Home Care In Stonewall, TX

By SANDRA TUMBERLINSON San Benito Historical Society

The Texas Historical Commission (THC) has recognized San Benito’s Stonewall Jackson Hotel as a significant part of Texas history with the awarding of an official Texas Historical Marker, also known as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL).

“The designation honors the Stonewall Jackson Hotel as an important and educational part of local history and recognizes its architectural integrity as a historic structure,” according to the San Benito Historical Society (SBHS) leadership.

A dedication ceremony to commemorate the event will be held pending the arrival of the marker. “The Official Texas Historical Marker program helps bring attention to community treasures and the importance of their preservation,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the THC.

“Awareness and education are among the best ways to guarantee the preservation of our state’s history. This designation is a tool that will increase public awareness of important cultural resources,” Wolfe added. A subject qualifies for a marker if two basic criteria are met: historical significance and age.

Historical significance is established by reviewing its role and importance in local history, and the age requirement depends on the topic. The THC’s Official Texas Marker Policies are outlined in the Official Texas Historical Marker Procedures, which may be obtained by contacting the History Programs Division, Texas Historical Commission, at 512/463-5853 or visiting the web site at www.thc.texas.gov.

The construction of the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in 1927 was conceived by the prominent business leaders of the town as an economic investment that would help keep San Benito a prosperous community and nationally proclaim the area’s assets.

The development and financing of the hotel was secured through the nation’s top firm, the Hockenbury System, Inc. which observed the growing desire for grand hotels in small town across the nation and made the Stonewall Jackson Hotel a reality.

The civic leaders selected a renowned architect and preservationist, Harvey P. Smith, to design the hotel putting it on equal standing with work he did on the historic missions of the San Antonio area. A nationally famous Texas artist, Royston Nave, was commissioned to paint the portrait of Stonewall Jackson which hung for years in the hotel lobby and is preserved in the Museum of San Benito, Community Building.

Want the story in its entirety? Pick up a copy of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our e-Edition by clicking HERE!

By now, many wine lovers are aware of the growing stature of Texas as an important American wine region. And this excellent red from one of the state’s top wineries demonstrates why Texas deserves even more attention.

Pedernales Cellars was established in 1995 and specializes in Spanish and Rhône-style wines, sourcing its grapes from vineyards in the Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country, the state’s two largest winegrowing areas.

With its focus on Spanish and Rhône varieties, Pedernales concentrates on grapes like Tempranillo that are suited to the warm climate of Texas. This is a contrast to some Texas wineries that make more wines in varying styles — perhaps trying to be all things to all people, but sometimes with hit-or-miss results.

The 2018 Pedernales Texas Tempranillo Reserve is a blend of 77 percent Tempranillo, 12 percent Touriga Nacional (a top Portuguese variety), and 11 percent Graciano, which is often combined with Tempranillo in Spain’s Rioja region.

This is a wine of elegance that offers dark fruit aromas and tastes — blackberry, blueberry, and plum — along with touches of cedar and cigar box. The oak influence, from 18 months in French and American barrels, is well integrated. The fruit profile and the oak treatment are reminiscent of Rioja wines.

The wine is a natural pairing for all kinds of meats — including lamb, beef, and pork dishes — as well as hearty vegetarian stews with lentils and mushrooms.

At $50 and available from the winery, consider the Pedernales Texas Tempranillo Reserve an excellent alternative, for one thing, to the sea of California Cabernets out there at the same price point.

Pedernales also produces a superb white Viognier Reserve with lovely floral, stone fruit, and grapefruit notes. These wines offer us something intriguing and a little different from an American wine region that we’ll soon be hearing a lot more about.

Underneath Rockwall County and parts of Dallas County lies a mystery that has been debated by historians and geologists for decades.

Stacked mineral stones that bear resemblance to a wall are buried just below the surface throughout the county. The pale stones are long and narrow, and they appear to be separated by a 1- to 2-inch layer of sediment.

Since it was first unearthed in 1852, many have theorized that the city of Rockwall, whose namesake is the underground wall of rocks, was built on top of an ancient civilization. But others say the story of those origins don’t add up.

That’s why a reader asked Curious Texas: “What’s the history of Rockwall’s ancient rock wall?”

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Mark Russo, former president of the Rockwall County Historical Foundation and a Rockwall history buff, has wondered about this for years. Russo said he’s been deeply involved with the wall and its story since 2005.

“When you see how perfect it looks and how the stones align … I’ve never seen such consistent behavior,” he said.

Benjamin Boydstun, Terry Utley Wade and William Clay Stevenson discovered the rocks while looking for well water on Wade’s property. The rock formations looked like long bricks and resembled a giant wall.

Patti Canup’s family has lived on the property where the rock wall was first discovered for six generations. Canup has been a Rockwall resident since she was 7 and doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t know about the formations.

She recalled that people from Southern Methodist University and Arlington State, now the University of Texas at Arlington, came to the city because of the rock wall.

“When I was a kid, I grew up about a mile from the original site,” Canup said. “My dad would give them permission to roam over the property looking for outcroppings of the wall. So, I think I’ve always known about it.”

Canup hasn’t seen the original wall in person, but she said that, in 1936, part of the wall was excavated on the property for viewing for more than a decade.

At the Rockwall County Historical Foundation Museum, a map outlines the possible locations of the rock formations. There are about 16 outcroppings throughout the county, Russo said, with some underneath Lake Ray Hubbard.

The wall’s origins sparked theories, including ones of an ancient civilization, evidence of UFO presence or American Indian settlements, Russo said. Some even theorized that a possible supervolcanic eruption may have covered the possible ruins.

At the Rockwall County Historial Foundation Museum, curator Carolyn Holt said many artifacts and clues point to a possible ancient settlement. In some of the museum’s collections, photos depict “corners” of the alleged buried city that signify that people may have carved it out.

John Geissman, a professor emeritus of geology at the University of Texas at Dallas, tested a set of rocks for an episode of the History Channel’s America Unearthed in 2012. Geissman is a geophysicist, meaning he studies the magnetic properties of rocks.

Geissman said the rock formation is called a sandstone dike, which is created when sediment and minerals build up into fractures of the earth. Rocks formed in dikes are almost always younger than the surrounding rock, and sometimes these dikes are formed after earthquakes or when faults occur that force liquified material upwards.

In the case of Rockwall’s rock wall, the sandstone is made of quartz that has been cemented by additional quartz, which makes it extremely hard in contrast to the surrounding rock, Geissman said.

While sandstone dikes are not uncommon, Geissman said he thought Rockwall’s rock formation was unusual when he saw it for the first time.

Not only were the sandstone dike stones thin, but they could also be traced for long distances, which are unusual characteristics for dikes. He also noticed that the pattern of the dikes was similar to that of bricks.

“The fracture pattern in these features is quite impressive,” he said. “It’s not irregular in character, and I think that’s a big factor in resulting in the human thought mechanism that took place when these features were discovered.”

Rocks have the ability to permanently hold the Earth’s magnetic orientation when they are formed. Geissman tested the magnetism in the rocks and found that the magnetization of the rocks, or the time in which they were formed, were the same, concluding that the formation is natural.

“If these had been a stack of bricks put in place to form these impressive planar features, each brick would have been put in place in a random fashion,” he said. “What we found was that, by and large, the magnetization in the sandstone dikes is pretty uniform in direction.”

Geissman is sure that the rocks are natural, but he also said that it’s important for scientists to keep an open mind about how the formation may have been used.

Russo agrees, and he said he believes that a prior civilization may have manipulated the rock formation to fit their own needs, perhaps in the form of a temple or a fortress. Russo said he has traveled across the country to various states to see if similar formations exist with no luck.

Russo said there may not be a way to find out how the rocks were formed and what they may have been used for. But it’s all part of the rock wall’s appeal.

“The mystery has been well over 150 years, and it also has been a great community pride,” Russo said. “I think it’s more than just a rock wall. I think it has become a symbol of what our community is, and it’s that we’re something that’s unmovable that will last generations.”

Those curious to see what the rock wall looks today like will only be able to find re-creations. At the Rockwall County Historical Foundation Museum, a set of rocks were excavated from the Stodghill farm and placed on the side of the museum. Another set was also placed in front of the Rockwall County Courthouse, although Russo said one rock — which sits vertically — was set incorrectly.

Other formations have either been covered or are on private property.

Rockwall City Hall has commissioned an artist to create a statue of the discovery of the wall, Russo said. The plan is to place the statue in the town square in the next year.

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. Nataly is the lead writer on Curious Texas and a breaking news reporter. She is a D-FW native with a B.A. in emerging media and communication from the University of Texas at Dallas and an M.S. in journalism from the University of Southern California.

[email protected] @natalykeo

When you think of the 290 Wine Trail what you might not realize is that it actually starts in Johnson City, passes through Stonewall and Hye, and ends in Fredericksburg, Texas. If you’re looking to stay as close to the wineries as possible, you might want to add Stonewall Motor Lodge to your list, a place that is not only ideal for wine lovers, but also for history lovers.

Lyndon B. Johnson was actually born and raised in Stonewall, Texas. When he became president, he needed a place to house his secret service and press. Stonewall Motor Lodge was created to fill this need and today holds the memories of our past President.

Get rid of all ideas of your typical motel. Stonewall Motor Lodge has completely flipped the typical perception with a luxury experience. From investing in some of the finest mattresses, custom made designs, and cute retro touches, Stonewall Motor Lodge offers an elevated hotel experience minutes (maybe even seconds away) from some of the best Fredericksburg wineries.

The retro styled rooms of Stonewall Motor Lodge are filled with pops of colors and retro themed items like the fan and fridge that really creates for a unique experience. Despite all of the retro and historic touches you might be surprised to learn how high tech Stonewall Motor Lodge is.

The check in process could not be easier. Rather than having to go to the front desk, guests are emailed a code that unlocks the door. We were able to back into our parking spot and be feet away from our door. On top of that we had high speed internet and plenty of streaming options. I loved being able to watch my favorite Netflix and Hulu shows from their accounts they provided.

However, for people looking for a relaxing way to end a wine packed evening. The patio they have upstairs is perfect for ending the night and stargazing while enjoying a glass of wine. I loved relaxing the evening away with a scenic view.

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A post shared by Texas Blogger – Travel (@mycurlyadventures_) on Oct 27, 2019 at 4:20pm PDT

Stonewall Motor Lodge: Final Thoughts

Not only did I love how perfectly located Stonewall Motor Lodge was for being minutes from multiple wineries, but also how much history was in this place. Whether you’re looking for a fun girls trip or romantic couples Fredericksburg getaway, Stonewall Motor Lodge makes the perfect stop to unwind!

Texas is famous for the Alamo, barbeque and cowboys. But some Texans want the Lone Star State to be famous for wine, too.

The state reports there were 93 active winery permits in Texas 10 years ago. Today, there are 530.

Ask a wine-loving Texan and they’ll tell you there are several qualities that set Texas bottles apart from out-of-state competitors. A combination of heavy rainfalls and scorching sun rays help to nourish vines and ripen grapes.

An hour north of San Antonio, or west of Austin, will bring you to one of the biggest concentrations of wineries in the state, around the towns of Stonewall and Fredericksburg.

Brother and sister David and Julie Kuhlken co-founded Pedernales Cellars in 2006, and business is good. They produced 12,000 bottles of wine in 2000. Today they produce 180,000 bottles.

Julie Kuhlken said a tough, little Spanish grape called the Tempranillo, a few Portuguese varieties and a couple of French varieties all thrive in the rocky soil around Stonewall. The soil is similar to the soil in parts of Europe where the grapes originated.

“This is like degraded sandstone and degraded limestone, and this is exactly what grapes love. They want soils that they really have to push with their roots, look for water, look for nutrients,” she said.

There are 54 wineries in Hill Country which, according to Kuhlken, can satisfy most wine tastes.

“Don’t go to more than four wineries,” she warns visitors. “Definitely pace yourself and do a little research beforehand. Everybody wants different things out of their wine experience.”

State historians report that Franciscan priests in 1659 established the first vineyard in what would become the U.S. Other Europeans brought their own grapevine cuttings with them.

According to the Texas State Historical Association, wineries were closed when the Texas Legislature voted the state dry. The industry turned its attention to making grape juice to survive during Prohibition.

The Texas wine industry is the fifth biggest among wine-producing states, trailing California, Washington, New York, and Oregon, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. The federal government reports the Texas Hill Country is the second biggest wine growing region in the nation, outside California.

Kuhlken says the state agriculture department has stepped up its efforts to promote Texas wines, and she hopes that will continue. But she thinks state tourism officials could still do more to promote the $13 billion industry. It employs 140,000 workers, mostly in the Hill County, the High Plains, along the Red River in North Texas, around El Paso and in the Davis Mountains.

She said the money could be spent on advertising and education that place the wine industry on equal par with other Hill Country attractions.

“I think more could be done to promote [wine] as part of Texas tourism because people still associate Fredericksburg and this area primarily with peaches and the Fredericksburg heritage,” she said.

During a visit to the wine-tasting room, a visitor echoed Kuhlken’s opinion.

Ana Pina is a secretary at a high school in Arlington in North Texas and wants to learn more about Texas wines.

“I didn’t know there were so many different varieties or even that Texas wine existed,” she said. “I live in Dallas-Fort Worth, and Grapevine is up there, and you know every year they have Grapefest and so I try my best to visit once in a while. But there is just so many wines and just not enough time to visit."

Texas wineries don’t just benefit wine lovers. The businesses attract daytrippers from big cities like Pina, who pour millions of dollars into rural economies in the Hill Country and throughout the state.

Libby Aly is executive director of the Blanco Chamber of Commerce, just east of Stonewall and on Highway 281. She says wineries help pump millions into the Hill Country.

“Maybe two or three counties wide it would probably be in the millions when you look at hotel stays, sales tax revenue,” she said. “Before you go home you are going to need gas, you might decide if you went to more than a couple [wineries] that you would like to spend the night or you may be stopping and doing some shopping, going out to dinner before you head home.”

Back at the vineyard, the Kuhlkens and their small staff prepare boxes of wine for transport to the market.

Barrels are also being steamed cleaned to kill bacteria before they are filled again with wine.

The most refreshing sound may come when the stopper in the barrel, or the bung, is removed from the barrel’s bunghole because that’s when you know a Texas wine will fill your glass.