When you’re driving into downtown Boerne from South Main before the creek, on the right is a little cottage that says “General Robert E. Lee Stayed Here”. The Story of the O’Grady Inn right after this.

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John G. O’Grady came to Boerne in 1859 from Ireland, and settled on the south bank of Cibolo Creek which was considered outside of our little German town. O’Grady was the Postmaster of Boerne in the late 1860s, and he participated in the last Indian fights near Boerne and Sisterdale. The old government trail between San Antonio and the Forts of McKavitt, Concho, and Mason passed by his front door. He built several cabins on his property where travelers could dine or stay overnight including the Civil War General. The one you still see on Main Street is the only one that remains.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Behind Flashback Funtiques and the Tusculum Brewing Company is Under the Fig Tree Boutique which is in one of the oldest houses in Boerne. It was built in 1858 and known as The Theis House on Newton Alley.

The story of Phillip Jacob Theis right after this.

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In 1855 Phillip Jacob Theis arrived in Texas after a 73-day voyage from Bremen Germany, reuniting with his son Jacob who at the age of 19 fled before being drafted into the German army. For 79 dollars, Theis bought the land where his house still stands, and ran his blacksmith and wheelwright shop in front. Theis always left Newton Alley open as that was the access to the Cibolo Creek for bucket brigades whenever there was a fire. Phillip Theis was also known as one of the signers of the petition to create Kendall County in 1859.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Shooting Club Road is off of Sisterdale Road on the Northside of Boerne that runs behind the Ebensberger-Fisher Funeral Home, and ends on Pfeiffer. The story of the oldest Shooting Club in Texas right after this.

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In 1864, a group of German settlers formed the Boerne Schuetzen Verein. The first rifle range was on property owned by William Kuhfuss on North Main Street. The range moved to a pasture behind the Phillip Manor House on South Main. Charter Members included Kuhfuss, Phillip, and E.A.F. Toepperwein.

Other members a generation later include Karl and Joe Dienger, Helwig Zoeller, and Adolf Luckenbach.

A couple of changes in the 20th century, the Boerne Schuetzen Verein moved again in 1913 to the present-day Shooting Club Road…and in 1934 they changed the name of their club into English…. Boerne Shooting Club. It’s rumored that A.G. Vogt then coined the phrase “Boerne Gone Forever”.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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In Boerne’s Main Plaza a Texas Historical Marker honors German Music in Boerne. The story of the Boerne Village Band right after this.

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The Boerne Village Band was organized in 1860 by Dr. Karl Dienger who also organized the Boerne Gesang Verein, a singing group. Until 1885 he was in charge of both groups, and he combined singing fests with the German band music throughout the Texas Hill Country. The Band has been recognized by the German government and the State of Texas as the oldest continuous German Band in the World outside of Germany.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Across the street from the Courthouse on East San Antonio Avenue is a building that was added to the National Registry of Historic Places, and a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The story of the original Kendall County Courthouse right after this.

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Seven years after Kendall County was organized, the first county courthouse was completed in 1870. Local Surveyor John James donated the land. The courthouse was a small one-story structure that housed the first county jail on the northeast corner. The structure we see today includes the addition of a second story to the original courthouse, which operated for 128 years. This Kendall County building is the second oldest Texas courthouse in continuous use.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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At Roeder Street and Hickman in Boerne there is a small park with a World War II memorial … more about Roeder Park right after this …

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The Roeder Memorial Park was built to honor two Boerne-area men who died in service. In 1945, C.T. and Eva Roberts deeded the four lots in the Cibolo Park Addition to the City of Boerne. Their twin sons Aaron and Allen were killed in World War II combat. They graduated from Boerne High School in 1944 and joined the Navy, where they were assigned to the USS Bismarck Sea. On the evening of Feb. 21, 1945, the Bismarck Sea had just recovered her aircraft from a strike when a swarm of Japanese planes appeared, with one crashing into the battleship. Allen went back to look for Aaron before abandoning the ship. They perished as the USS Bismarck Sea sank to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in less than 90 minutes.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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When the first settlers came to Boerne Apache and Comanche Tribes roamed the Texas Hill Country. The story of the captured Smith Brothers right after this.

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In February of 1871, Clint and Jeff Smith were herding their father’s sheep along Cibolo Creek when the Comanche captured them. After five years, Clint was traded for Native American prisoners at Fort Sill. Apache chief Geronimo bought Jeff, who was later captured by bandits and returned to his family in 1878 for a $1,000 reward. Adjusting back into polite society was a challenge, as one of their many escapades included roasting a neighbor’s cow that they had killed with their father’s gun.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Next to the Bear Moon Bakery on Main Street sits a building where Dr. Jack Diamond opened a hospital in 1949. The story of the place where most of Boerne’s future citizens were born…right after this.

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Most likely, Joe Vogt built the home next to his store at 421 Main back in 1890. The small building housed a general store, a barbershop, and a doctor’s office. It served for a time as a clinic building for Dr. Nooe and later for Dr. Griggs. Dr. Jack R. Diamond acquired the building in 1949 and converted it into a hospital, licensed by the State Health Department with 12 beds. It was the only intensive care facility in Boerne. Since it closed in 1954 it has been an antique store and then back to a family home.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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