Old Roesler Place, The

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of the Old Roesler Place. Now, August Roesler was not a man who did things halfway. He made it all the way from Germany to Texas during the 1850s, which, if you know anything about either of those journeys, is no small thing.

And once he was here, he put down roots. Real ones. In 1873, Roesler built himself a simple frame dwelling out here in Austin County.

Nothing fancy, mind you. But it sat near a busy public road, and that turned out to matter quite a bit. Travelers came through, and they stopped.

Frequently. That little frame house became a kind of waystation, a familiar face on an unfamiliar road for folks passing through. The Roesler family did well enough that by 1892, they had moved into a larger residence right there on the same property.

The old first home was still standing. Still there. Right up until it wasn't.

Because in 1892, that original dwelling burned. Now, losing your first home, the place where you started, that is not a small thing. But here is where the story takes a turn worth noting.

August Roesler did not simply mourn it and move on. With help from his neighbors, he built again. A board and batten farmhouse, a replica of the structure that had been lost.

August Roesler was born in 1836 and lived until 1933. The house his neighbors helped him raise is still here. A man rebuilds what he loves, and sometimes, what he builds the second time around is the one that lasts.

What the marker says

August Roesler (1836-1933), who migrated to Texas from Germany during the 1850s, built a simple frame dwelling at this site in 1873. Near a busy public road, it was a frequent stopping place for travelers. In 1892, after the Roesler family had moved to a larger residence on the property, their first home burned. With help from his neighbors, Roesler then constructed this board and batten farmhouse, a replica of the earlier structure. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1977