Learn

Early settlers from Spain and Mexico were the first to claim the tribal lands of Native Americans along the Cibolo Creek. The Republic days of Texas in the 1840s witnessed the creation of settlements in the area when the first wave of settlers came from the Old South in hopes of establishing cotton plantations, followed closely by immigrants from the Prussian Empire, including Germans and Polish. The settlement was initially given the name, “Post Oak,” but 1859, when it was discovered another town already had the name, it was officially changed to “Lavernia.” The spellings, La Vernia, LaVernia, and Lavernia, are also accepted. The unusual history of the beautiful Italian name can be found in issue #1 of Lavernia Legacies.

The History of La Vernia Schools featuring Spirit & Sports 1870 – 1999
Only a few left.
Order online for $51 including s/h
or
Pick up at the La Vernia Heritage Museum for $40.
The museum is open on the first and third Sunday of each month from Noon to 3 pm. Occasionally we cannot open on these days. When this happens, we will post a notice on our Facebook page.    We always welcome APPOINTMENTS. To schedule an appointment, call 210-392-3281.  

  • Fully indexed
  • 167 pages – 8.50″ X 11″
  • soft-cover, perfect binding
  • FULL color
  • All proceeds benefit the LVHA

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Markers near La Vernia
Cibolo Crossing on the Gonzales Road
Suttles Pottery
Bridge at McAllister Crossing
LVISD Building 100
Concrete Cemetery
Applewhite Homestead
Susanna Dickinson Alamo Survivor
Deaf Smith Oak Tree
Brahan Lodge No. 226, A.F. & A.M.
Immanuel Lutheran Church
La Vernia
Linne Oil Field
Rector Chapel Bell
Polley Cemetery
Rector Chapel Cemetery
Old Chihuahua Road
Beall Cemetery
Whitehall – Polley Mansion

Available Downloads  
1.  Map of Local Historical Markers
2.  Dedication Ceremony handout for the bench donated by the La Vernia Garden Club on May 3, 2018, and placed under the Deaf Smith oak tree which was grown from an acorn of the original tree.
3.  A Brief History of the La Vernia Schools – May not be published without the written permission of the La Vernia Historical Association.

4.  Self-Guided Walking Tour of Historic Chihuahua Street – Note: This full-color brochure is designed to print front and back on an 8.5″ x 14″ legal-size piece of paper. The brochure is also available for a $1 suggested donation at these locations: The La Vernia Heritage Museum, Sue’s Antiques, the La Vernia Mills, Inc., La Vernia City Hall, and the Jane Yelvington McCallum Public Library in La Vernia. The use of this file for printing and distribution requires LVHA written permission. Please contact us if you would like to order a quantity for your business.

5.  Sandstone rocks used as building materials in La Vernia, Stockdale, and Sutherland Springs. This narrative was prepared by the La Vernia Historical Association, the Sutherland Spring Historical Museum, and local historians, Allen and Regina Kosub.  We continue to add information to our archives about this topic and many more.

6.  Read about the Sanders family of La Vernia. The download includes additional photos and a history of the Sanders family:
SANDERS Andrew Newell biography  

Amelia Sanders. Photo courtesy of the Sanders descendants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Links – Learn more:

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Our Publications –  May be ordered by clicking here or go to our Shop page.   
LaVernia Legacies – a periodical  – All issues are print copies; available by suggested donation. The publication is not downloadable. All shipping and handling is a flat $5.

Issue #1

Issue #2

Issue #3

Issue #4

Issue $5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lavernia Legacies – $8 each or $30 for all five issues.
– Available at the Wilson County News office in Floresville, Sue’s Antiques in La Vernia, and the La Vernia Heritage Museum.
– These 8.5″ x 11″ fully indexed, softbound issues contain stories, photos, lists, facts, and maps.
– Written by local historians, our members, local families, and volunteers.

Contents
Issue #1
– La Vernia – Where the Old South Met the Wild West, by Allen and Regina Kosub
-The La Vernia Depot, shared by Helen Freeman
-La Vernia as Featured in 19th Century Newspapers, by Allen and Regina Kosub
-La Vernia’s Chihuahua Trail, by Regina and Allen Kosub
-The Western Chronicle, collected by Allen and Regina Kosub
-Deaf Smith Oak Tree, by Shirley Grammer
-Thomas Applewhite Homestead, by Shirley Grammer
-Samuel Pressley Wiseman Racket Store, by Shirley Grammer
-The Lay Hotel, by Shirley Grammer
-In Memoriam, and more.
Issue #2 –
-The Homemade Soap Legacy, by Susan Richter
-Excerpts from ‘La Vernia Memories, the 1930s’, by Ewald Koepp, Jr.
-Excerpts from ‘World War II in La Vernia’, by Ewald Koepp, Jr.
-The Way Things Were, by Bill Wiseman
-The Lay Hotel Update, by Shirley Grammer
-The McAlister Family of Wilson County, by Shirley Grammer
-A La Vernia Legacy at the Corner of Hackberry and Seguin, by Susan Richter
-Memories of La Vernia, a letter from Ruby Rodewald
-The Suttles Pottery, by Elaine Mazurek Stephens
-In Memoriam, and more.
Issue #3 – 
-Early Schools in the La Vernia Area, by Allen and Regina Kosub
-Murder of the La Vernia Postmaster, by Allen and Regina Kosub
-Postmasters in La Vernia, provided by Allen and Regina Kosub
-Old Timers on the Cibolo, by J. B. Polley
-Emma Anna Mattke Schievelbein, by Susan Richter and Elaine Stephens
-In Memoriam and more.
Issue #4 –
-Train Track Tales-The Exhibit
-Map of Train Tracks Through La Vernia
-Photos of the La Vernia Depot
-History of the Railroad Through La Vernia
-Railroading Recollections
-Living In A Train Car
-Train Track Tales – Their Stories, by local legends:
-Bennie Brooks, Irene Brooks, Eugene C. Duelm, Sr., Frank L. Fischer, Helen Engelhardt Freeman, Juanita Wiseman Grubbs, Gerald Hartmann, Ewald “Junior” Koepp, Tommy Kravitz, Gene “Juney” Lenz, Lewanna Lenz, Vernelle Jane Schraub Richter, Danny Santos, Juanita Vega Santos, Larry Schievelbein, Donald Schroeder, Bill Wiseman, Clydell Witte, Evelyn Koepp Wosnig, Dora Witte Wyatt, Carl Zenner, Robert Zuehl.
Issue #5 –
-Churches in the La Vernia Area
-Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
-Christ Lutheran Church of Elm Creek
-First Baptist Church of La Vernia
-Immanuel Lutheran Church
-La Vernia United Methodist Church
-La Vernia Primitive Baptist Church
-St. Ann Catholic Church
-Zion Fair Baptist Church
-Other Churches in the La Vernia Area
-Photos from our Tour of Churches
-In Memoriam and more