John Henry Saunders Homestead

Duane's take

The way the marker tells it, here's the story of the John Henry Saunders Homestead, out in Hays County. Now, John Henry Saunders was a man who covered a lot of ground before he ever put down roots. Born in Virginia in 1850, he served in the Confederate Cavalry, and when the war was behind him, he didn't exactly take the short road to Texas.

He came through Tennessee, through Indian Territory, and finally landed in Texas in 1870. A long, winding path, and you have to wonder what he was turning over in his mind the whole way. When he arrived, he found himself at a place called Purgatory Springs.

And whatever you might think about that name, Saunders made himself useful there in a hurry. He became the first teacher at Purgatory Springs, which would later go by the considerably gentler name of Hugo. Teaching was just the beginning.

In 1872, he married Calladonia Modeline Williamson, who was born in 1855, right there in that community. Now a man like Saunders, once he's settled, he keeps building. He put up a store west of the house we're talking about today.

He served as Wimberley postmaster, not once but twice, somewhere between 1890 and 1907. He served as county commissioner. And then, from 1907 to 1916, he served as the first county school superintendent.

The man who started out as a schoolteacher ended up running the whole county's schools. There's a kind of symmetry to that. The house itself, built around 1870, became the Saunders family home from 1888 to 1907, before John Henry and Calladonia moved on to San Marcos.

The house still carries alterations made around 1930, quiet evidence that life kept moving through it long after the Saunders were gone. Calladonia outlived John Henry. He passed in 1919, and she lived on until 1930.

The house, in its own way, outlived them both. This marker was placed as part of the Texas Sesquicentennial, marking one hundred fifty years from 1836 to 1986. A fitting occasion to remember a man who crossed half the country, settled at a place called Purgatory, and spent the rest of his life making it something worth staying for.

What the marker says

Born in Virginia, John Henry Saunders (1850-1919) served in the Confederate Cavalry and came to Texas in 1870, via Tennessee and Indian Territory. He was the first teacher at Purgatory Springs (later called Hugo) where he married Calladonia Modeline Williamson (1855-1930) in 1872. He built a store west of this house, and served twice as Wimberley postmaster between 1890 and 1907; as county commissioner; and as the first county school superintendent from 1907 to 1916. the Saunders lived in this c. 1870 house from 1888 to 1907, then moved to San Marcos. The house exhibits c. 1930 alterations. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986