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This site was home to two important area families, as well as a stagecoach stop in the 1800s. Development here began in 1858 when Joseph Huebner and his family, who arrived from Austria five years earlier, bought acreage surrounding what is now Huebner Creek and Huebner Road. A successful San Antonio businessman, he soon erected three limestone buildings here and began to acquire herds of horses, mules and cattle. He also opened a stagecoach stop at the family’s homestead ranch on the San Antonio to Bandera Stage Line Route. The stop included blacksmith services, change of stock and overnight accommodations if travelers were unable to pass over the flooded creek. Joseph Huebner died in 1882 and was buried on the homestead property. After Huebner’s death, and well into the early 20th century, the family continued to operate the ranch, watering hole and livery service on this land. In 1930, Judge John F. Onion and his wife Harriet acquired a section of the Huebner property that included the homestead site. John (d. 1955) began a family legal tradition, working as a lawyer and later serving as a San Antonio municipal judge, Bexar County Justice of the Peace and Bexar County District Judge. Harriet (d. 1983) was a schoolteacher in Leon Valley. Due to metropolitan growth, the homestead was in danger of disappearing, but grassroots efforts led by the historical society of Leon Valley, along with corporate donations and the purchase of land, helped save this historic property. Today, it serves as a natural area and educational site. |
