Enjoy a carriage ride as part of the Heritage Association of San Marcos Home Tour. The above photo is taken from a post card depending a carriage ride on Fort Street, now Hopkins Street, circa the 1890s.
Photo reproduced from the San Marcos-Hays County Collection at the San Marcos Public Library
110 years ago, wagons were still part of daily life in San Marcos. To get around town, all you had was a horse, your feet, and if lucky a bicycle. The wealthier people had buggies and carriages, the working people had buckboards. Most everyone needed horses. Horses need care, and wheeled conveyances need building and repairing. It is estimated that in 1880, there were over 80,000 carriage manufacturers in the country. Every town had carriage makers, blacksmiths, and a livery stable. San Marcos had several of each.
Photo reproduced from the San Marcos-Hays County Collection at the San Marcos Public Library
Experience the history of San Marcos first hand with this weekend's Home Tour
Perhaps the most noted early 1900s blacksmith in San Marcos was a man named Ulysses Cephas. His restored bungalow home will be a featured property on this year’s Heritage Home Tour on May 4 and 5. It is entirely possible that Cephas worked on the carriages (pictured above,) although there were other blacksmiths in town. But it is a reality that within the next few weeks, his home will be an anchor to the new Dunbar National Register Historic District. That is a very big deal, and the Heritage Association is honored to help celebrate. Tour visitors will see displays, hear cultural stories, get to sample favorite cultural desserts. For those taking the self guided tour, cross the street to the Calaboose Museum to learn all about blacksmithing and see the restoration in progress of the old San Marcos Colored School.
Then, still at Tour Stop #2, participants can board a horse and buggy or a pedicab for a spin through the nearby Belvin and San Antonio historic districts. This is not just any normal home tour.
There are restored historic homes to see and hear about on the tour, but there also 1800s carriages on display. There is an old fashioned homemade- only bake sale being held at the tour’s starting point, the Charles S. Cock House-Museum at 400 Hopkins Street. The public is invited to that sale after 1pm each day, after tour guests have had first pick of the homemade desserts. There is a drive-by tour through the historic area, with costumed docents on the curb telling history stories to passing guests, and pointing out long-ignored roadside relics. There is an 1880s “mystery cabin” on a private hillside street that no one knows the history of — do you? There is a trip up the Wonder World observation tower and discounted future tickets to the park. And finally, for interior design fans, there are two gorgeous contemporary houses that feature the latest styles in La Cima.
Advance tickets for $25 are still available online at www.heritagesanmarcos. org. After 11 p.m. on Friday night, “day of” admission price will become $30 for adults, and $15 for children and docents. Tour begins at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with houses closing at 4 p.m. All proceeds benefit historic preservation.
