Hays County Historical Markers
NUMBER OF MARKERS IN COUNTY- 163
Have - 129 Need - 33 Have Building/Site need marker - 8
Named for John Coffee Hays who was a Texas Ranger. The county seat is San Marcos. The major towns are Dripping Springs, Kyle, Buda, Wimberley, San Marcos and the community of Driftwood. Each town has it's challenges when looking for historical markers so that is the way I'm going to tackle talking about them.
San Marcos is a college town, in fact, one of our nieces and nephew attended Texas State University. Several of the beautiful old houses are actually now owned by and house local sororities and fraternities. San Marcos was named for the San Marcos River that runs through the town and on any given nice day you can find hundreds of college kids frolicking on the banks. San Marcos has 86 of Hay Counties 155 markers most of which are the above-mentioned houses. One of the barriers to capturing markers in San Marcos is that several institutions are no longer housed in their original locations and the initial building is no longer a church or in the case of 1030 Belvin Street, a masonic lodge even though the Texas Historic Commission atlas still lists the initial location as the address of the marker. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Fort Street Presbyterian Church) is a private residence and I have never been able to discover what happened to the medallion & plate, I just know it is definitely not on the building. Fisher Hall was burnt down by vandals but it irritates me no end that we failed to capture it while it was still standing but even back in 2006 the medallion and plate were missing and we were uncertain that it was actually the building we were looking for (rookie mistake 😒, wouldn't happen now). I think I saw the Mission San Francisco Xavier de Los Delores once but I didn't know we were looking for a brass plate, now it is no longer as easy to visit that side of Aquarena Springs. Rogers' Spring Lake Park Hotel, P. T. Talbot & Sons Building, and Site of Harper's Hall are listed in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas as having markers but they certainly aren't on the building and suspect these are listed in error. I am trying to speak to Hays County Historical Commission for confirmation. Watkins Elm still exists but sadly the marker has been missing for a very long time. Carroll Hall which was at the original San Marcos Baptist Academy location did indeed have a marker but the school was never able to locate it when I ask them about it. The text on the marker for Old Main is not the same as the original marker which was inside Old Main, the current plate is outside and medallion was missing when we were there. The Eli T. Merriman House was moved from Aquarena Springs to San Marcos City Park to preserve the cabin, I don't if this is when the marker was lost or it was already missing before the move but it is not on the cabin now. Lastly, I think the entry in the atlas for Old Mill is a duplicate entry for San Marcos Mill Tract.
Wimberly is a beautiful part of Hays County which I always enjoy visiting, just thinking about it makes me think this is somewhere I would be more than happy to live. Wimberly has several new markers and these are the only ones we are missing in this town. We have been lucky enough to capture all the markers including the Julia Ann Ragsdale Home which is an excellent example of a pioneer house.
When we first started this little hobby over 10 years ago Dripping Springs was very rural, it still has a rural feel but it is also starting to become an outer suburb of Austin, I know of many people who work at North Austin Medical Center that live in Drippings Springs. When we are out this way we always try and stop at the Nutty Brown Cafe the property has been sold to H.E.B. and Nutty Brown Cafe is set to move to Round Rock in 2018. I hope this growth doesn't change the Dripping Springs feel. We have never been in Dripping Spring at the right time to visit the Pound Museum but the marker for the Pound House is certainly not visible and my hunch is it is missing. The Wallace Family Cemetery Marker is there but unless you go in the winter after a freeze it is hard to see and get to. I'd also love a better picture of the Isham Jones Good Gravesite.
Kyle and Buda, I'll do together because I think of them that way. Many people are living in these towns are working in Austin simply because it is more affordable to buy a house in Hays County. For Kyle, the Ezekiel Nance Home burnt down many years ago and Blanco Chapel is on private property although we do have a contact for it. Carpenter Log Home in Buda exists though I do wonder what it looks like as the picture I saw of was very old and it was very run down at that time. There are also several cemeteries with markers on private property.
The last town of Driftwood, has the Friday Mountain Camp, the property was bought by Barsana Dham Ashram and while the property is perfect for their religious needs they do not have a connection to the history of the property. I read an article that said the marker had been turned over to the Hays County Historical Commission because to main building had been altered significantly. When my dad was here from Australia we took him to the Saltlick because we wanted him to have an authentic Texas barbecue experience and he did truly enjoy it, I wish I'd got a shot of him when he tasted the ribs!
Hays County has a very active passionate historical commission we can count on 4-5 new markers every year and they have also been very helpful with all my pesky questions over the years. It's a county that certainly many challenges when trying to close out the historical marker set but I always enjoy the drive and there are places I would really like to visit for lunch or dinner (Creek Road Cafe in Dripping Springs for one) so it is always an adventure.
San Marcos is a college town, in fact, one of our nieces and nephew attended Texas State University. Several of the beautiful old houses are actually now owned by and house local sororities and fraternities. San Marcos was named for the San Marcos River that runs through the town and on any given nice day you can find hundreds of college kids frolicking on the banks. San Marcos has 86 of Hay Counties 155 markers most of which are the above-mentioned houses. One of the barriers to capturing markers in San Marcos is that several institutions are no longer housed in their original locations and the initial building is no longer a church or in the case of 1030 Belvin Street, a masonic lodge even though the Texas Historic Commission atlas still lists the initial location as the address of the marker. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Fort Street Presbyterian Church) is a private residence and I have never been able to discover what happened to the medallion & plate, I just know it is definitely not on the building. Fisher Hall was burnt down by vandals but it irritates me no end that we failed to capture it while it was still standing but even back in 2006 the medallion and plate were missing and we were uncertain that it was actually the building we were looking for (rookie mistake 😒, wouldn't happen now). I think I saw the Mission San Francisco Xavier de Los Delores once but I didn't know we were looking for a brass plate, now it is no longer as easy to visit that side of Aquarena Springs. Rogers' Spring Lake Park Hotel, P. T. Talbot & Sons Building, and Site of Harper's Hall are listed in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas as having markers but they certainly aren't on the building and suspect these are listed in error. I am trying to speak to Hays County Historical Commission for confirmation. Watkins Elm still exists but sadly the marker has been missing for a very long time. Carroll Hall which was at the original San Marcos Baptist Academy location did indeed have a marker but the school was never able to locate it when I ask them about it. The text on the marker for Old Main is not the same as the original marker which was inside Old Main, the current plate is outside and medallion was missing when we were there. The Eli T. Merriman House was moved from Aquarena Springs to San Marcos City Park to preserve the cabin, I don't if this is when the marker was lost or it was already missing before the move but it is not on the cabin now. Lastly, I think the entry in the atlas for Old Mill is a duplicate entry for San Marcos Mill Tract.
Wimberly is a beautiful part of Hays County which I always enjoy visiting, just thinking about it makes me think this is somewhere I would be more than happy to live. Wimberly has several new markers and these are the only ones we are missing in this town. We have been lucky enough to capture all the markers including the Julia Ann Ragsdale Home which is an excellent example of a pioneer house.
When we first started this little hobby over 10 years ago Dripping Springs was very rural, it still has a rural feel but it is also starting to become an outer suburb of Austin, I know of many people who work at North Austin Medical Center that live in Drippings Springs. When we are out this way we always try and stop at the Nutty Brown Cafe the property has been sold to H.E.B. and Nutty Brown Cafe is set to move to Round Rock in 2018. I hope this growth doesn't change the Dripping Springs feel. We have never been in Dripping Spring at the right time to visit the Pound Museum but the marker for the Pound House is certainly not visible and my hunch is it is missing. The Wallace Family Cemetery Marker is there but unless you go in the winter after a freeze it is hard to see and get to. I'd also love a better picture of the Isham Jones Good Gravesite.
Kyle and Buda, I'll do together because I think of them that way. Many people are living in these towns are working in Austin simply because it is more affordable to buy a house in Hays County. For Kyle, the Ezekiel Nance Home burnt down many years ago and Blanco Chapel is on private property although we do have a contact for it. Carpenter Log Home in Buda exists though I do wonder what it looks like as the picture I saw of was very old and it was very run down at that time. There are also several cemeteries with markers on private property.
The last town of Driftwood, has the Friday Mountain Camp, the property was bought by Barsana Dham Ashram and while the property is perfect for their religious needs they do not have a connection to the history of the property. I read an article that said the marker had been turned over to the Hays County Historical Commission because to main building had been altered significantly. When my dad was here from Australia we took him to the Saltlick because we wanted him to have an authentic Texas barbecue experience and he did truly enjoy it, I wish I'd got a shot of him when he tasted the ribs!
Hays County has a very active passionate historical commission we can count on 4-5 new markers every year and they have also been very helpful with all my pesky questions over the years. It's a county that certainly many challenges when trying to close out the historical marker set but I always enjoy the drive and there are places I would really like to visit for lunch or dinner (Creek Road Cafe in Dripping Springs for one) so it is always an adventure.
6th November, 2018 - I decided to take another look at the Hays County markers after we captured the very overgrown Wallace Family Cemetery marker on a gray Sunday morning on our way to Fredericksburg. As has been my history with Hays County on researching, the markers we have still to capture leaves me with more questions than answers. Hays County Historical Commission has added more markers some of which are for private cemeteries. I have asked Hays County Historical Commission many questions and I am hopeful for information. There are entries that the Texas Historical Commission Atlas lists where the markers are missing, these include:- San Pedro Cemetery, San Marcos Baptist Academy, Dr. Joseph M. Pound Home, Watkins Elm and, Eli T. Merriman House. These are the ones (there are others) I would love to know more about.
7th June, 2020 - Hays County has a dedicated and industrious historical commission, they are very committed to preserving and documenting the county's history. There are several new markers, their dedication having been slowed by the change in the Texas Historical Commission foundry. On review I discovered that the Pound House's medallion & plate have been replaced, the text is slightly different to the original but it's nice to see it out the front of the house. I also saw that the old medallion that is inside the house. The Thompson Plantation was at the site of Stokes Park, I'm not sure any part of the old house still exists but we have never looked in this location. There definitely needs to be a return trip to Hays County, we are starting to fall behind!
4th July, 2020 - We took a small return trip through Hays County on our way to Kerrville, mostly just through Wimberley. We tried to capture the Indian Mott Skimish and C. W. Burdett but only managed to get to the end of Deer Lake Road, all threee entrances after this looked to be private, I've reached out to hays County Historical Commission to see we there is anyway to access these markers. We have many markers to try and capture that are on private property and at the moment people are scared to allow visitors on to their properties. Hopefully after the panademic we will have more success.
Alba Ranch
Alexander Gates & Lillian Johnson Thomas House
Antioch Cemetery
Antioch Colony
Augusta Hofheinz House
Barton Cemetery
Basil Dailey House
Beef for the Confederacy
Belvin Street Historic District
Beverly Hutchison House
Blanco Chapel
Buda
Buda Christian Church
Buda School
Buda United Methodist Church
Bunton Branch Bridge
Burleson Home
Burleson Homestead
Burns Sons' Gravesite
Butler Cemetery
Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House
Calhoun Ranch
Camp Ben McCulloch No. 946, United Confederate Veterans
Carpenter Home
Carroll Hall
Cementerio del Rio
Cemetery Chapel
Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin
Cheatham-Hohenberg Cemetery
Claiborne Kyle Log House
Cocke Cemetery
Cora Jackman Donalson House
Coronado Cemetery
Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Fort Street Presbyterian Church)
C. W. Burdett
Czichos House
Don Felipe Roque de la Portilla
Driftwood Cemetery
Driftwood Church
Dripping Springs Academy
Dripping Springs United Methodist Church
Dr. Joseph M. Pound
Dr. Joseph M. Pound Homestead
Dunbar School
Eddie Durham
Eli T. Merriman Home
Eliza Pitts Malone
Ezekiel Nance Home
Farmers Union Gin Company
First Baptist Church NBC of San Marcos
First Baptist Church of Buda
First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs
First Baptist Church of Kyle
First Baptist Church of San Marcos
First Christian Church of San Marcos
First National Bank of San Marcos
First Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Fisher Hall
Founding of the First Methodist Church
Friday Mountain Camp
George Henry Talmadge Home
George Thomas McGehee House
Goforth
Goforth-Harris House
Hays County
Heard-Baker House
Hector Family Cemetery
Hector Family Cemetery
Immanuel Baptist Church
Indian Mott Skirmish
Isham Jones Good
Jacob's Well
Jacob's Well Cemetery
James C. Lane House
James-Duran-Alba Cemetery
James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone House
J. H. Barbee House
John F. McGehee Home
John Henry Saunders Homestead
John Matthew Cape House
John R. Dobie House
John Wheeler Bunton
Joseph B. Rogers House
Joseph W. Earnest Home
Julia Ann Ragsdale Home
Katherine Anne Porter
Kyle Depot
Kone-Cliett House
Kone-Yarbrough House
Kuyenkendall 101 Ranch Mausoleum
Kyle
Kyle Auction Oak
Kyle Cemetery
Kyle Pioneer Family Cemetery
La Sociedad Mutualista Cuauhtémoc
Lex Word and the Bon Ton
Lloyd Gideon Johnson House
Martin Church of Goforth
McElroy-Severn House (Stagecoach House and Onion Creek Post Office)
McGehee Crossing
Mexican War Camp at San Marcos
Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Delores
Miss Lillie Dobie's House
Mt. Gainer
Old Cock Home
Old D. A. Young Building
Old Fish Hatchery Office Building
Old Main
Old San Antonio Road (No. 72)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 73)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 74)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 75)
Old Storey Home
O.T. Brown Home
Peter Cavanaugh Woods
Phillips Cemetery
Pitts Cemetery
Post San Marcos
P. T. Talbot & Sons Building
Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House
Riverhead Farm
Robert Early McKie House
Robert Hixon Belvin Home
Rogers' Spring Lake Park Hotel
Rylander-Kyle House
Sanders-Grosgerbauer House
San Francisco Xavier de los Delores
San Marcos-Blanco Cemetery
San Marcos Cemetery
San Marcos Masonic Lodge No. 342 A. F. & A. M.
San Marcos Mill Tract
San Marcos Springs
San Pedro Cemetery
Sink Springs
Site of Coronal Institute
Site of Harper's Hall
Site of Hay's County's First Public Building
Site of San Marcos National Fish Hatchery
Site of Sidney J. Pyland Blacksmith Shop
Site of the First Town of San Marcos
Southside School
Stringtown
The Calaboose
The Century-Old Wimberley Cemetery
The Courthouses of Hays County
The Ike Wood House
The Marshall-Chapman Home
The Old Lime Kiln
Thompson Plantations
Thompson's Islands
Thompson's Island Homeplace
Ulysses Cephas
Wallace Family Cemetery
Watkins Elm
Wesley Chapel A. M. E. Church
William W. Moon
Wimberley-Hughes House
Wimberley Mills
Winters-Wimberley House
Wonder Cave
WPA Projects at Kyle School
W.T, Chapman
Alexander Gates & Lillian Johnson Thomas House
Antioch Cemetery
Antioch Colony
Augusta Hofheinz House
Barton Cemetery
Basil Dailey House
Beef for the Confederacy
Belvin Street Historic District
Beverly Hutchison House
Blanco Chapel
Buda
Buda Christian Church
Buda School
Buda United Methodist Church
Bunton Branch Bridge
Burleson Home
Burleson Homestead
Burns Sons' Gravesite
Butler Cemetery
Caldwell-Kone-Hyatt House
Calhoun Ranch
Camp Ben McCulloch No. 946, United Confederate Veterans
Carpenter Home
Carroll Hall
Cementerio del Rio
Cemetery Chapel
Charles Lewis McGehee Cabin
Cheatham-Hohenberg Cemetery
Claiborne Kyle Log House
Cocke Cemetery
Cora Jackman Donalson House
Coronado Cemetery
Cumberland Presbyterian Church (Fort Street Presbyterian Church)
C. W. Burdett
Czichos House
Don Felipe Roque de la Portilla
Driftwood Cemetery
Driftwood Church
Dripping Springs Academy
Dripping Springs United Methodist Church
Dr. Joseph M. Pound
Dr. Joseph M. Pound Homestead
Dunbar School
Eddie Durham
Eli T. Merriman Home
Eliza Pitts Malone
Ezekiel Nance Home
Farmers Union Gin Company
First Baptist Church NBC of San Marcos
First Baptist Church of Buda
First Baptist Church of Dripping Springs
First Baptist Church of Kyle
First Baptist Church of San Marcos
First Christian Church of San Marcos
First National Bank of San Marcos
First Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Fisher Hall
Founding of the First Methodist Church
Friday Mountain Camp
George Henry Talmadge Home
George Thomas McGehee House
Goforth
Goforth-Harris House
Hays County
Heard-Baker House
Hector Family Cemetery
Hector Family Cemetery
Immanuel Baptist Church
Indian Mott Skirmish
Isham Jones Good
Jacob's Well
Jacob's Well Cemetery
James C. Lane House
James-Duran-Alba Cemetery
James Lafayette and Eliza Pitts Malone House
J. H. Barbee House
John F. McGehee Home
John Henry Saunders Homestead
John Matthew Cape House
John R. Dobie House
John Wheeler Bunton
Joseph B. Rogers House
Joseph W. Earnest Home
Julia Ann Ragsdale Home
Katherine Anne Porter
Kyle Depot
Kone-Cliett House
Kone-Yarbrough House
Kuyenkendall 101 Ranch Mausoleum
Kyle
Kyle Auction Oak
Kyle Cemetery
Kyle Pioneer Family Cemetery
La Sociedad Mutualista Cuauhtémoc
Lex Word and the Bon Ton
Lloyd Gideon Johnson House
Martin Church of Goforth
McElroy-Severn House (Stagecoach House and Onion Creek Post Office)
McGehee Crossing
Mexican War Camp at San Marcos
Mission San Francisco Xavier de los Delores
Miss Lillie Dobie's House
Mt. Gainer
Old Cock Home
Old D. A. Young Building
Old Fish Hatchery Office Building
Old Main
Old San Antonio Road (No. 72)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 73)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 74)
Old San Antonio Road (No. 75)
Old Storey Home
O.T. Brown Home
Peter Cavanaugh Woods
Phillips Cemetery
Pitts Cemetery
Post San Marcos
P. T. Talbot & Sons Building
Ragsdale-Jackman-Yarbrough House
Riverhead Farm
Robert Early McKie House
Robert Hixon Belvin Home
Rogers' Spring Lake Park Hotel
Rylander-Kyle House
Sanders-Grosgerbauer House
San Francisco Xavier de los Delores
San Marcos-Blanco Cemetery
San Marcos Cemetery
San Marcos Masonic Lodge No. 342 A. F. & A. M.
San Marcos Mill Tract
San Marcos Springs
San Pedro Cemetery
Sink Springs
Site of Coronal Institute
Site of Harper's Hall
Site of Hay's County's First Public Building
Site of San Marcos National Fish Hatchery
Site of Sidney J. Pyland Blacksmith Shop
Site of the First Town of San Marcos
Southside School
Stringtown
The Calaboose
The Century-Old Wimberley Cemetery
The Courthouses of Hays County
The Ike Wood House
The Marshall-Chapman Home
The Old Lime Kiln
Thompson Plantations
Thompson's Islands
Thompson's Island Homeplace
Ulysses Cephas
Wallace Family Cemetery
Watkins Elm
Wesley Chapel A. M. E. Church
William W. Moon
Wimberley-Hughes House
Wimberley Mills
Winters-Wimberley House
Wonder Cave
WPA Projects at Kyle School
W.T, Chapman