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Los Nogales

Seguin, Guadalupe County, Texas

Marker Inscription

This structure was built in 1849 for German immigrant Justus Gombert. The one-room adobe structure, later stuccoed and enlarged, was owned from 1849 to 1859 by Joseph Zorn. After the Civil War, the property was used as a campground for members of the Freemen's Bureau. Ben McCulloch owned the property briefly in 1870. Demolition of the house was prevented as the first project of the Seguin Conservation Society in 1952. Los Nogales (Spanish for walnuts), as it is now known, was designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1962. (1989)

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

This one-room adobe house was built in 1849 for German immigrant Justus Gombert in the young town of Seguin, later stuccoed and enlarged over the years. After the Civil War it served as a campground for the Freedmen's Bureau, and Texas Ranger captain Ben McCulloch briefly owned it in 1870. Threatened with demolition, 'Los Nogales'—Spanish for walnuts—became the first preservation project of the Seguin Conservation Society in 1952.

Why it matters

The little adobe links German immigrant settlement, the federal effort to aid freed people after emancipation, and the birth of local historic preservation in Texas.

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Related people

  • · Justus Gombert
  • · Joseph Zorn
  • · Ben McCulloch

Related events

  • · Freedmen's Bureau

Themes & tags

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