Henry Basse House

Historical marker location:

Fredericksburg, Texas

( at US Hwy. 290 and Basse Ln. take Basse Ln. south .4 mi. to S. Bowie and go east 100 yards)

Marker installed: 1991

Descended from the Rev. Henrich S. W. Basse, a Lutheran pastor sent by the Adelsverein to serve German settlers in this area, Henry and Hugo Basse operated the Basse Brothers Cement Yard and created the Basse block, a popular building material in this region. This house, built in 1918-1920 by Henry Basse, is a testament to his business success and is a fine example of Basse block construction. A good local example of Prairie School-influenced design, it features a center passage plan and a three-bay, two-story porch with classical box columns on the first story.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1991.

houses residential buildings design and construction German immigrants immigration Prairie School (architectural style)

The first oil well in the United States was drilled in Texas in 1859. The discovery of oil transformed the economy of the state and helped to make Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation.