Shooting Club Road, 2 mi. N.W. of Boerne
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HISTORY: In 1845, the Republic of Texas, sold to Cincinatus W. Newton and Tazewell Taylor, 640 acres situated in Bexar County on the Cibolo, 39 miles northwest of San Antonio known as Survey #181. The principal and interest was to be paid in gold coin. The Taylor family constructed a house, description not available, and lived in same.
In 1862 Kendall County was organized out of a section of Kerr and Blanco counties and the above mentioned land was included in Kendall County. In June 1871 Newton and Taylor sold parts of Survey #181 to John James of San Antonio. In 1883 John James sold 238 acres out of Survey #181, lots 4 and 5 to Christian Wollschlaeger, a brother of Gustav Wollschlaeger. February 24, 1891 Christian Wollschlaeger sold his tract to Gustav Wollschlaeger.
The original structure built by Tazewell Taylor, according to vague information, was probably constructed partially of thick limestone walls with one frame room, possibly two. Between 1891 and 1897 Gustav Wollschlaeger made improvements to the property, adding a bedroom to the house. He also constructed a masonry storage house, thick rock walls, concrete floor and six inches of soil on ceiling for insulation. Other buildings relating to farm enterprises were constructed.
In 1897 Gustav Wollschlaeger married Louise Pfeiffer and they lived in the house. After a few years they tore down the original frame rooms and added several new rooms. They installed a zinc bath tub and piped water to the kitchen, bathroom, and to other facilities on the homestead. In about 1914 a new bed room with large closets was added and the original bathroom was used for storage. All the frame walls used in improving the house were made of what was referred to as "beaded lumber". This included the ceilings, in the rock portion of the house originally built by the former owners, Newton and Taylor.
Three daughters were born to the Wollschlaeger's between 1898 and 1905: Dora, Lena and Olga. In 1937 Louise Wollschlaeger (the mother) died. Then in 1955, Gustav died, deeding the property to his three daughters. The following year the house was again enlarged and occupied by the three daughters and the husband of Olga, Arthur Leesch.In 1968 it sold to Lloyd McCaskill. McCaskill kept the property only a few months when he became seriously ill. He sold in 1969 to Ed Mergele. Both of these owners made renovations to the house.
Source: Boerne Public Library files. from article written by Olga Wollschlaeger Leesch.- March, 2000.
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