Mustard Seed Bed & Breakfast
Built circa 1895.
This 19th century Folk Victorian home sits beside the Llano River, within view of the historic truss bridge that spans its width, and only blocks away from Llano's historic downtown, including the Llano County Courthouse and the old Red Top Jail.
The development of Llano closely aligns with the greater development of the Hill Country frontier, including towns like Mason, just 30 minutes down the road. And just as in Mason, the stories of those who settled in Llano are of hardships overcome, grit mustered, and the entrepreneurial instinct needed to carve out a living in such inhospitable land.
The majority of the Bogusch family history that follows has been sourced from the recollections of Dr. Edwin R. Bogusch, the grandson of Karl Joseph Bogusch, and transcribed from the original typed document by his grandson, Edwin R. Bogusch II on 28 May 2018.
Business was Booming
Perhaps it was the train that drew Gustav Bogusch and Wilhelmina (Mina) Bader to town. With the arrival of the Austin and Northwestern railroad, established in 1892 to transport iron ore, Llano was experiencing its first boom as it headed into the 20th century. New businesses were opening, real estate speculation was at an all time high, and by 1900, the population had surged to about 7500, seven times what it was just forty years prior. The county, once a haven for German farmers and ranchers, was turning into mining country, and this was music to Gustav's ears. Source.
The Carriage-Makers
Gustav Bogusch, who is likely the original builder of the Mustard Seed house, was born in 1853, in what was then a province of Austria near the Russian border, but is now considered eastern Poland. Gustav's father, Joseph, was a maker of fine carriages for the Polish royalty, a trade that Gustav learned well and brought with him later to Texas. Their success was in great part due to a special technique for producing perfect finishes, which consisted of as many as twenty coats of lacquer, smoothed by hand. Gustav was also able to hone his forging skills and eventually helped produce hardware for the carriages.
After the death of their mother, Caroline, the eldest sons, Gustav and his brother Karl Joseph relocated to Krakow and then to Germany, where Karl was able to find a formal teaching position and Gustav could continue his father's carriage-making trade. However, Karl's specialization in the subject of American democracy and its advantages was considered particularly subversive in Imperial Germany, to the extent that when news of his teachings reached the secret German police, he was inevitably slated for arrest.
Escape to Texas
Fortunately, Karl received warning in advance, and mere hours before he was due to be arrested, he and Gustav packed a few belongings and set off on foot to the French coast. Once there, they found work as deckhands on a ship was being outfitted for a trip to America and soon were on their way to Texas, never again to return to their homeland.
Little is known about the journey, except that they encountered a large hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and felt fortunate to survive. Finally, in 1873, they landed in Indianola, Texas and began a long journey to Castell, Texas by way of wagon, likely oxen-drawn.
From Carriages to Wagons
Once settled in Castell, the 20-year-old Gustav continued to practice blacksmithing, and opened a shop in Castell, which is likely how he became acquainted with Wilhelmina (Mina) Bader, the daughter of a local blacksmith. They were married in 1875 and would go on to have eight children together, only five of which would survive until adulthood.
Eventually, Gustav and Mina relocated to the nearby town of Llano and opened a blacksmith shop right next door to where the Mustard Seed B&B stands today. In fact, you can see the former shop from the front porch of the main home. It was here that Gustav took advantage of the newly arrived railroad in Llano and began to construct freight wagons. At that time, freight wagons were sorely needed to carry supplies from the railhead to towns west of Llano, which was a journey that involved crossing difficult terrain that made up for in river crossings what it lacked in bridges. Gustav's reputation for making some of the sturdiest freight wagons in the area Gustav was no doubt a result of his previous experience with carriage-making.
Perhaps due to age, in 1900, Gustav went in to the hardware business with HC Buttery in the lower story of the historic stone Llano Masonic Lodge. The business was named Buttery and Bogusch. Initially, they flourished by selling stock and consignment but their practice of easy lending credit and long payout terms caused the partnership to run out of money and goods. HC Buttery’s son agreed to accept the partnerships debt and took over the company. It was renamed J.F. Buttery and is still in operation today on the main square in Llano.
"There was some friction"
"Uncle Gus [Gustav Bogusch] was truly loved and respected ... & of his marriage to his wife: Uncle Will [Hofmann] once said, too bad Aunt Minnie [Mina Bogusch] wasn't married to Karl (Papamoke) and Mamamoke (Augusta) [Karl's wife] to Uncle Gus...thus mating of temperaments and that Karl...wouldn't have let aunt Minnie run all over him...as she did her husband Gustav.... That there was some friction in Uncle Gus's household...when he was preaching...probably a lay preacher...I can guarantee a whole hearted and sincere one, and Aunt Minnie objected...she'd turn his mules out to pasture so he could not catch them again in time to make church."
Source: Edith Bogusch Taylor circa 1972
A 1913 advertisement in The Llano News for the sale of the Bogusch property, along with Gustav's machine shop, seems to indicate the couple's intention to move to California, though it is unclear if they ever made it out west, as both eventually died and are buried in Llano. In fact, despite the occasional 'friction,' Gustav and Mina remained married until their deaths in 1926 and 1936, respectively.
