The story of the little dam in Kerrville's Louise Hays Park

Louise Hays Park dam, sunset.
Click on any image to enlarge.

I’ve spent hours watching the Guadalupe River flow over the concrete dam in Louise Hays Park, and generations of kids have played near it, both above and below its spillway. I’ve also seen fishermen casting there, though often without much success. The only fishermen who I’ve seen have success there also have wings – several species of birds fish there regularly.

And I’ve seen hundreds of photographs of the water flowing over the dam there, mostly taken by locals and posted on social media.

Like most of the structures in downtown Kerrville, that old dam has a story.

Surprisingly, that story starts with an even older dam – made of wood.

Originally built by Christian Dietert, that wooden dam diverted the power of the Guadalupe River into a mill Dietert built. He used the mill to saw lumber, process grain, and even generate electricity.

The dam was first built in the 1850s. It was rebuilt many times, after many floods. After Charles Schreiner obtained the mill, he had the dam reinforced and made taller. For many years, one of his sons kept the dam in somewhat safe repair.

In fact, one can often guess the date when a photograph was taken by looking closely at the dam and its state in the photograph.

When Kerrville built Louise Hays Park in a single day, the old wooden dam looked rickety and unsafe. Some felt it was time for the old dam to come down, but the water it impounded into the little lake was a fine feature for the new park.

In 1952, R. R. “Railroad” Tarr came up with the idea to replace a 75-year-old wooden dam with a concrete one.

Tarr collected about $8,000 in donations, and went to City Hall, only to be told the donations he’d collected should be used to repair the old dam. Tarr told them the money had been “pledged to a concrete dam – a new one.”

Willard E. Simpson designed the new concrete dam; Jasper Moore built it, at a cost of about $25,000. Jess Stahlings and Dick Furman sought donations, and the amount was raised in about two weeks.

The dam they built still stands in Louise Hays Park, and was dedicated on December 12, 1952. It’s the same dam in the park today, though with various repairs showing and some minor bits missing. It also tells the story of Kerrville people seeing a problem, coming up with a solution, and raising the money to fix it. No idea why they involved city hall.

I’m glad they replaced the dam – and that it still stands. The Guadalupe River, as it tumbles over the dam, is a pretty thing to watch.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who has enjoyed many a swim in that little lake in Louise Hays Park. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead September 26, 2024.

The story of a Kerrville bridge

The Sidney Baker Street Bridge, Kerrville, 1960s.
Click on any image to enlarge.

Is it possible to love a bridge?

Every time I show photos of the old Highway 16 bridge in downtown Kerrville, folks say "I loved that bridge."

That bridge, a camel-backed steel truss bridge, was constructed in 1935, and extended Sidney Baker Street across the Guadalupe River. It was a two-lane bridge with a pedestrian walkway.

In the mid-1970s the bridge was widened from two to five lanes, with a (dangerous) pedestrian sidewalk, and transformed from a truss bridge to a pre-stressed concrete girder bridge. The bridge went from 22 feet wide to 60 feet and the improvements cost around $1.1 million. 

While the new improved bridge was needed and more efficient, it isn't as attractive as the old bridge. I think that's why people say they loved the old bridge.

When the original bridge was built in 1935, it was a major improvement for our community.

Before then, there were crossings near Francisco Lemos Street and G Street, as well as a private crossing near the confluence of Quinlan Creek and the Guadalupe River.

The problem with all of these other bridges was that they were low water crossings, and every time the river rose, they became impassable. The Highway 16 bridge extending Sidney Baker Street solved this problem for all except the most severe floods.

There is a small plaque on the current Sidney Baker Street bridge which reads "Dedicated to Captain Charles Schreiner: a pioneer in citizenship, philanthropy and highway building in the hill country." That plaque was transferred from the old 1935 bridge to the current bridge.

I suppose, with this dedicatory plaque, the real name of the bridge is the Charles Schreiner Bridge.

The current bridge still has some of the bones of the old bridge; several of the original piers were widened to support the bridge. You can tell which ones are original because the 1970s piers are shaped like a "T," with arms extending on both sides, and the old piers are not. When the steel trusses were removed, the span between piers had to be shortened, requiring new piers to be built. The pier in the middle of the river, for example, is a new pier.

Several of these ‘older’ piers will be decorated with murals in the coming months.

Some of the features of the old 1935 bridge were nice. The original bridge sported fancy lighting, and a more protected walkway for pedestrians. Today's sidewalk is not separated from the traffic except by a curb; the old bridge had a barrier between the two.

It also had three distinctive steel trusses through which all traffic passed. Unless my memory is wrong, the steel structure was painted silver.

There were tales of young people jumping from the old bridge into the Guadalupe River below, a risky sport considering the height of the bridge and the random arrangement of boulders below the surface of the water.

While I never jumped from the bridge, I did climb across the top of its camel-back once, after it was closed to traffic. The renovation project occurred when I was in middle school, a time in most young men's lives when common sense is not well-formed. Several of my friends and I knew the old structure was going to be dismantled and figured if we were ever going to climb across it, this would be our last chance.

Of course, we didn't tell our parents about our adventure until years later.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who thinks the new Spur 98 Bridge (Thompson Drive) at Highway 27, next to the Lakehouse Restaurant, is a much more attractive bridge. It needs a name. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead September 19, 2024.

Solving a mystery about a Kerrville grave

The Tivy Family Cemetery at the top of Tivy Mountain.
Did you know there are four graves up there?
Click on any image to enlarge.

My long-time friend Sandy Wolfmueller recently gave me a book I’d never seen before: “Admiral of the Hills: Chester W. Nimitz,” by Frank A. Driskill and Dede W. Casad. It was published in 1983 by the Eakin Press of Austin.

Its nearly 300 pages tell the life story of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz – from his birth in Fredericksburg, to his long and spectacular career in the U. S. Navy.

The book also solves a little mystery about a Kerrville grave. More on that in a bit.

It might surprise some readers, but Kerrville can stake a very good claim as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s boyhood home.

Whenever one thinks of the admiral’s early beginnings, one generally thinks of Fredericksburg – Nimitz was born there, and they have the wonderful Nimitz Hotel on Main Street which now anchors the National Museum of the Pacific War.

Chester Nimitz, 1905
at the U. S. Naval Academy

According to Bob Bennett, “the future admiral was born at Fredericksburg on February 24, 1885, the son of Chester B. and Anna Henke Nimitz. Both parents descended from the sturdy German pioneers who came to Texas with Baron John O. Meusebach in 1846 and founded Fredericksburg.”

Here’s the part you might not have known: Anna, and her second husband William Nimitz (brother of her late husband) moved to Kerrville when young Chester was about 5. Chester attended Kerrville public schools, entering “the year the new building was completed and named in honor of Capt. Joseph A. Tivy.” His classmates in Kerrville included Charles Lockett, H. E. Williams, Arthur Mueller and L. A. Enderle, Mrs. R. A. Shelburne, Mrs. Aimee Garrett Schmerbeck and Miss Harriet Garrett.

In 1901, several weeks before Nimitz was scheduled to graduate from Tivy, he received a congressional appointment to attend the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He graduated from Annapolis in 1905, seventh in his class.

September 2, 1945

From there he had a fantastic career with the navy, but he’s probably most famous for accepting the formal surrender of the Japanese aboard the battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay September 2, 1945, ending World War II.

So, from birth to about age 5, Nimitz lived in Fredericksburg; from age 5 until about 16, Nimitz lived in Kerrville. Fredericksburg might have been his birthplace, but one could argue Kerrville raised him, educated him, and helped prepare him for his place in history.

Kerrville even gave Chester Nimitz a nickname: "Cotton," for his light-colored hair.

St. Charles Hotel

Nimitz’s family came to Kerrville to run the St. Charles Hotel which was once on the corner of Water and Sidney Baker streets, where the former Sid Peterson Memorial Hospital used to stand. Today the corner is part of Peterson Plaza.

Nimitz’s story might have been different if there hadn’t been a “surplus of army cadets from Texas in 1901.”

Here is Nimitz’s own account of what happened:

“I was born in Fredericksburg on February 24, 1885, and, after a few years sojourn at that place, moved to Kerrville, where I attended the public schools and from which place I secured my appointment to the naval academy. My choice of the naval academy was largely accidental because my aspirations had been toward West Point, primarily because the army was then well-represented in my part of Texas and very little was known of the navy. Lack of vacancies at West Point and impending competitive examinations for the naval academy appointment settled the matter for me. I was fortunate enough to get the appointment.”

Tivy Hotel

During his midshipmen days, his “sea-going aspirations were very nearly obliterated by a Sunday excursion across the bay to Kent while in one of Capt. Burgis’ sailing boats. I got frightfully seasick and must confess to some chilling enthusiasm for the sea.”

A humble beginning for a man so honored by his country for his naval service. On December 4, 1944, by act of Congress, the grade of Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy was created. The following day Franklin Roosevelt nominated Nimitz to this position, which was approved by the Senate. Nimitz took the oath of that office on December 19, 1944.

After the war, Nimitz made official visits to Kerrville and Fredericksburg.

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, with
his sister, Dora Reagan, during
"Nimitz Day" in Kerrville.

15,000 people celebrated in Kerrville on October 13, 1945 when the community which raised him celebrated “Nimitz Homecoming Day.” During the celebration, Tivy High School presented him with the diploma he’d earned but never received when he left for Annapolis.

After the war, Nimitz served as Chief of Naval Operations, administered the plebiscite that would determine the fate of Jammu and Kashmir for the governments of India and Pakistan, and served as a regent of University of California from 1948-1956.

He died February 20, 1966, and is buried in California.

Back, now to the mystery of a Kerrville grave.

Those who’ve visited small family cemetery at the top of Tivy Mountain will remember four graves: Joseph A. Tivy; his wife, Ella Tivy; his sister, Susan Tivy; plus an unusual grave: “Feline Tivy.”

I’ve previously reported the cat buried on Tivy Mountain belonged to Ella. The book corrects that reporting: the cat belonged to Susan Tivy, the captain’s sister who never married. I’ve also repeated a rumor: the cat was buried there by Chester A. Nimitz, as a favor to Miss Tivy.

Here’s what the book says:

When Miss Tivy’s cat died, it broke her heart. She was living alone at the St. Charles Hotel, when Nimitz’s stepfather and mother managed the hotel. She asked young Chester Nimitz to find a place to bury her cat, where it would not be disturbed.

According to the book, Chester Nimitz buried the cat in the family plot on Tivy Mountain, and placed a wooden marker on its grave.

“Miss Tivy was surprised,” the book states, “but pleased whin Chester told her where he had taken [her cat]. ‘Why not?’ Chester asked. ‘He’s part of the family and belongs there.’”

One other little detail is shared in the book: The cat was a male, with white fur, and around fifteen years old.

Though the marker at the top of Tivy Mountain omits it, the cat’s name was Herman.

Susan Tivy died in 1901, the same year Nimitz left Kerrville for the Naval Academy. She is buried near Herman.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who has officiated at several cat funerals, though he never buried a cat in solid stone such as that found at the top of Tivy Mountain. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead September 5, 2024.

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114th Season of Tivy High School Football

The 1915 Tivy Antler football team.
Click on any image to enlarge.

In 1911, Professor Alvin Dille organized the first football team at Kerrville’s Tivy School.

Years ago, Jan Wilkinson, a Facebook friend and descendent of Joshua Brown (the founder of Kerrville) emailed me an article from the September 26, 1957 issue of the Kerrville Times, written by Eugene T. Butt, who was himself a member of an interesting Kerrville family.

"Football came to Tivy in the fall of 1911," the page one article begins. "Prior to this time baseball was the principal sport and when school started in September the boys started baseball and played until the weather became too cold.

1922 Antler football team

"Then the games became varied. A form of Rugby football was played in which sides were chosen and the opponents tried to kick the ball over the goal line of the opposing team. One and Over, which is a form of leap frog, was played a great deal.

"Basketball was also a popular sport and Tivy had top teams both of boys and girls. Games were played with Center Point, Bandera, etc. Of course, the game was a great deal different from the way it is played at present, and a player would not get very far dribbling as they do now. It was mostly a passing game.

"Volleyball was also played, and track came in for its share of the time. In each of these, however, there were no opponents from other schools.

1922 players in photo

"Then in the spring when it began to get warm, baseball was started again and played until school was out in May. Games were played with teams from other towns near Kerrville.

"In the summer of 1911, Professor Alvin Dille . . . was elected head of the Kerrville Schools. When school started in September, one of the first things he did was call all of the older boys together and to say, 'Boys, we are going to organize a Tivy Football Team. Who wants to try out for the team?'

"Of course, almost all of the boys were interested, although there was not a boy who had played football before and but few of them had even seen a game. There were a very few holdbacks, however, for nearly every boy who wore 'long breeches' tried out and there were about twenty on the first squad."

"Professor Dille taught the boys the fundamentals of the game. The team worked from a straight T formation. Only simple plays were used -- such as end runs, 'line bucks,' and forward passing.

1934 team.  I knew some of these fellows.

"We had one or two so called trick plays. One was the criss-cross in which the quarterback gave the ball to one end and he gave it to the other end coming from the opposite direction. It was slow, though, and we never gained much with it.

"The Tivy boys had no uniforms, but wore old baseball uniforms or caps, old sweaters, or anything they had. A few of them got hold of old pieces of football equipment," Butt wrote. "I acquired a nose guard somewhere and it was responsible for the only touchdown we scored that season.

"The town team was punting and I broke through the line and the ball hit my nose guard and bounced back over the kicker's head and over their goal line, and Lewis Moore, a Tivy end, fell on it for a touchdown.

1935 team. Tivy Mountain in background

"The football field we played on was on the southwest side of the campus from Tivy Street back to where the Auld building is now." The Auld building still stands behind the old Tivy Elementary School campus; the first Tivy football field was bordered by Tivy, Third, and College streets.

"The regulars on Tivy's first [football] team were Bob Horne and Lewis Moore, ends; Alex Dietert and Gene Butt, tackles; Claud Denton and Harry Dietert, guards; Eric Beecroft, center; Earl Garrett, quarterback; John Williams, right halfback; Remus Kelly, left halfback; and Tate Hodges, fullback. On the squad were Alois Remschel, Dan Auld, Payne Williamson, Jack Pearson, and others I do not recall."

I’m thankful for Jan Wilkinson’s generosity in sharing this article with all of us.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who's been in Kerrville for more than half of the Tivy football team's history. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead August 29, 2024.

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The story of Kerrville’s very first city council meetings

Minutes of the very first meeting of the 
Kerrville City Council -- Halloween, 1889.
Click on any image to enlarge.

I was recently at city hall in downtown Kerrville, and the kind folks there let me look at the minutes of the very first meeting of the Kerrville city council, which was held on Halloween, 1889. I’ve been interested in city council meetings recently, for some reason, and the old documents showed how council meetings got their start here.

Joseph A. Tivy

“Kerrville, Oct 31st 1889. Mayor Tivy called a meeting of the City Council – present Mayor Tivy, Presiding Alderman Smallwood, Burnett, Herzog, and Schreiner. Aderman Richards absent. Upon motion of Alderman Burnett, Ed Smallwood was elected President pro tem; upon motion of Alderman Herzog, A. C. Schreiner was elected Secy and Treas of the City of Kerrville.”

Next they appointed John Grider as city assessor and collector.

After electing their officers, they set up the meeting calendar: “Resolution making the first and third Tuesday in each month at 10 o’clock a.m. as regular meeting of the council.”

And finally, they appointed a committee, made up of Burnett and Smallwood to “draft suitable ordinances…and to report said ordinances for adoption or rejection at the next regular meeting of November 19th, 1889.”

Not a bad start for the council. They organized themselves, appointed a person to be responsible for the revenues to the city, told the community when they’d meet, and appointed two members to come up with ordinances.

Page One

The minutes were signed, not by Tivy, but by Ed Smallwood, the presiding officer, and attested by A. C. Schreiner.  On the following pages of the minute book Tivy’s signature can be found – he signed ordinances.

How did city government get here?

135 years ago – this very week – on August 23, 1889, a group of Kerrville citizens met in the law office of Robert H. Burney and "definitely started the plans for incorporation." A petition was soon presented to the county judge, W. G. Garrett, signed by fifty "resident citizens and qualified voters of Kerrville, Texas" stating the "desire to incorporate said town of Kerrville for municipal purposes, in accordance to the laws of the State of Texas."

Since the court was not in session, Judge Garrett granted the request 'in vacation' -- and an election "to determine whether or not said town of Kerrville shall be incorporated" was scheduled for September 7th, 1889. 

Pages 2 and 3

Consider that for a moment: from the first meeting in the lawyer's office until the election was held, only about two weeks passed. There were no lengthy studies, public hearings, prolonged debate. I wonder if the full 1889 commissioners court would have approved the election.

There was not a lot of voter turnout, either. The petition stated Kerrville was a "town of more than one thousand inhabitants," yet only 98 votes were cast in the election. The results: 95 for incorporation and 3 against. (Descendants of the three who voted against are probably still here. Just a hunch.)

The election for the new city's first mayor and aldermen was set for September 26th, where Joseph A. Tivy (yes, the same Tivy for which the high school is named) was elected mayor; A. C. Schreiner, W. W. Burnett, Ed Smallwood, B. C. Richards and Nathan Herzog were chosen as aldermen. Mr. Herzog was an employee of Mr. Schreiner. Ed Smallwood was the editor of the local newspaper.

At their second meeting, Richards was appointed to "devise ways and means for operating the city government;" Richards and Schreiner were named as the finance committee.

Taxes followed. Property taxes were 1/4 cent per $100 valuation; a dollar poll tax for all men aged 21 to 60; various occupation taxes were also levied. A dog tax was proposed, but failed to receive the necessary 2/3 vote to make it into law until it was proposed again the following year, putting a $1.50 tax on all dogs aged three months and older.

Some of the taxes and regulations of the new government seem rather quaint now. There were ordinances covering "fights between men and bulls, between dogs and bears, between dogs and other animals, and menageries or wax works exhibitions and concerts where a fee was demanded or received." Fights between dogs and bears was specifically mentioned; I'm thinking the spectacle must have occurred here at least once.

There were ordinances against "immoderately riding or driving on the streets," leaving your steed or wagon unhitched on city streets, vulgar language was illegal, and the "raising, hatching, or breeding of pigeons" within the city limits was also outlawed.

All able-bodied men "between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were required to give five days' work on streets during the year, and city officials were empowered to summon them as needed."

Times have certainly changed, but I do not doubt that 135 years from today some of the decisions made by the present city council will also seem quaint.

With all of the new taxes and regulations, discontent blossomed in the hearts of many Kerrville citizens and a new election was called in 1890 to dissolve the new city, though the question failed, and the young city government survived.

Happily, such an election has not been suggested today. I think the city government would prevail, but it would certainly be an interesting campaign.

Until next week, all the best.

Joe Herring Jr. is a Kerrville native who is currently involved in city government. This column originally appeared in the Kerr County Lead August 22, 2024

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