Aue Stagecoach Inn & Complex, Boerne Stage Road, Leon Springs

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS TEX,15-LESP,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Located on the San Antonio-Boerne Stage Road in Leon Springs, Bexar County, Texas, the Aue Stagecoach Inn was established circa by Max Aue, a German immigrant. Today his property includes a one-and-a-half story house, a one-story log house, a two-story house, and various outbuildings, ell of which were built by the Aue family. This complex is a good example of frontier, Germanic and Victorian architecture as well as exemplifying not only a frontier stage stop but the evolution of such a complex in its development over three formative decades of Texas history. The first building, a one-and-a-half story structure, was erected circa in the style of frontier Germanic architecture.

The log house was also erected at that time, for use as a stage house* In a large building was erected, the lower floor used as a dwelling and the upper floor for the visitors. Horseback and stagecoach riders often stopped at the inn for a rest. Later, a nearby railroad added more people to the inn. Supplemental Material: The folowing quotation records the life of Max Aue: "On the road that leads in serpentine curves from San Antonio northwest across the romantic hill country, and connects the old German settlements of Fredricksburg, Sisterdale, Boerne and Comfort with the metropolis, lies the post town of Leon Springs, nestled in a charming valley surrounded by gently rising hills as far as the eye can see.

Here more than a generation ago a brave German established a new home for himself in the wilderness. Max Aue, born in in Anhalt Coethen, endured a baptism of fire while serving as a volunteer in the war with Schleswig-Holstein. He came to Texas Christmas After a brief visit with relatives in Sisterdale, he, an excellent marksman, joined a Ranger Company under Captian Shaw in In he left the Ranger service and purchased 640 acres of land in the above mentioned valley for the purpose of later building his home there. At that time the grass grew over two feet high and the undulation of the wind-swept blades resembled the swelling of the ocean after a storm.

A bubbling spring surrounded giant sycamores and live oaks, thriving in the well soaked earth, and the whole valley lay in the highest beauty of this natural environment. Winter did not come to this blossoming land as a snow-crowned king with a million icicles. On this prairie he spent his short sojourn with a happy smile encircled with fragrant flowers. Wild animals swarmed about the land while In the mossy 'bottoms' lay many a brown bear. Having acquired his homestead, the young pioneer again joined a Rangers Company in In the middle of the winter his company in AUE STAGECOACH INN AND COMPLEX HABS No. (Page 2) union with three companies of US Army riflemen went on a scouting expedition to tve Guadalupe Mountains, Major Summington commanded the troops.

In Howard Spring Max Aue quarreled with a captain in McClellan's army (US regulars); and, therefore, when the troops arrived at Fort Davis, Aue was ordered to remain to be court-martialed. The officers finally decided to release Aue provided lie left the Ranger Service and thus his name would be deleted from the company list; and provided also that he promise to move to San Antonio. In order that Aue would not have to go alone across the desolate land swarming with Indians, nine of his comrades decided to go with him. (Among them was Eduard Proboese). They lost, of course, their pay by doing this. The march was begun with rations for three days only; and the way was unusually difficult. As the grass was quite dry at this season the horses were soon unfit for use.

The men, therefore, had to walk great stretches, and lived on venison, wild turkey and some corn they found in previously occupied campsites. In Fort Clark they exchanged an old mule, that they had found along the way, for some provisions. Finally, after seven days en route, they succeeded in reaching San Antonio. "~ Mr. Aue's cold-blooded and extraordinary marksmanship with pistol as well as rifle won him the respect of his opponents. In he settled on his homestead as a farmer to cultivate the fruitful land. In he marr^ied Emma Taepperwein, a daughter of an old German immigrant living in Fredericksburg.

Although life seemed peaceful in the quiet valley of Leon Springs, in the hills there lurked the restless Indian tribes who professed to live in peace with the white man but who could not be trusted. Life in this solitude surrounded by threatening dangers steeled the energy of the young couple, and the young wife stood fearless and faithful at the side of her husband in all the visSisitudes of that frontier life. Many a tired wanderer was welcomed as a guest in the home of Mr. and Aue in those years. In he was named Post Master. True to his convictions he sided with the Confederacy. At the death of his father-in-law he was chosen Post Master, a position he held many years.

When the railroad that ties the old settlements of Boerne, Comfort, and Kerrville with San Antonio was opened in the post station was named Aue Station. Today the two respected pioneeers in the autumn of life are surrounded by a troop of children and grandchildren who listen with astonishment and delight to the tales of life with its hardships and adventures in the olden days." Source: Weber, Adolf Paul. German Pioneers, a Contribution to the Historyof Germans in Texas, (published privately by the author, 1894)7~Part II," pp. Translated from German by Olga Vogel, January AUE STAGECOACH INN AND COMPLEX m HABS No. (Page 3) Prepared by: John C. Garner, Jr.

San Antonio, Bexar County Architecture Survey Winter Project Information; The San Antonio project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in the summer of and was made possible with funds from HABS and two sponsors, the Bexar County Historical Survey Committee and the San Antonio Conservation Society. Under the direction of James Massey, chief of HABS, the project was carried out by Wesley I. Shank (Iowa State University), project supervisor, and by student assistant architects, Charles W. Barrow (University of Texas); Les Beilinson (University of Miami); William H. Edwards (University of Illinois) and Larry D. Hermsen (Iowa State University) at the HABS field office in the former Ursuline Convent buildings, San Antonio. John C.

Garner, director of Bexar County Architecture Survey, did the outside work of the written documentaries. Susan McCown, a HABS staff historian in the Washington, office, edited the written data in for preparation of transmittal to the Library of Congress. Dewey G. Mears of Austin, Texas took the documentary photographs of the San Antonio structures.