Biry-Ahr

The Jean Jacques Biry House was built in 1850 by Jean Jacques (Jacob) Biry.

In 2005, the Castro Colonies Heritage Association contributed funds to assist the City of Castroville in acquiring the home to restore it for use as a living history center. The structure was in very poor shape and listed on Preservation Texas’ Most Endangered Places.

In 2015-16, the colonial home was restored at a cost of over $300,000 and opened to the public for the first time in December 2016. The restoration was done with the help of grants from the Texas Preservation Trust Fund, the San Antonio Conservation Society, the Castroville Conservation Society, and the Elizabeth Huth-Coates Foundation, as well as much fundraising by the Castro Colonies Heritage Association.

The Living History Center is used to present the culture and history of the Castro Colonies of Castroville, Quihi, Vandenberg and D’Hanis which were established in Medina County, Texas, between 1844 and 1847.

This house is rectangular in shape. The roofs are asymmetric and steep, the walls thick, the splayed windows are few but placed with classic rhythm.

Walls were made of rubble limestone rock stacked and mortared together and covered with smooth white stucco. Cypress planks were used for the ceiling and roof frame. Cedar shakes were used for the roof.

The main room would have been the first to be built. It had three doors. For this description, we assume the front door is due south along the street side of the property. The doors were on the north, south and west side. There were two windows on the south side and one on the north side.

On the east side, there is a fireplace used for heating in the winter. Outside at the northeast corner was a windbreak extending north about 8 feet, where a rock cooking stove would have been located. To the left of the original rear wall are the stairs that went up to the loft. This area was covered by a roof.

The date the dog trot was originally constructed is not known. We are told by the archeologist that this was probably not the original site of the log cabin. There is no information on where it might have been moved from. We do know that it was on this property when the Birys lived on the property (1847-1920) because the material used for roofing could be dated and from carvings in the wood were from a Biry family member. It was in bad shape when the City of Castroville (with the help of Castro Colonies Heritage Association) purchased the property so the cabin was taken down and rebuilt in 2020 – 22.

Modern Restroom Facilities were built on the site in 2020 and a demonstration well in 2023. The rock wall was built in 2018 and 2023.