Marker #383 - 1985. Civic leader and Boerne businessman Maxmillian Beseler (1866-1939) had this stone Victorian cottage built for his parents, Charles and Minna Beseler, in 1903. A native of Prussia, Charles Beseler came to Texas in 1848 and served for many years as a Kendall County public official. Constructed by Ed Clemens, of locally quarried rock, the home features a curved front porch, decorative woodwork, and shingle detailing. It remained in the Beseler family for over 80 years.
One and one-half story, native limestone rock; quarried at Ranger Creek. Rectangular blocks and frilly Victorian/neoclassical motifs on porch. Deep pitched roofs with dormer over front porch; many gables. Roof recently changed to tin standing seam.
The house originally consisted of a kitchen, two bedrooms, one later used as a dining room and still later as a TV room, two sitting rooms, both converted to bedrooms and a large hallway. All rooms are spacious and have been redone through the years with different pastelshades with creamy white acoustical ceilings. Clothes closets were built in all the bedrooms in the early 1940s.
There were two large porches, the back one being in part converted into a bathroom in later years. This porch was completely enclosed with shutters. Close-type shutters were also used on the windows. Later the shutters were replaced with ordinary screens. The front porch is rounded on one end. Three large round wooden columns, 10" in diameter at the base tapering to about 8 1/2 inches at the top with a decorative entablature at the top of each and all along the porch roof; as well as an ornate wooden balustrade enclose the porch area. Balustrades form the handrails on each side of the front steps.
The roof on the house proper was cedar shingle and the porches had tin roofs. The stone which surrounds the house was quarried in large chunks at Ranger Creek, brought to town and sawed into 30" by 14" rectangles. There are no fireplaces in the house. At first wood-burning stoves then later kerosene circulating heaters were used for heat. In the early1960s, gas connections were installed.
An ornate wrought iron fencesurrounds the front yard area. Many trees and shrubs were planted but most of the big hackberry trees and several pecan trees died during the drought of the late 1940s and early 1950s.
A wash house, a workshop, garage, metal rainwater tank, chicken coop and swine shed were early out-buildings. Later, a one room house where Max Beseler slept while he lived there with his daughter, Edna, was built. It was fondly called "Opa's room". In between this and the old wash house a flower house was built to store pots and plants during the winter. The was house was rebuilt in 1971 to serve as a garage, the old garage being antiquated and used for only storage. When the children were young, Herbert built a playhouse in the yard for them.
When Mr. and Mrs. Charles Beseler were alive, the whole backyard was plowed and planted in cabbage. Some fruit trees were also planted. Charles Beseler lived in this house only five years before he died, but his wife, Minna, lived here for twenty-two years. When Mrs. Beseler lived here there was no sink in the kitchen, but running water was already piped in.
When Edna Beseler Harz died in 1982, her heirs sold the house to Waldo Lynch, who put wrought iron bars on all of the windows and doors. Then in 1984 the house was sold to Dr. Richard Schatz and his wife, Dr. Renee Rose, and they completely restored and remodeled the house.
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