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Discover Wimberley -
History Tour
Winters - Wimberley
House-
 The first owner of the Wimberley mill,
William C. Winters, built this limestone dwelling in c. 1856. A veteran of the
Battle of San Jacinto, he was awarded a land grant for his service in the war.
After his death in 1864, his daughter Nancy and son-in-law John Cude inherited
the mill. In 1874 Pleasant Wimberley paid $8,000 in gold to John Cude for 200
acres, the mill and house.
John Henry Saunders
Store -
 In 1888 Saunders purchased the frame
store on this site from J.P. Laney . He built the present building in 1890 from
stone quarried on the Blanco River. The date of 1890 and the initials "JHS"
appear on the left side of the building above the porch roof. The store also
housed the post office until the 1930s. The building burned in 1939, but the
stone walls remained intact.
John Henry
Saunders Homestead -
 This frame house reflects the Greek
Revival style used in Texas in the 1870s and is constructed of native Cypress
and black walnut. John Henry, his wife Callie and their 13 children lived here
until 1903. Saunders served the village as teacher, postmaster, merchant,
county school superintendent and commissioner. Allen D'Spain and his family
later occupied the house. This is the oldest structure on the Wimberley
"square".
D'Spain Building -
 Allen D'Spain operated a general merchandise business
in the Saunders store on the square. The long era of economic development in
Wimberley can be credited to D'Spain who inspired investment in Wimberley.
Built in the 1920s, this rock structure has received numerous alterations which
the careful observer can discern through a study of all four sides of the
building.
John R. Dobie House -
 Built about 1892, this side-gable, center-passage, box
frame dwelling was first built as a two pen dog run. Resting on cypress beams
the house is sheathed with pine boards and battens and roofed with cedar
shingles. Built by San Marcos mayor, Charles S. Cock, other notable occupants
included County Sheriff James Wren, Dr. W.J. Pyland, John R. Dobie, and his son
James F. Dobie and wife Daisy. The house was designated a Recorded Texas
Historic Landmark in 1990 and was listed in the National Register of Historic
Places in 1992.
Wimberley Mill -
 The Wimberley Mill was the economic heart
of the village. Built in 1856 by William Winters, the mill passed to his
son-in-law John Cude in 1864 and then, in 1874, to Pleasant Wimberley. The
successive names of the village are evidence of the importance of the mill:
Winters' Mill, Cude's Mill, Wimberley's Mill and ultimately, Wimberley. As a
grist mill, saw mill and cotton gin, it provided flour, sorghum, cotton,
shingles and lumber for the area. John Will Pyland, the husband of Pleasant's
grand-daughter, became the last millwright in 1907. The mill ceased operation
in 1925 and was demolished in the 1930s. Ozona Bank now occupies this
site.
James C. Lane House -
 James C. Lane (1902-1976), an avid rock collector,
designed and built this bungalow in 1934. One of the front rooms became the
first telephone switchboard in Wimberley. Typical depression era features
include the "crazy work" rock patterns, petrified wood around windows and
doors, smooth rocks cut by hand saw in the front arches, and quartz and
stalactite in the chimney.
Pyland Blacksmith
Shop -
 Built in 1895 by Sidney Jordan Pyland
(1875-1953) the blacksmith shop provided the hub of business activity on the
square. In 1897, Pyland married Nellie Ann Wimberley, daughter of mill owner
Zachary Wimberley. In 1910, Sidney Pyland moved the entire blacksmith shop to
San Marcos. The site of the Pyland Blacksmith Shop is now occupied by the
offices of Woolsey Realty Company.
In addition to these sites, no
History buff should visit Wimberley without a walk through the Wimberley
Cemetery. Located at the intersection of FM3237 and Old Kyle Road, next to the
First Baptist Church, the cemetery contains the gravesites of many of the early
Wimberley pioneers dating back to 1876, including many veterans of the Civil
War.
Parts extracted with permission
from the brochure "A Walking Tour of Historic Wimberley", a collaborative
project between the Hays County Historical Commission and the Wimberley
Institute of Cultures. |
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