2016-5 Remembrances Special Edition1
City of Schertz
Remembrances Special Edition 2016- 5
Presented by: Schertz Historical Preservation Committee
Source: Jean Heide
Selma, Texas Preserves Historic Homestead – The Harrison House
In the late 1950s, with the construction of Interstate Highway 35 our neighbors in Selma, Texas
saw their downtown area destroyed. Thereafter, residential subdivisions and light industry
began the ‘new normal’ with respect to the community’s composition. But left untouched were
several historic old homes, a small lime-crete building that once served as a stage stop and
Selma’s post office, as well as a historic farm house behind what is today Forest Creek
Subdivision. The City of Selma (City Council and staff) with the encouragement and research
efforts of Jean Heide, President of the then Selma Historical Foundation, began efforts to save
the stage stop and the farm house. These early research efforts revealed that in the early
1850s the farm house was the home of John S. Harrison and his family. Harrison was one of the
partners in the Harrison & McCulloch Stage Line and operator of the Selma Stage Stop. The
farm house changed ownership several times between 1852 through 2001 to include the
following owners: John S. Harrison 1852-1854; Martin Schmid and Wilhelm Geier 1854-1894
(Note: The Schmid family cemetery was set at the rear of the farm and today is marked by a
historical marker on one of the fairways of Olympia Hills Golf Course); Andreas and Armin
Stautzenberger 1894-1905; and, the family of former Selma Mayor Herold Friesenhahn from
1905-2001. Jean Heide, with technical assistance from Greg Smith of the Texas Historical
Commission, made application for National Registry of Historic Places recognition for the
Harrison House from the National Park Service, Department of Interior,. The designation was
approved. Today, both the stage stop and the house carry the designation as State
Archeological Landmarks.
There were many contributors to the effort to preserve the Harrison House. Among the
contributors were Selma Mayor Tom Daly and supportive city council members. Members of
the City’s Historical Parks Committee to include Madeline and Jim Burdett, Dixie Barfield and
her mother Alice, Judy Everett, and David Arroyo all contributed significantly to the effort.
Several consultants and neighboring city historical societies also lent their support to the effort.
2
John S. Harrison House as restored (photo by Dianna Webb - August 2016)
Restoration efforts have been underway for a couple of years after the City of Selma purchased
the Harrison House property in 2001 and committed to develop a small park and to use the
restored house as a community center. Dedication ceremonies were held August 10, 2016 for
the newly renovated Harrison House and the property surrounding the home.
The preservation of the Harrison House marks a milestone in the Selma community’s quest for
honoring its historic past. The park-like grounds and the home will serve as a gathering point
for residents and visitors for a long time to come. Congratulations to the folks that made this
historic preservation project a reality.