The town is barely older than the house. Henri Castro crossed the Medina River with his colonists on September 3, 1844, and named the place Castroville nine days later. Jean Ulrich Zuercher was among them - he came with his wife Dorothe, and the family was granted a town lot and forty acres, which is what Castro promised every colonist who made the crossing.

What he built was small. One room on each side of a shared chimney, and not much else. That front room with the fireplace is the original house, and everything around it came later - a house that grew for a hundred and eighty years the way houses do when a family stays. Board-and-batten walls in a town that made its name in limestone. Wide plank floors, open beams with the roof decking showing above, and two doors onto the front porch from the days before hallways.

Two bedrooms, sleeps four. A queen downstairs, and up under the eaves a single and a double where the walls come down to meet the floor - a good room for kids, and a low one for anyone tall. Two full baths, both down: one with a claw-foot tub, and a shower off the primary bedroom. Full kitchen with a dishwasher, a dining table for four, washer and dryer, satellite and a big screen. A covered back porch with seating, and a gas grill.

Then there is the river. The Medina runs at the back of the property - the same water Castro's colonists crossed to get here, and the reason they stopped where they did. There is a dock, kayaks to use, a lookout deck above the bank, and fishing when you want it. String lights come on after dark and the whole stretch turns into the best room in the house.

The stairs down to the water are worth a look on the way. Every brick in them is stamped D'HANIS - from the brickworks in Castro's fourth colony, twenty-five miles west, which sent brick out by rail for decades. Two of the man's four towns, in one staircase.

Castroville itself is a walk away. The Landmark Inn, St. Louis Church, the old Medina County courthouse, and ninety-six surveyed buildings in a National Register historic district that has looked more or less like this since the 1870s. Twenty-five miles west of San Antonio and a hundred and eighty years from anywhere.

Accommodations Details:

Bedroom 1 (downstairs) - Queen bed. Private bath with shower.
Bedroom 2 (upstairs) - One double and one single. Tucked under the roof pitch where the walls meet the floor, so headroom is limited. Best suited to children or anyone who does not mind ducking.
Bath 1 (downstairs) - Claw-foot tub.
Bath 2 (downstairs, off the primary bedroom) - Walk-in shower.
Living areas - Front room with the original fireplace. Dining table seats four

Features Description;

Kitchen - Fully equipped with a dishwasher, refrigerator, range, microwave, coffee maker, cookware, dishes, and utensils.
Laundry - Washer and dryer in the home.
Entertainment - Large-screen TV with satellite. Wi-Fi throughout.
Outdoor - Covered back porch with seating. Gas grill. Lookout deck above the river. Private dock. Kayaks provided. Fishing from the bank or the dock. String lights through the river area.
Comfort - Central heat and air. Linens and towels provided.
Historic character - Wide plank floors, exposed beam ceilings, original fireplace, board-and-batten walls, D'Hanis brick river staircase.

Unique Benefits

- Built in 1844, the founding year of Castroville, by one of Henri Castro's original Alsatian colonists
- Private Medina River frontage with a dock, kayaks, lookout deck, and fishing
- Board-and-batten construction, rare in a limestone town
- Original fireplace and chimney in the 1844 core of the house
- D'Hanis-stamped brick staircase down to the river
- Walking distance to the National Register historic district
- 25 miles from San Antonio

Location Activities

On the property - Kayaking, fishing, and swimming on the Medina. The lookout deck is good at sunset.
In town - Walk the historic district. The Landmark Inn State Historic Site, St. Louis Catholic Church, the Steinle and Dubuis houses, and the first Medina County courthouse are all within a few blocks. Haby's Alsatian Bakery is a Castroville institution. Antique shops along Angelo and Fiorella streets.
Seasonal - St. Louis Day in late August has been held since the 1840s: procession, picnic, and dance. Market Trail Days in spring and fall.
Nearby - Castroville Regional Park on the river. Medina Lake is 30 minutes north. San Antonio's River Walk, the Alamo, and the Missions are half an hour east. Bandera, the Cowboy Capital, is under an hour.

Flexible Pricing for every group
Our rates adapt to make sure smaller groups don't overpay ; but bigger getaways still get full value.
- Base rate includes up to 2 guests
- $20/person/night for each additional guest (up to 4 total)
- Cleaning fee: $100
- Pets not allowed

Castroville:
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Castroville sits inside a bend of the Medina River, twenty-five miles west of San Antonio, and calls itself the Little Alsace of Texas. Henri Castro founded it in 1844 with colonists from Alsace, on the French-German border, and the town has held onto that character - the railroad went around it and industry never arrived.

The historic district covers 420 acres and includes ninety-six surveyed buildings from the 1840s through the 1880s: stuccoed limestone cottages with red tin roofs, the 1846 St. Louis Church, the Landmark Inn, and the first Medina County courthouse. The house sits on San Jacinto Street with the river at the back and the town a short walk away.

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Bandera, Texas

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