We will start driving north on Austin Street at Central Park in downtown.

The present courthouse, Guadalupe County's fourth courthouse, held open house April 10, 1936.

Drive north on Austin Street. Just north of Court Street, at Gonzales Street, turn right and go two blocks.

Seguin's Municipal Building, 1935, with additions, 1984, is on the northeast corner of Gonzales and River Streets. When time permits, stop to read the Seguin marker and go inside for a look at the Ship's Bell from the World War II Liberty Ship, S.S. Juan Seguin.
Parking is available in the rear. Turn left on Crocket Street.

One block north is Mountain Street. Turn left. Go two blocks, turn right on Austin Street.

The 1916 Aumont Hotel, named for its location at the corner of Austin Street and Mountain Street, was built on the site of a livery stable. The Chicago White Sox baseball team stayed at the Aumont in 1922 and 1923 during their spring training program in Seguin. The Aumont was listed as the only fireproof hotel between Houston and San Antonio and on the Old Spanish Trail.

The Mosheim-Weyel-Adams house, 409 N. Austin St., was built in 1880 by Emil Mosheim, a German born attorney.

North of the Mosheim house is the Texas Theatre. Opened at 7:30 p.m. March 9, 1931, it has the original marquee and "Texas" sign with a star on top. Two movies, "The Great Waldo Pepper," 1973, and "Raggedy Man," 1980, have scenes filmed in the Texas Theatre. Several "shorts" and advertisements have also been filmed at the theater. The side wall panels inside are made of a gauze material. Each large frame features a tree design. The theater is now owned by the Seguin Conservation Society.

Next door to the Texas Theatre, the Chamber of Commerce, located at 427 N. Austin St. was organized in 1915. Lack of interest and funding was cause to shut down a year later. In 1921, the Chamber of Commerce was again funded and the director provided area benefits, such as

1. Bringing the Chicago White Sox baseball team here for Spring Training in 1922 and 1923.
2. Securing the "Old Spanish Trail" to pass through Seguin and marking the road.
3. Organizing the retail merchants association.
4. Providing a reading room (a library), where the latest magazines and papers were available.
5. Arranging with the city for tourist camping along the Guadalupe River.

The Chamber of Commerce has general or detailed Seguin information in a brochure rack outside the front door. Stop to pick up maps or brochures.

At the corner of Ireland Street, look right. One block to the right, at the southwest corner of Ireland and River streets, is the Women's Federated Clubs House. This is the fifth location since it was originally constructed in 1903, when it was the first house built in Texas for use by club women. The first location of the club house was across from the Magnolia Hotel on South Crockett St.

Continue north. A few blocks east on College St., the Seguin-Guadalupe County Public Library is located at 707 E. College. The building was dedicated Jan. 31, 1964, and opened to the public Feb. 1, 1964. The latest expansion was in 1986.

Continue north on Austin St. and view some of Seguin's beautiful homes.
811 N. Austin St.: the Rev. T.J. Dodson-Quello house, 1907.
822 N. Austin St.: the Blumberg-Ayers house, 1906. Designed by architect Atlee B. Ayers who contributed to the distinctive style of many San Antonio buildings
902 N. Austin St.: the Erskine-Humphrey-Hollamon house. Part of this structure was built around 1853 near Prairie Lea (across the San Marcos River in Caldwell County). It was divided into three sections when moved by ox cart in 1867 to its present location. East of Austin St. for some distance were the corrals and pens where the cattle were fed and treated prior to being driven to markets in Kansas or California.
* A Texas and National Registered Historic Landmark
907 N. Austin St.: the Abbott-Traeger-Vine house built in 1897.
1207 N. Austin St.: the Weinert-Lovett-Thomas house built by Ferdinand Carl Weinert in 1885. Now the Weinert Bed and Breakfast.

Continue north to Kingsbury St., turn right. Drive one block east, turn right. Drive one block south, turn right. One block west at Austin St., on the right, is a good side view of the Weinert Bed and Breakfast.

Turn left, south, on North Austin St. Turn right at the Aumont Hotel (on the left). Drive west on West Mountain St. The red brick State Bank & Trust building on the right was Seguin's fire station. Notice the doorways where the horsedrawn fire wagons made their noisy exit. Seguin's city offices and a storage room for the horse's feed were located above the fire station.

As late as 1914 a blacksmith's shop was located just west of the fire station

West on Mountain St. A large oak tree stands east of a field stone house known as the Nolte-Starcke house, 211 W. Mountain St. Under the branches of this "Charter Oak," the entrepreneur Joseph S. Martin, along with shareholders James Campbell, and Arthur Swift met and agreed to form a town site, Walnut Springs, later to become Seguin. Go west two blocks. Turn left on Bowie Street.

As we cross Gonzales St., look to the left. The large trees that we see are the Ranger Oaks. Named for an early superintendent, the Joe F. Saegert Middle School on the right was built for use as the Seguin High School in 1929.

The Guadalupe Female Academy was built at this location in 1851 or 1852. The Guadalupe Times newspaper in 1875 advertised the Female Academy for sale, "four acres with a stone building 60x25 feet. The building is two stories." The Jesuit Fathers bought the building and property. In October 1884 the Jesuit Fathers sold the property to the Guadalupe Baptist District Association. The Guadalupe Baptist District Association's first session of school was in 1887. George W. Brackenridge of San Antonio was a large benefactor to the Guadalupe College, a school for negro boys and girls. In 1908, Brackenridge trasferred 216 acres of land west of Seguin to the association. The school was moved to the property west of town. Several times Brackenridge paid their debts, and he obtained control of the town properties when sold at public auction in 1913. Brackenridge permitted the college to remain in operation. In 1914, the Guadalupe College moved to their new location, west of town. The four-acre town property was sold by the heirs of George W. Brackenridge to the Seguin Independent School District June 29, 1927. The Guadalupe College west of town has been inoperative since 1936 when the main building, the four-story administration building and the girls dormitory burned.

Continue to Court St and turn right. Remain in the right lane. On the right, before the bridge, was the Conrad Troell cotton gin.

Pausing at the creek, Walnut Branch, look to the southeast corner of Court and Guadalupe streets for the location of an "old leaning blacksmith shop." It was torn down when Court St. was improved.Just south of the blacksmith shop was an early frontier building often called the Ranger Station. It was the home of Milford Day, an early Texas settler. The building was adobe with a rock barricade. It was a  gathering place for early Texas minutemen and Rangers.

Along the waters of Walnut Branch from Klein Street to the big spring north of Court St. was a parkway built by the City of Seguin and the W.P.A. in the 1930's. Stories passed along say this spring was the location of many church baptisms. The spring was plugged when Court St. was widened.

Continue west. Turn right, on Saunders St, then left on Zorn St. Stop at the bus parking area for Sebastopol State Historical Park. Sebastopol was purchased by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1976 from the Seguin Conservation Society. Built in 1854-1856, the unusual T-shaped Greek Revival house is of poured concrete known as limecrete. The imposing split-level structure was first occupied by Col. Young's recently widowed sister, Catherine LeGette and her eight children. In 1874 she sold the house to Joseph Zorn Jr., who became mayor of Seguin 1890-1910. The structure is architecturally and technologically significant as one of the best surviving examples of an early concrete building. At one time, Seguin was the home for some 100 concrete houses.

Sebastopol has been restored to the 1880's period. Exhibits recount the history of the house and its inhabitants along with the original construction and restoration processes of the structure as determined from documentary and archeological research. Selected family funishings are displayed demonstrating the tastes of a typical middle class family during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The park is open Friday through Sunday, with tours conducted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Contact the park superintendent at P.O. Box 900, Seguin, Texas 78156-0900 or call 830-379-4833.
*A Texas and National Registered Historic Landmark.

Continue west on Court St. At the west end of the Ford Dealership, is a road to the north. Elm Grove, the house at the end of the road, 906 W. Court St., originally Mill Avenue, was built by Andrew Herron and son in 1854, using slave labor. After the Civil War, the mansion was purchased byh Capt. F.A. Vaughn. Esther Vaughn Campbell lived in the house for many years. The present owners are the Dwyers.
*The Herron-Vaughn-Campbell-Dwyer house is a Texas and National Registered Historic Landmark.

Continue west. Drive by Texas Lutheran University on the right. Enrollment is just over 1,500 students. At the end of the TLU campus, turn right on Fleming Drive. Jackson Auditorium is on the left. It opened in the fall of 1986, seats 1,048 and cost $3.5 million to build. The public is invited to attend programs in the Arts and Entertainment Series.

The roots of TLU go back to 1891 when the First Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Texas founded a college in Brenham. It operated as an academy until it moved to here in 1912. From 1912 to 1928, the school was an academy and a pre-theological institute. It received junior college status in 1928. Trinity College of Round Rock merged with TLC in 1929, and in 1954, Clifton College of Texas merged with TLC. The school has been owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America since 1932. The campus consists of 30 major air-conditioned buildings on 184 acres. It is a four year liberal arts educational institution and became a university in 1996.

Continue north on Fleming Drive. The TLU president's house is located at 605 Fleming Drive.

At Kingsbury Street, turn right, then right again on Prexy Drive.

Land for the small cemetery on the left was donated by B.A. Vaughn. A state marker is located at the burial site of Col. Nathaniel Benton, a Texas Ranger and Confederate officer who died in 1872.

Turn left on West Court St. The Greek Revival Short-Duggan-Muelder home, 905 W. Court St., built 1875-1877, is on the right at the corner of Court St and Short Avenue. Mr. T.H. Duggan was a Texas Senator. The book "Historic Homes - The Charm of Seguin" states every room in the house has an outside door in case the family should experience a fire.

Proceed several blocks to Guadalupe St. At the light, turn right. Before 1853, Guadalupe St. was the eastern boundary seperating Guadalupe City from Seguin. Both towns joined to form the city of Seguin when incorporated in 1853.

Turn right at Jefferson, the next street. The seven-story white structure is the Tower, a home for senior citizens.

This building is located on property once belonging to Asa Sowell, an early setller. Asa Sowell and Calvin Turner were hunting when they came across Prince Solms von Braunfels traveling the Chihuahua Trail. Starting from Indianola, the Chihuahua Trail passed through Port Lavaca, Victoria, Goliad, Yorktown, Helena, Sutherland Springs, La Vernia, St. Hedwig, San Antonio, and on west to Chihuahua, Mexico. On March 14, 1845, the Prince purchased 1,265 acres of land for the sum of $1,111 from the Juan Martin de Verimendi family. It was Sowell and Turner who led the Germans across the Guadalupe River on March 21, 1845, to the Comal Springs north of here, land soon to become New Braunfels.

Jefferson Avenue was named after General J.R. Jefferson, who owned and operated wagon and stagecoach lines in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas. He also owned barns and pastures for his horses in the Jefferson Avenue area.

A part of this land was a staging area for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. One block north at 701 Baker St. is the Civil War Oak where in 1861, Brig. Gen. Ben McCulloch was ordered to "Throw the Yankees out of San Antonio," which he did.

Turn left at Saunders St, just before the Sue Smith School. This school, built in 1939, and named after an early Seguin teacher, was previously named Jefferson School.

Jefferson's Tavern, located where Sue Smith School is now located, was a stop on the stagecoach route, Seguin to San Antonio. The Tavern also housed Mr. Jefferson's business offices. The stage then proceeded west to Legette Avenue, turned south, and made
a stop at Legette and Johnson avenues.

Turn right on Johnson Avenue. At 627 Johnson Avenue is the Smith House, c. 1885. The Smiths owned a livery stable at the southwest downtown corner of Austin and Gonzales streets.

The Moore House, built in 1895 with additions in 1900, was the home of a longtime Seguin mayor. Now owned by the Seguin Conservation Society, it is located at 702 Johnson Avenue, the southeast corner of Johnson and Erkel avenues. Stop to read the plaque, and walk around the grounds to see typical Victorian construction. Luncheons are served the first Thursday of each month.
*A Registered Texas Historic Landmark, 1981.

Proceed west on Johson Avenue. Slow at Legette Avenue. We rejoin the stagecoach route to San Antonio. This area is known as The Old Miller Plantation.

The two-story white house on the southwest corner of Legette and Johnson avenues is known as the Johnson-Miller house. The house, built in 1847, is another Park's concrete structure. One bedroom of this house was reserved by the second owner, Mr. Miller, for use by San Antonio's philanthropist George W. Brackenridge on his many trips to Seguin. Brackenridge did spend quite a bit of time in Seguin, first arriving in 1853 to visit a relative, J.J. Thornton, a lawyer.
*HABS (Historic American Building Survey) 1936, 1937; National Registred Historic Landmark, 1978

Continue west one block. Straight ahead, at the dead end of the street was an adobe house where Mrs. Susanna Dickinson (Dickerson) and her baby reportedly spent a night during her fight from the Alamo. Susanna was accompanied by Travis' Negro Servant Joe, and possibly the servant of Bowie. Col. Neil, traveling from Gonzales on his way to the Alamo, met them and was told that "all at the Alamo had died."They all returned to Gonzales where Mrs. Dickinson stayed at the home of Almaran Dickinson located at the corner of St. Mathews and St. James streets near downtown Gonzales. Her return trip to Gonzales required one week.

Susanna led a colorful life. She later moved to Houston where she married a Mr. Herring. She next married Mr. Bellis. Later, moving to Lockhart, she married Mr. Joseph William Hannig. There she lived where the Lockhart City Hall is now located. They moved to Austin where Mr. Hannig was a successful businessman with a furniture store on Pecan St., now 6th St. They had a large home near the northeast city limits at Duval and 32nd Streets. They are both buried in the Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.

Turn left at the dead end, south, to Nelda St., about four blocks. Turn left on Nelda St.

The baseball complex is on the right. The Fairgrounds, home to the Texas Youth Rodeo Association State Finals, is on the right with cattle and small animal pens on the left.

A drive behind the rodeo grounds building will show you the Utilities Warehouse; the Public Works Warehouse; the Texas High School Rodeo Hall of Fame building; Fairgrounds Park; and the volleyball courts. This area is a camping ground for trail riders going from Columbus to the San Antonio Stock Show each year.