Day Trips

Sebastopol, the 139-year-old Greek Revival-style house in Seguin, sits in the middle of a well-manicured lawn shining bright white like a pearl in a field of green velvet. Preserved as a state historical park, the former home is the finest surviving example of early concrete construction in the Southwest.

Like the families that once lived in the two-story, seven-room house, Sebastopol has a history that mirrors the evolution of the state. Begun in 1854 by Colonel Joshua W. Young, the house occupies a small hill above Walnut Creek about a half a mile from downtown. On the Texas frontier, the stately home was a mansion fitting a Southern gentleman and his family. Two design features make the house unique — it has an inverted, “V”-shaped roof to collect rain water for the cistern, and it is made of concrete, or “limecrete,” as the compound was called.

At the time of its construction, concrete as a building material was only about 20 years old. The first major use of concrete in construction was the Erie Canal in the Northeast. Col. Young took advantage of the elements that were on hand on the banks of the Guadalupe River north of San Antonio. The area has an abundance of gravel and lime chalk that when mixed together with water make a material that is well-suited for building.

Using African-American slave labor, the house took four years to complete. Sections of the walls were poured in molds about 10 feet long, two feet wide, and two feet high. A 30’x30′ wall took considerable time, even if the materials and labor were all but free. The furnishings and wood trim were made from cypress and walnut trees that once grew abundantly in the area.

Originally called Walnut Springs, Seguin was established as a settlement by Texas Rangers in 1838, two years after the end of the Texas Revolution. The once bountiful grove of walnut trees were used in the construction of many of the area homes, as was the limecrete.

In the late 19th century, Seguin was called “the prettiest town in Texas” by Frederick Law Olmstead, the landscape architect for New York City’s Central Park, and “the Mother of Concrete Cities” by a traveling journalist. At the turn of the century, Seguin had more than 100 buildings, cisterns, and fences built with limecrete. Now fewer than 20 of the structures survive.

Sebastopol — the name supposedly comes from the Russian naval station where “The Charge of the Light Brigade” took place — was a private residence for 100 years. Col. Young never lived in the house he built. His young wife died during construction, and his second wife preferred her home and refused to move into the mansion.

The Colonel sold the house to his widow sister who lived in the house for nearly 20 years until it was purchased by Joseph Zorn, a businessman, mayor, and school trustee who is credited with bringing electricity, a water system, and the telephone to Seguin. The Zorn’s six children were born and raised in the house.

When the last of the Zorn children died in 1952, the house was rented to a series of tenants. One of the drawbacks to limecrete is that it requires nearly constant maintenance. The house soon fell into disrepair. Photos taken in 1960 show a building about to fall down. The Seguin Conservation Society raised enough funds to buy the property and halt the deterioration.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department took over the building as a historic park in 1988 and began extensive restoration. Much of the walnut trim had been scavenged and only one of the original handmade doors was recovered because it had been thrown into the cistern. Much of the restoration project was authentic because detailed sketches had been made of the house as a Public Works Project during the 1930s.

The park service has a small gift shop and interpretive center in the rooms in back of the house where the family probably spent most of their time. The park host guides the tours through the rooms, explaining the history of the families that lived there and how the house was built.

Upstairs, the porch wraps around three-fourths of the house with the parlor where the family entertained in the center. The three bedrooms were in the back of the house with large windows to catch the breeze. The house is furnished with pieces acquired from the Young and Zorn families.

A tour of Sebastopol is a step back in time with a unique view of one of Texas’ more unique architectural monuments. The house is at 704 Zorn St. off of Court Street (US90) west of the courthouse square. The historical park is open Friday through Sunday, 9am-4pm, and by appointment. Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children. For more information, call 210/379-4833.

Birthday Celebration in Seguin honors the town’s 159th anniversary with barbecue, bake sale, antique auction, and entertainment at the Campbell Log Cabin, 211 E. Live Oak, Aug. 9.
210/379-7771.

Volunteer Fire Department Dance and Barbecue in Sisterdale is a major fundraiser for the group with an auction and country store, Aug. 9. 210/324-6737.

100-Mile Yard Sale from Von Ormy to Cotullia may be the largest concerted garage sale in the world, Aug. 9. 210/709-3726.

Cook’s Tour of Sebastopol offers views of the house not normally opened to the public during the 90-minute guided tours, 11am-2pm, Aug.19. 210/379-4833.

This article appears in August 8 • 1997 and August 8 • 1997 (Cover).