Keller-Grunder House
Cuero, DeWitt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
German native Antone Keller (d. 1857) came to Texas in 1846 as a colonist with the German Emigration Company. He arrived with his family at the port city of Indianola (65 miles southeast), where he later opened a crockery, glassware, and grocery store. He built this house there in 1851 for his second wife Charlotte (Kuester) Keller (1824-1897). Three years after Keller's death, Charlotte married her stepson Antone Keller, Jr. (1836-1900). Following a destructive hurricane that struck Indianola in 1875, they moved the house to this site. Antone, a Confederate veteran, continued to operate his father's Indianola store until after the second major hurricane in 1886, when he moved the business to Cuero. Augusta (Keller) Grunder (1863-1951), the daughter of Antone Keller, Jr., acquired the home in 1900. Her husband Victor J. Grunder (1863-1940) was a prominent Cuero businessman and civic leader. Alterations were made to the residence during their ownership. John Junior Bell (d. 1963), the grandson of Victor and Augusta Grunder, was born in the house in 1910. First elected to public office in 1936, he served in the Texas Legislature (1937-47), the Texas Senate (1948-54), and the United States Congress (1955-57). Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German immigrant Antone Keller reached Texas in 1846 as a colonist of the German Emigration Company, landing at the bustling port of Indianola, where he opened a store and in 1851 built this house. After the devastating 1875 hurricane, his son moved the dwelling inland, and the family finally relocated the business to Cuero following Indianola's destruction in 1886. Later home to the Grunder family, the house was the 1910 birthplace of John Junior Bell, who went on to serve in the Texas Legislature, the state Senate, and the U.S. Congress.
Why it matters
The house traces the German immigrant wave that settled coastal Texas and the abandonment of Indianola after successive hurricanes — a vanished port town whose survivors carried its life inland.
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Related people
- · Antone Keller
- · Augusta Keller Grunder
- · John Junior Bell
Related events
- · Indianola hurricanes (1875, 1886)
Themes & tags
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