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Early RepublicReconstruction & Gilded Age

Herder Half Moon Place

Shiner, Lavaca County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This Greek revival home (200 yards north) was built in the 1880s by George Herder (1818-1887), veteran of the Texas Revolution and pioneer farmer and rancher in the Half Moon community. A son, William (d. 1940), later ran a butcher shop and farmed the land, opening the house to travelers in need of a place to rest. Owned by members of the Herder family for over 100 years, the house and outbuildings are the only remaining evidence of the Half Moon community. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

George Herder, a veteran of the Texas Revolution turned pioneer farmer and rancher, built this Greek Revival home in the 1880s in the Half Moon community. His son William later ran a butcher shop, worked the land, and opened the house to weary travelers. Held by the family for more than a century, the house and its outbuildings are the last trace of Half Moon.

Why it matters

The homestead of a revolution veteran, it links Texas's fight for independence to the pioneer farming life that followed and is now the sole survivor of a vanished community.

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Related people

  • · George Herder
  • · William Herder

Themes & tags

Nearby & related markers

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