Captain Charles Schreiner
Kerrville, Kerr County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(1838 - 1927) Enterprising businessman. Born in France. Moved (1852) to U.S. with parents. Served with distinction in Texas Rangers, 1854-1857. Fought with Confederacy in Civil War. In 1869 began general store in Kerrville. Activities expanded to include banking, ranching, and marketing wool and mohair. He also started one of first wool and mohair warehouses in Texas. By 1900 he owned 600,000 acres of land, and by 1945 his country store was one of most progressive in the southwest. Among his many philanthropic activities was the founding of Schreiner Institute (College). (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in France in 1838, Charles Schreiner emigrated as a boy, rode with the Texas Rangers, and fought for the Confederacy before opening a Kerrville general store in 1869. From that counter he built an empire — banking, ranching, and the marketing of wool and mohair through one of Texas's first such warehouses — until by 1900 he owned some 600,000 acres. A noted philanthropist, he founded the Schreiner Institute that still bears his name.
Why it matters
Schreiner embodies the immigrant-to-cattle-baron arc of the Texas Hill Country, showing how a frontier storekeeper could shape a region's entire economy and leave a college behind.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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