Alabama natives Emory Crawford Barker (1839-1914) and Leah Humphreys (1842-1931) both came to the area with their families in the early 1850s. Emory served in Co. G of Terry's Texas Rangers during the Civil War. He and Leah married in 1866 and had seven children. The Barkers bought 260 acres along the Old Sutherland Springs - Seguin Road. Their home built in 1871 is one of few remaining rock houses in the Cibolo Valley. Red sandstone for construction was sawed rather than being chipped or broken as was more common. A nearby spring-fed water well made the home a popular stop for stagecoaches and wagons. In 1879, the Barkers sold the house and moved to Blanco county. After a succession of owners, Rudolph (1882-1952) and Adelia Moehrig (1888-1980) Huebinger bought the house in November 1916. Besides this farm Rudolph owned a butcher shop, and Adelia was a noted seamstress and hat maker here and in California. The property remained in the Huebinger family at the turn of the 21st century.
     This historic homestead includes a main house, outbuilding and well. The home is a load-bearing masonry structure with an extended hall and parlor layout. Rough-cut sandstone is laid in both regular and irregular courses, and craftsmanship is evident in corner quoins and other details. Interior features include stone chimneys, plaster finishes and wood doors. The adjacent building, possibly built as a ranch hand bunkhouse, has rough-cut sandstone laid in regular courses and timbered side gables. Notable interior details include a fireplace and a stone nicho possibly reflecting hispanic influence. The circular well features a concrete cap atop a deep shaft lined with stones similar to those used in the buildings. (2008)
(Texas Historical Commission)

BARKER - HUEBINGER HOUSE ... A Wilson County Texas homestead built in 1871 and Texas dance halls that once were important community centers throughout the state are among the 13 sites that Preservation Texas Inc. has named to its fifth annual list of Texas Most Endangered Historic Places.

 

The Barker-Huebinger Rock House was constructed in 1871 by Emory and Leah Barker on their 260-acre property north of Sutherland Springs in Wilson County. A red sandstone dwelling, an adjacent secondary building, and a hand-dug well are part of the original property located on F.M. 539, an early road that is currently being developed as a history trail. The rough-cut, sandstone walls of the main dwelling and adjacent building were laid in regular and irregular courses and the corners were detailed with quoins. The four-room main building with an enclosed dogtrot hall and three fireplaces served as the Barkers home until 1879. In 1916, the property was purchased by Rudolph Huebinger and has remained in the family owner

ship.

 

The buildings have been vacant for many years and have been subject to inappropriate repairs. The current owner is interested in restoring the buildings, but the cost of the project is overwhelming.

 

Several of the dance halls listed are in the San Antonio area, including the Bandera Cabaret Dance Hall in Bandera, Quihi Gun Club in Castroville, Anhalt Verin Hall in Anhalt, and Schroeder Dance Hall in Yorktown.

 

As Texas was settled, a dance hall was one of the first public buildings constructed in nearly every town and hamlet. Texas dance halls have served and continue to function as meeting spaces and the sites of social events. They contribute to the development of country and western and conjunto music. They preserve the cultural traditions of many ethnic groups who immigrated to Texas and settled here.

 

Preservation Texas Inc. is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for preserving the historic resources in Texas.

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