Known as Haus Wilhelmina to the Fredericksburg natives,
it is thought that this house located at 409 N. Cora was the first B&B in Fredericksurg TX. It also served as the first kindergarten in Fredericksburg! As the story goes according to Ken Knopp local historian who wrote about it:
“ In the 1970s Minna and her two sons decided to make a trip to Germany to visit relatives in the Sarrlaand and go to Oberammergau, Bavaria, to see the special anniversary production of the passion play. They had to buy tickets to the pageant ahead of time which included a two night stay in Oberammergau. Reporting and at the ticket office they were told they had been assigned rooms in a private home. The sons reacted negatively to this new since they wanted to step out at night to enjoy the nightlife. But they were reassured that there was a private entrance to the rooms and they can come and go as they please without disturbing anyone. It turned out that the lady of the house was very gracious and provided a very tasty breakfast in addition to a private room for Mina and a double room for her sons with that all-important separate entrance.
They enjoyed the bed-and-breakfast experience so much that Minna thought providing bed-and-breakfast at her home in Fredericksburg might be a good way to bring in some cash. When it happened that visitors requested the B&B room after it was filled, Minna would call neighbors and friends to take them in. Soon the two sons set up a bed-and-breakfast reservation service to help handle the steady stream of visitors who enjoyed the bed-and-breakfast hospitality. Today there are four or five such bed-and-breakfast reservation agencies.
How Haus Wilhelmina came to be…
Minna was very happy one day when she heard that the H.E.B. Grocery store ( this used to be where the Nimitz Museum is now located ) was looking for someone to make way for their parking lot by buying the historic Mrs. Lollie Meier Haus. Another leading lady in Fredericksburg, Margaret Fricke , was the daughter of Mrs. Meier and a good friend of Minna. The Meier Haus was also the location of the first kindergarten in Fredericksburg. Minna Always admired the home and was ecstatic when H.E.B. suddenly told her she could have the house for free if she would just have it moved off of their lot. Not wasting time she bought a lot on the corner of Cora and Orchard where the house now sets. Known for her special flair for decorating and picking out special hats and clothing, Minna, had the time of her life redoing the Meier haus and making the 1st bed-and-breakfast in Fredericksburg. “ The above story is credited to Mr. Ken Knopp who documented much Fredericksburg history.
In 2009 the home was purchased by Melissa Staudt, a local builder who learned the trade from her father John Staudt who owned Magnum Concstuction . Melissa remembers immediately falling in love with the house the first time she saw it and when it came up for sale, she could not resist going to have a look. Even though by this time the house was in some disrepair and dated, Melissa saw the potential immediately. Today this great home exudes the charm of yesteryear while still offering all the modern conveniences someone expects. Now you can be part of history by making this charming home your very own! You will fall in love from the moment you walk in the door with the great living , dining and kitchen area that have maintained an old world charm yet is open and bright, wood floors, awesome kitchen great and tons of curb appeal. The main home has a beautiful master bedroom and bath with a 2nd bedroom that is waiting for your finishing touches to be turned into a 2nd master suite. The 3rd bedroom is an attached suite connected to the main house by a small breezeway. All this on a huge tree covered corner lot just blocks to main street on one of the most sought after streets in Fredericksburg.
For complete details about this wonderful property visit 409 North Cora street, Fredericksburg TX home for sale
Tom Feuerbacher says
Hey Mike. How much is this Cora house? We walk by there all the time and have wanted this house. Look forward to working with you again in the near future.
mary rose says
not first bed and breakfast in texas
mstarks says
Hi Mary,
You’re right, I would not think this was the first bed-and-breakfast in Texas but was the first bed-and-breakfast in Fredericksburg Texas as the local history has it. Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know where the first B&B in Texas was? That would be interesting to know?