has 22-inch walls of limestone quarried nearby; hand-carved…

First Church in Castroville · 1966

St. Louis Church · 1966

Built by Alsatian settlers of Castro Colony, in Republic of Texas. Dedicated by the Rt. Rev. John Odin, C.M., first Catholic Bishop of Texas, on Nov. 9, 1846. Claude Dubuis, 1847 pastor, was later a Bishop of Texas.…

First County Courthouse · 1968

Erected 1854; first permanent courthouse in Castroville, the first seat (1848-1892) of Medina County. When built, structure was on old road to San Antonio. This building took place of temporary office space which County…

St. Louis Catholic Church · 1970

Planned, according to tradition, by the Rev. Peter Richard, pastor who came from Loire, France, 1868. First (1847-51) resident pastor, the Most Rev. Claude Dubuis, returned as Bishop of Texas to lay cornerstone on July…

Ranch Home of Charles De Montel · 1971

Frontiersman, soldier, and engineer, came from Europe to Texas, 1838. Helped found Castroville and organize Medina County. Served as county judge; Texas Ranger Captain; and Navy Commander in Civil War (1861-65). Also a…

Moye · 1972

Named for the Rev. John Martin Moye, founder (1762) of the Sisters of Divine Providence, religious order that opened school in Castroville in 1868, and built first part of this structure in 1873: first mother house of…

Cordier-Tschirhart-Seal House · 1976

Jean Baptiste Cordier (1804-1881) built this Alsatian pioneer dwelling after migrating to Texas in 1844. The native limestone structure had three downstairs rooms and an attic. Cordier sold the cottage in 1847 to…

Louis Haller House · 1976

A native of France, 17-year-old Louis Haller (d. 1920) came to Texas with his father in 1845. He was a scout for the Texas Rangers and a wagoner during the Civil War. In 1871 he married Leonie Naegelin (d. 1918). They…

The Joseph Meyer Homestead · 1976

Joseph (1803-87) and Katherine (Koos) Meyer, pioneers from Alsace, bought this 4-acre homestead in 1855. Except for a roadway, it remains as platted by surveyor John James for Henri Castro in 1844, and is the only…

Site of the Homestead of Henri Castro · 1978

Henri Castro (1786-1861), a naturalized American of French origin, befriended the Republic of Texas and became interested in settling here. In 1842 he was given authority to establish a colony of Europeans in Southwest…

St. Louis Cemetery · 1980

This cemetery has served the Parish of St. Louis Catholic Church since the founding of Castroville in 1844. The original burial ground is outlined by the stone wall, which was built in 1860. The earliest marked grave is…

Alsatians of Texas · 1985

In 1842, Empresario Henry Castro brought his first colonists to Texas to settle land west of the Medina River. Most of the immigrants were from the Rhine River area of Europe. Many claimed the province of Alsace, on the…

St. Louis Day · 1986

Since as early as 1847 residents of Castroville have conducted a community holiday on or about the 25th of August--the Catholic observacne of the Feast of St. Louis. Local tradition recalls that early processions…

Henri Castro · 1994

Henri Castro, a native of Bayonne, France, and the descendant of Portuguese nobility, served briefly in Napoleon's French Army. In 1813 he married Marie Amelia Mathias. He later immigrated to the United States and in…

Ihnken Family Cemetery · 1997

Early Castroville colonist and Dutch immigrant Marie Becker Ihnken was buried just north of this site in 1847 by her son, Gerhard. The German-born Gerhard married Marie Jeanne Pichot on October 22, 1846. The Pichot…

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church · 2000

Many of the German settlers who arrived here in the 1840s were Lutherans who kept their religious traditions by meeting for worship in their homes. The Rev. Christian Oefinger sailed from Bremen, Germany, arriving in…

Dolch-Hans Compound · 2004

This compound reflects a continuum of Castroville's history from before the Civil War. German immigrants Louis and Rosina (Niggli) Dolch built the stone house c. 1860. They stayed only a few years, but retained…

Renken Cemetery · 2009

German native Henry Renken created this cemetery in 1876 upon the death of his wife, Lissette (Kueck) Renken. She was buried on property owned by Gerhard Ihnken that Renken had sold to him in 1874. Renken was an active…

General Wool and the Chihuahua Road · 2014

GENERAL WOOL AND THE CHIHUAHUA ROAD In 1846, General John Ellis Wool amassed an army of 3,400 troops in San Antonio to invade Chihuahua, Mexico. Departing from Camp Crockett crossing the Medina River and passing through…

Vance Hotel and Store · 2014

Constructed in 1849 with local limestone, mortar and cypress lumber, this building includes elements of Alsatian domestic architecture found in Castroville. The 18-inch-thick walls were originally coated with a…

Biry-Arh Property · 2016

Castroville was founded by Empresario Henri Castro in 1844. By the mid-1840s, immigrants, many from the Alsatian region in Europe, began to settle here. The unique Alsatian culture was recreated in the countryside of…