In the charming Hill Country town of Comfort, Texas… stands a grand limestone building that has welcomed travelers for nearly a century and a half.

Today, it’s known as Hotel Giles—named after famed San Antonio architect Alfred Giles, who designed it in 1880… at just 27 years old. The story of Giles in Comfort…right after this.

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Originally, The Giles was the Ingenhuett Hotel, commissioned by local pioneers Peter Ingenhuett and Marie Karger. Back then, stagecoaches rolled through town, and weary guests found rest in its dog-run layout, stone fireplace, and copper roof.

As Comfort grew, so did the hotel. Giles returned in 1894 to add elegant arches and Gothic charm. It was later renamed the Faust Hotel in 1909… but after World War II, as motels took over and German heritage faced prejudice, the old hotel closed its doors.

Then came the rescue.

In 1985, Dr. Bob and Diane Potter restored the fading landmark and earned it Texas Historical Landmark status.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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The first two-room schoolhouse in Boerne opened in 1874 and served all grades.

In 1909, they dreamed bigger — opening the doors to the first real high school in Boerne on East Blanco. The story of Boerne High…right after this.

Before it was City Hall, Boerne High School opened in 1910 when students rode in on horseback, learned by lantern light, and graduated with calloused hands and big ambitions.

In 1951, the school moved to a larger campus on Johns Road, and by 1971, Boerne High School as we know it today was born.

Home of the Greyhounds…
Where championships were won, futures were formed, and Boerne pride was passed from one class to the next.

And though the buildings have changed, the spirit never has.

Because in Boerne, education isn’t just about books.

It’s about roots.

And now you know…more BoerneTexas History…I’m Tom Allred, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM

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At the corner of Main Street and Rosewood is the home of Texas Treasures Fine Art Gallery. But back in the 80’s…the 1880’s…Mr. William Kuhlmann opened Kuhlmann’s Apothecary…one of the first drug stores in Boerne.

More on this historic Boerne corner…right after this.

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William Kuhlmann was a druggist by trade, and built his home on the hill behind the old high school on Blanco Road known as the Kuhlmann-King House.

His drugstore was purchased by William J. Wilke shortly after 1900. Willie was the son of a Berghiem farmer, and earned his high school diploma by correspondence after finishing the 7th grade at the one-teacher Bergheim school.

He then graduated from pharmacy school at the University of Maryland. In 1909, William Wilke was to become Boerne’s first Mayor.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Behind the old City Hall Building is The Kuhlmann-King House, sitting on what is known as Boerne’s Historic Hill…So who was William Kuhlmann and who was Selina King? The answer…and tragic story…right after this.

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In 1885 William Kuhlmann and his bride Marie immigrated from Germany to Boerne for a better life. He built that home, and the building next door for their kitchen and washroom. They lived there until Marie died during childbirth along with their infant in 1896. Selina King with her 8 children rented the house for 5 years, and purchased it from Mr. Kuhlmann. Selina King was not from Germany. She came to Boerne in 1882 from England with her husband Edmund King as the family leased The Boerne Hotel before it was called the Kendall Inn. Edmund King was killed behind the hotel in an accident while cleaning his gun. Widow King continued to raise her kids in Boerne and died in 1910 at the age of 78.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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When you meander past the Starbucks on Upper Balcones, you’ll find Dodge Road…named after Frederick J. Dodge, who was a Texas cattleman at the end of his life, but in the middle…well, we’ll tell you more about Detective Fred Dodge right after this.

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Fred Dodge worked as a lawman and as an undercover agent for Wells Fargo in California, Nevada, and Arizona - protecting stagecoaches and solving train holdups.

He became a constable in Tombstone, Arizona, where he befriended the legendary Wyatt Earp. In fact, Dodge’s diaries were the basis for the book The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp, and they also documented his encounters with the Doolin and Dalton Gangs. In 1906, Dodge came to Leon Springs on vacation and fell in love with the Texas Hill Country. He purchased 2000 acres and named it Dodge Ranch. Dodge died in 1938 at the age of 84 and is buried in the Boerne Cemetery.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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Across River Road from the Dam on Cibolo Creek is a real estate business operating in The William Dietert House, … the story of the Dietert family right after this …

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German-born William Dietert and his two brothers came to Texas in the 1850s. William built a dam on Cibolo Creek to power a saw mill and grist mill...the first business in Boerne. A cotton gin and press were added to the enterprise. Dietert signed the petition to form Kendall County and served as a Commissioner and County Judge. William Dietert’s grandson Clarence Dietert, served in World War 2, served as Mayor of Boerne and died on May 26th, 2005 at the age of 91.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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At the corner of Main Street and West San Antonio, next to Main Plaza is the Hillje Music Store where you can rent musical instruments, but before 1901, on that site was Homer’s Livery Stable, where you could rent a horse and buggy for a dollar a day. The story of the present-day Carstanjen Building right after this.

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At 705 South Main where the Lovern Law Firm calls home, it was originally the real home and mansion of Rudolph Carstanjen, one of Boerne’s first settlers from Germany by way of Rio De Janeiro. In 1901, he built the 2 story Carstanjen Building and one of the early tenants was Levyson’s Drug Store which closed in 1920. The Plaza Drug Store was next owned by Bill and Wilda Williams. In 1941 Erhard Ebner purchased the drug store, and ran it there until 1967, when Ebner’s Drug Store moved across the street.

Rudolph Carstanjen never saw the fruit from the building he built in 1901 because he died in 1902 and rests in the Boerne Cemetery.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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If you think Boerne has grown, the population of Bergheim in 1970 was only 22 souls. The story of our brother city Bergheim, right after this.

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While the intersection of State Highway 46 and FM 3351 is relatively flat, the German name Bergheim means “Mountain Home”. Home in the Hills is more accurate. It was founded by Austrian immigrant Andreas Engel, who came to Texas in 1885 and worked for Casper Sueltenfuss. Andreas built the first cotton gin around 1900, but after the dreaded boll weevil arrived, it evolved into a General Store and Post Office where it remained in the Engel family for 4 generations. They also operated the largest cedar yard in Texas, specializing in fence posts for ranch owners. Today, that building is the Bergheim Meat Market, and the population of Bergheim is closer to 1700.

I’m Tom Allred with Boerne Texas History, and this is Boerne Radio 103.9FM.

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