Gruene Family Home

The Gruene Family Home is a Victorian-style house that was constructed in 1872. The Gruene Family Home, though not listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places, is a contributing property to Gruene Historic District, which was listed in 1975. Presently, the home operates as the Gruene Mansion Inn and Bed and Breakfast in the Gruene Community of New Braunfels, Texas.

H. D. Gruene Mansion
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
The Gruene Family Home decorated for Christmas in 2007
Location	Gruene, Texas
Coordinates	29°44′17″N 98°6′15″W
Built	1872 (1872)
Built by	Christian Herry
Architect	H.D. Gruene
Architectural style	Late Victorian
Part of	Gruene Historic District (ID75001962)
RTHL No.	2295
Significant dates
Designated CP	April 21, 1975[1]
Designated RTHL	1984

One of several homes owned by the Gruene Family, the house was built of timber framed adobe by Henry Gruene, second son of Ernst and Antoinette Gruene, the original settlers. Henry purchased the farm, with house and outbuildings, from his brother Ernst, Jr., about 1878, when he returned from the longest trail ride in American history, having gone all the way to Canada. The oldest house in Gruene is across the street and Henry lived here for a time until he married and built the mansion. The entire town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 due to the efforts of Cheryle Fuller, who did all of the historical research, including several hours of taped interviews with Henry Gruene, Jr., which she transcribed and submitted along with the historical survey. Henry Gruene, Jr. built the red brick house next door to this one, where he lived until selling the town and many other buildings to developers Rathgeber, West, Leach in 1974. Ernst, Jr. (b. 1855) lived in a now destroyed duplex across from his parents' retirement home, which was the original farm house mentioned in the deed of 1872, and next to his nephew Henry Jr.'s red brick home. Other homes built by Gruene family members were on Hunter road next to and across from the Mercantile Buildings. Reports of ghosts of the Gruene family in these buildings remains part of the local lore.