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Leon Valley
Historical Society |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2006 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2006 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2006 |
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Fundraising
Purpose |
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We have come a long way, but
we still have far to go. The
Leon
Valley
Historical Society is currently seeking major
grant funding to see the Huebner-Onion
Homestead and Stagecoach Stop through to completion. We need
an additional $500,000 to complete the
Homestead restoration to open
our doors to the public as a living
history museum and education center for heritage, cultural
and education tours and
“hands-on” history.
Leon
Valley Huebner-Onion Natural Area
Additional funding
is being sought to prepare the 36-acre
Leon Valley Huebner-Onion Natural Area
for outdoor classrooms and self-guided
nature tours relating to the wildlife,
birds, native plant species and
butterfly habitats within that area. We
now have permanent status as a 501
(c)(3) non profit organization and
contributions are tax deductible.
The society submitted and
received a $1,500 grant from the Texas
Parks and Wildlife to be used to set-up
outdoor classroom activities and events.
Watch our calendar of events for more
information or call Darby Riley at (210)
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Bluegrass
Deco-Dinner Fundraiser
Nov, 2003 |
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Bluegrass
Deco-Dinner Fundraiser
Nov, 2003 |
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Bluegrass
Deco-Dinner Fundraiser
Nov, 2003 |
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Fundraising
Events |
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SAVE THE DATE
Saturday,
October 16, 2010
10th
ANNUAL FUND RAISING DINNER
SILENT AUCTION
More information will
available
closer to event date
The Historical Society
would like to "thank"
everyone for participating and attending
our
2009 Fall Fiesta & Silent Auction the
event was
a great success and fun was had by all!
We hope to see you again in October!
Leon Valley Community Center
6427 Evers Road, Leon Valley, Texas
78238
This is an educational and historical
project of the Leon Valley Historical
Society,
a non-profit organization
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2004 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2004 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2004 |
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Fundraising
Efforts |
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History
The
estimated restoration costs to date
is $600,000 to complete site. Site
includes; two-story limestone
homestead with 2-foot walls
(presently restored to a "mothball"
status with removal of fire damaged
areas, cleaning inside and out
of structure, including the walls
prior to roof), stabilizing, and
restoring of some of the mortar
points in back and on sides of the
structure), detached limestone
"cookhouse" (presently restored to a
ruin state) and a rare "stacked"
stone barn, "restored."
Then,
to answer the call by supporters for
the two-story veranda or 2-story
front porch to be back as it was in
the 1800's and later redone by the
Onion family. This will require
limestone wall repair work to be
ready for the verandah.
The
cost has run over $135,000 to date
and we are finished with Stage 2 of
the restoration. All was made
possible with our past grants from
San Antonio Conservation Society,
Texas Historic Trust to monies
raised to donations by individuals,
supporters,
fundraiser's and memorial gifts.
The
society received a Challenge
"matching" $10,000 grant this past
month. This grant is to assist the
society in cost of new site Master
Plan and architects. This grant was
awarded by the San Antonio
Conservation Society this past
month.
Well
known local architect Carolyn
Peterson of Ford, Powell & Carson
Architects and Planners, Inc. who
is well known for her work on many
local and Austin landmarks of San
Antonio, including, The Alamo and
more.
Also
on board is the society's longtime
award winning architect of record, Sue Ann Pemberton, Main
Street Architects, since our deed
announcement in 2000. Pemberton
had worked with Peterson prior to
opening her own office.
The
society's milestones for the
homestead and stagecoach stop
continue when the Texas Historic
Commission notified the
society that the homestead would
get their Texas Landmark status in
summer of 2007.
The
Marker Dedication ceremony for this
landmark and the listing for our
site on the National Historic
Register was celebrated with a
Sunday afternoon Ice Cream Social on
May 18, 2008 at the Homestead in
conjunction with the San Antonio
Conservation Society”.
Society
also got a $1.500 Texas Parks &
Wildlife Grant
in 2006
for outdoor classroom
tables and building materials, etc.
Recently, descendents
and friends of a Leon Valley
pioneer family of Gloria
Anderson and friend Ellen Burn,
former Old Leon Valley Elementary
School donated an early
Texas Molasses Press with a plaque
at the homestead site in 2007.
Another
milestone for our historic site was
being listed as part of the Texas
Historic Commission's new statewide
Heritage Trail in 2006. Our region
is known as Texas Hill Country
Trail.
We are part of some
14 sites from this region that will
be first to participate in the
new statewide TXDOT Visitor Center
displays. This is due to hard work
and dedication of the Texas Historic
Commission to get the Heritage Trail
a reality, Texas Hill Country Trail
board and new coordinator.
The
homestead and stagecoach stop will
be part of this display for the
first time along with other sites in
Langtry, Texas. The display will
be "showcased" for some 6 months,
starting in February of 2008.
The society
leased the 36 acres of wild
and pristine green space from
the City of Leon Valley in 2005.
This site is part of the homestead's
"original" 800 acres back in
mid-1850's. It ended up
being total the acreage of the last
owners, Judge John "Pete" and
Harriet Onion who bought the
property in 1930's. It lies across
Huebner Creek behind the homestead.
The
first namesake, Joseph Huebner,
landowner and builder of the
"original " two-story homestead with
a veranda grave site is in the
natural area.
The site is known as
the Leon Valley Huebner Creek Natural Area and
is open to the public. This
wonderful natural space, located in
the very "heart" of Leon
Valley, offers great walking, flora,
fauna and birding opportunities.
In the near future
there will be many educational Texas
history and nature outdoor classroom
and tour opportunities offered to
all ages by society docents and TP&W.
The historic Raymond Rimkus Park abuts the 36 acres of
the new Huebner Creek Natural Area.
The park was named for former mayor
and owner of the infamous Rimkus General
Store.
This
former site lost to progress has a
historical marker at the corner
of Bandera @ Grissom Road. It was
widely known as the "place to meet"
in the community.
Rimkus Park is
listed as a birding and wildlife
site as part of the statewide
regions of Texas. We are known
as the Alamo Loop of the Texas Parks
& Wildlife Heart of Texas Birding
Trail, since 2003.
You can find maps for
this site and other Texas loops
available from Government Canyon
State Park and TP&W or listed on
their web site.
The Leon Valley
"historic" district only grows with
the addition of Northside School
District's renovated and
restored Circa 1927 Leon Valley
Elementary AKA "Little Red School
House."
This site
will be the offices of NISD
Partnerships, Bonnie
Ellison, Director. It has two
meeting large meeting rooms in the
main building and three in
the adjoining building.
These meeting
rooms are basically for NISD meeting
and include the Northside Museum
Association's monthly meetings and
some of the Historical Society of
Leon Valley board or special
meetings.
The main entrance
or reception area is quickly filling
up with some historical artifacts,
photos, pictures, plaques, old
school desk, dress of the period and
depository for the Northside School
Districts' archives collection.
Our
own society member and treasurer
Barbara Fryer has displayed a
wonderful two dimensional map with
depiction of the schools in the
area. This was most accurate and
detailed to show the area and school
site clearly.
Fryer
has been active with the
society's research
committee for over five years.
She loves to research
and collect maps. She is a longtime
Leon Valley resident.
It
will be a great information
source for anyone wanting to learn
more about the individual schools,
former students, teachers,
principals to superintendents
and their histories.
These
archives will also contain local and
district oral histories to grand
assortment of photos making for
a great data base for research for
this fast growing district.
The Historical
Society is most pleased with NISD's
recent accomplishments to the beloved "Little Red
School House" in keeping history,
heritage, education, research and
preservation strong in Leon Valley.
The
Historical Society is proudly working in
partnership with area businesses and the
Leon Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.
Presently
the Society is working with Mr. Ed
Conroy, Economic Development Director -
SouthWest School of Arts and Crafts on
developing a new master plan for the
homestead and stage coach stop. |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2005 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2005 |
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Bloomin' Onion
Fundraiser Oct,
2005 |
Leon Valley Historical Society
P. O. Box 380644
Leon Valley, TX. 78268 -7644
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