Maier-Alberthal Building

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and here's how I'm gonna pass it along to you. Out in Gillespie County, there stands a stone building that has quietly outlived just about every purpose a building can be put to, and it has done it with the stubborn dignity of good German masonry. The Maier-Alberthal Building.

Let me tell you its story. It was constructed about 1860, which means whoever laid those limestone blocks did their work well, because the structure is still here to be talked about. Now, in 1866, a German native by the name of Anton Maier acquired the property.

Maier was born in 1813, and by the time he got hold of this building he was a man who knew how to get things done. He was a merchant, and he held several offices in Gillespie County, which tells you folks in the community trusted him with more than just their grocery lists. At some point, Maier deeded the property to his son-in-law, August Alberthal.

Kept it in the family, kept it in good hands. And by 1900, this one building, this single stretch of German vernacular stone, had already worn more hats than most buildings wear in a lifetime. It served as a grocery and general mercantile store.

Then a soda water factory, which I personally think deserves a moment of appreciation. Then an auto repair shop. And somewhere along the way, a mission congregation held their worship services right inside those same walls.

Groceries, soda water, engine grease, and Sunday prayers, all under one roof. That's not just a building. That's a whole town condensed into four walls and a good stone foundation.

What the marker says

Constructed about 1860, this building was acquired by German native Anton Maier (b. 1813) in 1866. A merchant who held several Gillespie County offices, Maier deeded the property to his son-in-law, August Alberthal. In 1900, the German vernacular stone commercial building has served as a grocery and general mercantile store, a soda water factory, an auto repair shop, and at one time was the site of worship services for a mission congregation. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983