Gugger Homestead

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, if you're gonna build something that lasts, you'd do well to take notes from Arnold Gugger, because this man did not come to play. Arnold was the son of Anton and Marie Gugger, Swiss-born pioneers who'd put down roots in Helotes, and around 1881 Arnold built himself something worth talking about.

He picked a spot on the east bank of Helotes Creek, and you've got to appreciate the thinking there. A creek nearby means a blacksmith has water. A blacksmith has foot traffic.

Foot traffic needs a general store. And after a long day, well, a saloon tends to take care of itself. So under one roof, Arnold ran all three.

The blacksmith shop, the general store, the saloon. And upstairs, he and his wife Amalia Mollie, born a Benke, were raising six children. Six.

Above a saloon and a smithy. I imagine those kids slept through just about anything. The building itself is no joke either.

Two stories of limestone, with walls eighteen inches thick. Rough-course construction. An L-shaped wood porch wrapping around the front and side of both floors.

This place was built to stand, and stand it has. The Guggers eventually sold the property to Wilbert Hileman in 1908, and it's changed hands several more times since. But here's the thread that keeps running through it.

That building kept serving the community. It housed the Helotes Post Office twice. First under postmaster Arnold Gugger himself, from 1888 to 1904.

Then, decades later, under postmaster Blanche Maltsberger, from 1944 to 1953. Same walls. Different hands.

Same purpose. Anton and Marie Gugger came over from Switzerland and planted something in Helotes. Their son Arnold built it into limestone and timber.

And more than a hundred and twenty years on, those eighteen-inch walls are still standing on the east bank of Helotes Creek, holding every story inside them.

What the marker says

Arnold Gugger, son of Swiss-born Helotes Pioneers Anton and Marie Gugger, built this house and store circa 1881. Its site on the east bank of Helotes Creek was ideal for Guggers blacksmith shop, general store and saloon, and Arnold and wife Amalia Mollie (Benke) raised their six children on the second floor. The Guggers sold the property to Wilbert Hileman in 1908, and it has subsequently changed hands several times. The home has served as the Helotes Post Office twice, under postmasters Arnold Gugger (1888-1904) and Blanche Maltsberger (1944-1953). The two-story limestone building features 18-inch thick rough-course walls. An L-shaped wood porch extends around the front and side of both stories. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004