Ressmann-Boos House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for the Ressmann-Boos House in Gillespie County. Now, some stories are about one big dramatic moment. This one's about something quieter, and in its own way, just as impressive.

It's about a house that kept changing, kept enduring, and kept passing from one set of careful hands to the next. The earliest part of this home was built about 1845, and it went up in fachwerk construction, that style of timber framing typical in the early German houses of this part of Texas. Right from the start, it was a building that told you something about who put it here and where they came from.

But the house didn't stop there. Later additions came in log, and then clapboard frame construction. You can read the whole arc of pioneer building methods just by walking around the place.

Each material a kind of chapter. Each chapter a little more settled, a little more permanent feeling. In 1866, Christian and Katharina Ressmann purchased the home, and the family's name would be attached to it for generations to come.

Then, in 1946, members of their family sold it to Hilmar and Christine Boos. And the Boos family held onto it, kept it going, right up until the 1970s. That's a long line of people who looked at this place and decided it was worth keeping.

A house built about 1845, still standing, still telling its story. Some things in Texas just refuse to quit.

What the marker says

An evolution of pioneer building methods is evident in thishome. The earliest part, built about 1845, is of fachwerk construction typical in early German houses. Later additions were of log and clapboard frame construction. Early area settlers Christian and Katharina Ressmann purchased the home in 1866 and in 1946 members of their family sold it to Hilmar and Christine Boos. The house remained in the Boos family until the 1970s. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983