Gugger Homestead

Arnold Gugger, son of Swiss-born Helotes pioneers Anton and Marie Gugger, built this house and store circa 1881 on the east bank of Helotes Creek, where the site suited his blacksmith shop, general store, and saloon. Arnold and his wife Amalia “Mollie” (Benke) raised their six children on the second floor. The Guggers sold the property to Wilbert Hileman in 1908, and it later changed hands several times. The home also served twice as the Helotes Post Office, under postmasters Arnold Gugger from 1888 to 1904 and Blanche Maltsberger from 1944 to 1953. The two-story limestone building has eighteen-inch-thick rough-course walls and an L-shaped wood porch that extends around the front and side of both stories.

Helotes, Texas · United States