The Burger house is said to have served as a place of settlement for those constructing Castroville’s first structures, especially as it is one of the earliest homes in the area. Many sources suggest that the home was built in 1844, seven years before the Burger Family’s arrival in the U.S. They very well may have moved into an existing home that played a key role in housing the creators of this community’s built environment.

Jean Burger, also known as John (1810-1890) emigrated to America on the ship Zanon in 1851. He journeyed from his hometown of Wittelsheim, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, and arrived in New Orleans, accompanied by his wife Anne Marie Schittle (1815 – 1892), four of their children and a nephew, Michel Kauffmann (1835-1899), who remained in New Orleans.

The Burgers arrived in Castroville around 1853 before the first of their sixth child, Philomine (1858-1932). Jean is listed on the 1860 census as a farmer. The same census lists Angeline (1851-1931) as being born in Texas. Their other children include Louis (1840 – 1923 in Dunlay), Hubert (1842-1908) and Joseph (1845-1888). All are buried in the St. Louis Catholic Cemetery except Philomine who instead lies in Our Lady of Grace Catholic Cemetery in LaCoste.

In 1872, Hubert married Mary ELizabeth Louisa (or Louise) Merian (1852-1937) at the St. Louis Church. They had seven children together, two of which were named Adolph (1886 -1955) and John (1876-1943).

Jean Burger bought the property for $650 and it remained in the family until May 1925. The younger John Burger of LaCoste helped Adolph transfer his estate, including this property, to Louisa for $3,000. The guardian’s deed describes Adolph as “non compos mentis” (of unsound mind).

John Burger held office as the sole tax assessor and collector from 1869 to 1871, according to the 1994 History of Medina County. The book also recognizes the Burger family name as one of the earliest people to call the Bader Settlement and Dunlay community home. Louis Burger is mentioned as a resident of the settlement. His children likely attended school in Dunlay. 

The Burger House is a side-gabled, symmetrical rock home. Its facade features two casement windows with functioning shutters and a centered front door. Most of the windows are likely original, except for one that was restored to its former glory after supporting an air-conditioning unit. The street facade’s layout of openings was mirrored in its original rear, with a centered door and two openings.

A saltbox was added later,  likely constructed sometime after the original home. It holds the home’s fireplace which supports the idea of a quick addition out of necessity. The saltbox addition, like many of its type, requires one to descend one step down. One of the windows between the addition and the original structure was closed in and is now used as a storage cabinet. The room behind it serves as the home’s bathroom and was transformed by the current owners from a kitchen. The current owners restored the historic rear of the home by removing later additions that included a bathroom and bedroom. In its place today stands a detached carport that allows the home to shine on its own.

The other historic window, now an interior opening, and existing back door, remain open and allow for flow between the rooms. Today, the home boasts a metal standing seam roof and the original exterior openings are protected with screens. Some local anecdotes suggest that a sleeping loft occupied the top of this steeply pitched roof and that a stair once climbed the exterior. Some evidence suggests otherwise. The attic is not currently in use and only the southwest facade has an opening of a small vent in its gable. A 1940s account also mentions the cheesecloth ceiling that once occupied the upper area.

More recent improvements include the house-defining feature of the diamond-shaped turnbuckles said to have been installed in 1956 to help support the stone walls. These same owners also fixed the wooden ceiling. The original cypress floors were replaced by concrete, but salvageable pieces were preserved and installed in the saltbox living room.

The exterior iron fence is said to have been assembled with the original window bars from the Dullnig building in San Antonio. The property now includes a well, an extensive shed and a private residence built in 2011.

The Burger home has been recognized with the Special Castroville Home Designation, the Pioneer Castroville Home Marker and a Conservation Society of San Antonio Award, which is displayed indoors.