DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the voice carrying it down the road. The Logan Vandeveer House — Burnet County, Texas, and a story that starts a long way from here. Kentucky, to be exact.
Logan Vandeveer came out of Kentucky in 1833, and from that moment on, his life got considerably more interesting than it might have back home. By 1836 he was at San Jacinto, fighting for Texas, and he didn't walk away clean — he was badly wounded there. Some men carry a story like that quietly.
Vandeveer apparently just kept moving. By 1849 he had made his way to this part of the Hill Country, selling beef to Fort Croghan. That'll put you in a place pretty quick — supplying an army post has a way of rooting a man.
And root he did. He became one of the organizers of Burnet County, and on top of that, he served as the original postmaster of the town. Not a bad résumé for a man who'd already taken a wound at San Jacinto.
Then, in the early 1850s, he built this house — right along Hamilton Creek — for a daughter. It stood at 502 South Water Street for a good long while, as houses in Texas will do when they're built with intention. In 1973, the Burnet County Historical Society moved it to its current location for preservation.
And here's the detail that'll stick with you: the porch was floored with stones from an early Burnet County Courthouse. The man helped organize the county, and now his house stands on pieces of it. Logan Vandeveer, born 1815, died 1855 — Kentucky boy, Texas fighter, county builder.
The house is still here. Make of that what you will.
What the marker says
(1815-55) Came from Kentucky in 1833. He was badly wounded fighting for Texas at San Jacinto, 1836. Moving here to sell beef to Fort Croghan, 1849, he was one of organizers of the county and original postmaster of the town. In the early 1850s he built this house near Hamilton Creek for a daughter. It stood at 502 South Water Street. Burnet County Historical Society moved it here for preservation in 1973. Porch was floored with stones from an early Burnet County Courthouse. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1974