GRAPETOWN

NAME: Grapetown COUNTY: Gillespie/Kendall ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: Warm summer/winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring, fall

COMMENTS: Hard to find, about 11 miles south of Fredericksburg. Take U.S. 290 to the old Luckenbach road and turn left on Broadway, which leads to Grapetown Road. All buildings on fenced property. REMAINS: Schoolhouse, stables, abandoned buildings, , ranch houses

Grapetown came and went with the Fredericksburg & Northern Railroad. First settler was John Hemphill in 1848. The following settlers were mostly German. Doebbler's old stone stables were built in 1860 and are the oldest remaining structure. Other buildings are an abondoned house, the repainted Rausch ranch house, and the red tin roofed limestone schoolhouse. There is also supposedly a cemetery and community center in existance, but I saw neither on my visit to Grapetown. Several private ranches have been built along the road in recent years. Submitted by: Chris Lea

Grapetown Courtesy Peterson

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