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Civil War

The Argyle

Alamo Heights, Bexar County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Built 1859 by Charles Anderson as headquarters for a 1400-acre house ranch. Leaving San Antonio on Civil War's eve, Anderson sold to poet Hiram McLane who lived here 30 years. In 1890 at Alamo Heights' creation, a subdivider named the mansion for his native Argyllshire, Scotland. The O'Grady family, formerly of Boerne, bought the Argyle in 1893, making it famous for hospitality and food. The classic "Argyle Cook Book" was published in 1940. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1972

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Charles Anderson raised this mansion in 1859 as the headquarters of a 1,400-acre ranch, but sold out and left San Antonio on the eve of the Civil War, passing it to the poet Hiram McLane, who lived here three decades. When Alamo Heights was laid out in 1890, a developer named the house for his native Argyllshire in Scotland, and after 1893 the O'Grady family made the Argyle famous for its hospitality and cooking, immortalized in the 1940 "Argyle Cook Book."

Why it matters

The Argyle traces a single Texas landmark's passage from frontier ranch headquarters to genteel inn, mirroring the growth of San Antonio's suburbs.

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  • · Charles Anderson
  • · Hiram McLane

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