Winedale Historical Complex
The unincorporated community of Winedale saw in the 1960s an effort to preserve its historic crown jewel: the Stagecoach Inn. Also known as the Lewis-Wagner House, it was built in the 1840s by Samuel L. Lewis and his wife, Marshall Ann. The house was painted in German fashion inside and out, probably by Rudolph Melchior, a German-Texan painter. The house was purchased by a German family, the Wagners, in the 1880s, and it stayed in the family until the early 1960s.
The University of Texas at Austin acquired the inn and land around it and formed the 225-acre Winedale Historical Complex – a cluster of restored 19th century buildings providing a glimpse into the pioneer past – and particularly the German-Texan story. The complex interprets the unique cultural blend of the area, containing a superb collection of early Texas furniture and decorative arts, most of it German Texan and much of it from Fayette County.
Two miles from Winedale at FM 1457 and Wolff Road, a historical marker commemorates the former site of Nassau Plantation, owned by the Adelsverein, the German Emigration Company, from 1843-48. During that time, it was used as a place from with to organize and ship grain from nearby plantations to the new communities of New Braunfels and Fredericksburg. Listen to the audio track for more about Nassau Plantation.