A certified  copy of a warranty deed  filed for record  April 21, 1890 and recorded in the  book  U,  page  286, of Wilson County deed  records, reads as  follows: 

 

"Acknowledged  by  Samuel  Beall  of  the  county  of  Live  Oak,  and  the  state  of Texas and formerly of the  county of Wilson, same  state, That in the  month of November 1865, he  sold (200) acres in the  county of Wilson state of Texas, for the  sum  of  (400)  hundred  dollars  to  Charles  Winkler,  who  since  had  lost  the original  deed  given him." He  also  declares  that  this  said  two  hundred  acres  is  the  same  track  of  land  where the  said Charles Winkler  resides and is out  of the  one corner of a tract of land owned  by  him.  Said  tract is  to  be  surveyed according  to  the  lines  of  the 

tract commencing at  the  corner of the  tract originally  owned by  him and to run  as to include  the  improvements  of said Winkler."  And, "I  hereby agree  that  the lines of his  tract may be  run by  the county  surveyor  of Wilson County at any 

time."

 

This was  signed by Samuel Beall  before Live  Oak  County District Clerk, M. W. C. Frazier and dated  April 21, 1890, with the  county Clerk's  certified certificate attached. This instrument shows  as  recorded in Book W, No. 1, page  516 Bexar  County deed  records. The  house spoken of as  Charles Winkler's improvements in the  above  warranty deed  is  a picket house that was originally of two rooms and a dog run. It was  built  by Charles Winkler  as  his home  in 1866 or 1867.

 

It  was  built of post oak pickets and chinked with straw and clay  and then, as  of  that  time,  hand plastered over with a plaster made of burnt shell  lime and clay. The house rests on oak sleepers and the ceiling  joists  are  still  all  mostly  the original  ones  of oak  logs...Some re-enforcements of 

 milled  material has been  used  as  repairs  down through the years, and the  original  wide plank flooring,  installed some years after  the house had begun "it's life" with the usual packed earth floors, has been  covered with a narrower pine flooring.

 

At  the  front  of the  house, two shed  rooms of wood (lumber) were  added at a later date, as  was a long, low shed  room  at the  back  of  the  house to accommodate the  growing family of John Winkler, who had purchased  the  home and one hundred  acres from  his father on March 5th, seven or eight months prior to his marriage  on November  22nd, 1881, to his wife Mary. The house is in excellent  repair  and owned by  granddaughter of the  original Charles Winkler....(or Carl, as  he  was sometimes  known)  and her  husband,  Charles  Foegelle...The estate  having  been  purchased  by  them  from the  other heirs. Mrs. Foegelle was  the  former  Bessie  Winkler.

 

Since  the  house was  built, it has at all  times been  occupied by  a member of the  Winkler  Family. Mr. and Mrs. Foegelle made  the  old  home  their home  until their new rock house was  completed about  one  hundred and  fifty feet  in front  and to the  south  of  the  old  picket  house. In this Picket house, John and Mary Winkler  reared a large  family of boys  and girls. The original  Charles and Caroline  Winkler came to this locality soon after  the  thirteen  original families had arrived in 1855 at St. Hedwig and the  surrounding countryside. Father Edward  J. Dworazyk says in his  book, "The First Polish Colonies of America In Texas",  that  this was  the second Polish immigration coming to Texas. The first  Polish Colony settling  at what  they named Panna Maria, (Virgin Mary)  the year before, at about  Christmas time.

 

St. Hedwig Colony was  a sturdy substantial people who farmed and in those  days grew  mostly  corn. They  grazed their cattle  on common land, losing many of them to cattle  rustlers. After  the  Civil war,  freed  black  slaves came in near the  Polish colony  and formed a Black colony, each  owning  a few acres. There  were several of these black colonies in what  was  by this time, Wilson County.

 

Those freed blacks taught the  thrifty Polish farmers (Father Dworaczyk says in his book) how to grow  cotton and this created their first  cash crops.

 

The John Winkler  family operated a small mercantile store besides their farming and this was  located on the  corner of their farm at the  fork of two roads. One, the  main  wagon road, led from  this vicinity to San Antonio. The other, a small lane of a road led on up through the woods to what  was  and still is known  as the  Perida Community, in Bexar  County.

 

The Winkler  store and property line was  not more than some few hundred  yards from  the  Bexar County line in the  north wedge  of Wilson County and today  is known  as  the Carpenter Community.
 

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It is our  belief and desire that  this old  picket  home  so  well preserved, even  though not  completely  original, should bear the  Texas  State Historical Medallion... Recalling  for others the way of life of a people fresh come to a strange land.... – Whose language few of them understood...Who  knew nothing of slave labors and as  Father Dworaczyk writes, " They  banded 

together and built their homes of post oak logs or pickets and thatched their roofs with prairie grass".

 

Approved for State Historical Medallion  by the  Wilson County Historical Survey Board  and Committee on August 13, 1963.
 

This article was  compiled  by Gail Wells  Shriber (Mrs. Joe Shriber) July  1963. It was  contributed by  Gene  Maeckel, Chairman of the  Wilson  County Historical Commission, to the Wilson County Historical Society, P.O Box 101, Floresville, Texas 78114. 

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Historical Moments Wilson County Historical Society