Julia Bartels Mansion At 1518 Weber St.

[isuredid]

First off, fascinating write-up!!!

So the deed restrictions from the 1906 sale is why a new home cannot be put there today?

Anyone that thinks deed restrictions can replace zoning, I will refer to this example many times when I call you silly later on in life.

I believe the current owner placed the deed restrictions on the property.

[isuredid]

This map shows the location of the Riordan spring, which had been described as "an inexausible supply of pure water"

Edited November 9, 2007 by isuredid

[isuredid]

This map shows the Weber property above Beachamp Springs. Frederick "Fritz" Weber was, I believe, related to the Bartels through marriage. He originally bought an acre or two at the bottom of the Beauchamp Springs tract, but later moved up north of the Bayou. He is the person for whom Weber street is named

[tmariar]

Here is detail of the area from the 1869 Wood map. That gully running south from the bayou was located where Johnson Street is now. You can see from the map that there was no stucture east of the gully, where 1518 Weber is located.

Apologies in advance for flooding you with questions...

I see now that the name I couldn't read before could be "Bartellos" - Is the Bartellos family the same as the Bartels family?

Are those other two names Navel and Koertje?

Do you know if all of Thomas Beauchamp's property was to the south of White Oak Bayou? I had been confused about that because some sources say that the main street of his settlement was Beauchamp St., and others say Spring St. (now [edit: Houston Ave.] - not what is now Spring St.). If the settlement was south of the bayou, I'm guessing that the current Beauchamp Street in the Woodland Heights is not the same Beauchamp St. - or is perhaps just an extension of it.

Edited November 9, 2007 by tmariar

[isuredid]

Apologies in advance for flooding you with questions...

I see now that the name I couldn't read before could be "Bartellos" - Is the Bartellos family the same as the Bartels family?

Are those other two names Navel and Koertje?

Do you know if all of Thomas Beauchamp's property was to the south of White Oak Bayou? I had been confused about that because some sources say that the main street of his settlement was Beauchamp St., and others say Spring St. (now Johnson St. - not what is now Spring St.). If the settlement was south of the bayou, I'm guessing that the current Beauchamp Street in the Woodland Heights is not the same Beauchamp St. - or is perhaps just an extension of it.

Above Frederick Puls the name is Ravel. I'm not familiar with that person. Just below the name on the map says "Koertje", but the spelling should be Koertge. Directly south of Puls was Henry (Heinrich) Guese. The Guese house was moved recently to Old Sixth Ward and is currently being restored. The name for Christina Bartels on the Wood map says "C. Bartelles". East of Guese at the bottom of the Beauchamp Springs tract is Wichmann which is spelled Wickeman on the map and next to that it says "Fritz". I believe that is the Fritz Weber tract.

Yes all of Thomas Beauchamp's property was below or south of White Oak Bayou. The Beauchamp street from early records would be the same as Houston Avenue and this was also referred to as Spring Street in early records. Not the same as the Spring street of today and not the same as Beauchamp street in Woodland Heights.

The Puls and Bartels families referred to that road as the Montgomery road because it connected to the main Montgomery road north of there. In the 1870s the Bartels and Weber families built a bridge across White Oak Bayou where Houston Avenue is today. Later they turned the road and the bridge over to the City of Houston.

The Bartels land to the east of Houston avenue was platted in 1893, but the city refused to maintain streets in that area because of the spring I assume. Later on that land was used as Luna Park, which I believe has been discussed in another thread on this site. The Tri-Gas business now sits on the old Luna Park property.

The boundries of the original 1838 Beauchamp Springs tract would be Sabine Street on the west, The bottom of the Geuse property is the bottom of the tract, or you could say that the top of Spring Street is the bottom of the Beauchamp Springs tract, and on the east the boundry was just to the west of Holly street. The bayou, of course, was the top of the tract.

Frederick Puls sold two acres at the bottom of his long narrow 10 acres to Heinrich Guese. Originally the Puls property ran from the top of the Beauchamp Springs tract to the bottom.

Edited November 13, 2007 by isuredid

[tmariar]

Here's a December 27, 1885 Galveston Daily News article about a murder committed in the area:

[isuredid]

This map shows how the Puls land was divided after Frederick Puls Sr. died. The land jutting out from the original long narrow tract was purchased by Frederick Puls from Christiana Bartels. One reason for that purchase was to give Puls access to the Mongomery road (Houston Avenue).

Edited November 13, 2007 by isuredid

[isuredid]

If you go to Volume T 81-100 of the Civil Courts minutes you can see a land dispute between the Koertge and Schott families over their properties in that area. There are some crude maps in there too. Thomas D. Beauchamp shows up in these early minutes quite often until his death in 1841.

Houston Historical Civil Courts Minutes

[Native Montrosian]

I like it. I bought my lotto ticket after lunch - party at 1518 Weber in a year if I win!

[tmariar]

Attaching (I hope) some pre-1900 Puls family news clippings for isuredid.

Puls.doc

[sevfiv]

Neat! Fred Puls was quite a character...

In a 1913 map, a Puls St. existed (currently the area at 45/10), but the grid was not in alignment there, as it (erroneously) showed in the 1907 map above...

[sevfiv]

Also just ran across this, just down the road from the Weber house:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=11112

[isuredid]

Neat! Fred Puls was quite a character...

In a 1913 map, a Puls St. existed (currently the area at 45/10), but the grid was not in alignment there, as it (erroneously) showed in the 1907 map above...

That Puls street only existed on maps. The east side of Houston Ave was never devleoped because the city wouldn't agree to maintain the streets due to the terain. There was a large and long gully that ran through that area and the spring probably made it rather swampy too. Later Frederick Bartels replatted that area as the Bartels Addition, but that never took off either. Eventually they sold the land to the Ingersol Amusement company which operated Luna Park, an early amusement park, on that land for a number of years. Later on there was another Puls Road that did exist in the Garden Oaks area. I don't know why that street name changed. It was named for the same family. They also owned some land up there in the Garden Oaks area. Puls Road was renamed Alba. Seems like there should be a Puls road somewhere in Houston still. but there isn't. Too bad.

[plumber2]

My grandmother was born in 1898 in a house just north of White Oak Bayou from this property. Her family's house was near the location were Quitman crosses 1-45. The house were cleared in the 1950's for the freeway.

[isuredid]

My grandmother was born in 1898 in a house just north of White Oak Bayou from this property. Her family's house was near the location were Quitman crosses 1-45. The house were cleared in the 1950's for the freeway.

Too bad. Do you have a photo of the house?

[plumber2]

Too bad. Do you have a photo of the house?

It's possible that one of my cousins has photos of this house. She had several brothers and sisters, and almost all of the decendants are still in the Houston area. I'll put out an inquiry.

[isuredid]

Koertge also wanted to get in on the subdivision building. I can't figure out why this is called the Burns Addition

Edited November 10, 2007 by isuredid

[isuredid]

I found this affidavit an interesting read:

Frederick W. Puls Affidavit

State of Texas County of Harris

Before me, the undersigned authority, on this day personally appeared F.W. Puls, who being by me first duly sworn says on oath as follows:

I reside at 1718 Weber Street, in the City of Houston, and am in business at 1720 Weber Street. I am sixty-three (63) years of age, and have resided in Houston all my life. I am a son of Frederick Puls, who purchased and owned those three certain parcels of land out of the Beauchamp Springs tract in the City of Houston, Harris County, to-wit:

(a) (10) ten acres conveyed to Frederick Puls Feby 23, 1853, by Harrey H. Allen Vol. P pg 294, Deed Records, Harris County, Texas. ( One and one half (1 1/2) acres conveyed to Frederick Puls May 22, 1854. Vol. P. pg. 423, Deed Records, Harris County Texas.

Edited November 11, 2007 by isuredid

[isuredid]

[fortbendtomontrose]

I found this affidavit an interesting read:

The old Puls homestead sat at the intersection of Weber and Colorado Street, it being necessary to move the house when the property was cut into lots and blocks.

Yes, very interesting.

Looks as though the house could date to 1856, and was moved to 1518 Weber.

Am I understanding all this??

[isuredid]

Yes, very interesting.

Looks as though the house could date to 1856, and was moved to 1518 Weber.

Am I understanding all this??

The Puls house was made of wood, as all rural houses in Houston were in 1856. You couldn't begin to move that brick house unless you moved it brick-by-brick. The Puls house was not the 1518 Weber house. The Puls family had to move their house because otherwise it would have been in the middle of the recently designated streets. As noted in the affidavit, Frederick Puls was still living in the old Puls homestead at 1718 Weber in 1913. Besides that, the Bartels family owned 1518 Weber which was an empy lot unitl 1906.

Edited November 11, 2007 by isuredid

[isuredid]

This is the verbage of the original sale of lot 2 in block 13 (1518 Weber) in 1906. This should remove any futher lingering doubts, that there was ever any structure on that land before that date

File No 13612 General Warranty Deed

From Julia Bartels To W.H. Taylor

THE STATE OF TEXAS, County of Harris

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS

That I Julia Bartels a feme sole

of Harris County, Texas for and in consideration of the sum of Five Hundred and Fifty ($550.00) dollars to me in hand paid by W. H. Taylor of Harris County, Texas as herinafter set forth and expressed

have granted, bargained, sold and conveyed and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and convey unto the said W. H. Taylor all that certain land and premises situated and described as follows to wit - Lot No Two (2) in Block No Thirteen (13) of the Beauchamp Springs tract, an addition to the City of Houston on the North side of Buffalo Bayou in Harris County, Texas, said lot fronting upon Weber Street- the fuil width thereof and extending back northwardly full depth of said lot according to the plat of said Beauchamp Springs tract recorded in Vol 67 page 194 of the Deed Records of Harris County, Texas, the said W. H. Taylor has executed his eleven certain promissory notes each for the sum of fifty dollars ($50.00) payable to the order of said Julia Bartels, the first one of said notes is due and payable six months after date and thereafter at intervals of every six months, one of said notes is due and payable. All of said notes bear interest from date at the rate of eight percent per anum, the interest is due and payable semi-annually. Said notes provide that if default is made in the payment of same at maturity and they are thereafter placed in the hands of an attorney for suit or collection then the futher sum of ten percent of the principal and interest then due shall be paid as attorney's fees. Said notes further provide that all taxes accuring against said property hereafter shall be kept paid and the interest paid semi-anually and any improvements that may be erected must be insured for the benefit of the holder of said notes and failure to pay interest when it is due or the failure to pay taxes on said property till cost accrue or failue to so insure said improvements, or failure to pay either of said notes at maturity shall in either event at the option of the owner and holder cause all of said notes to at once become due and payable, and in order to secure the payment of said notes a Vendor's Lien is hereby retained against the herein above described property to remain in full force and effect until said notes shall have been fully paid.

To Have and to Hold the above described premises, together with all and singular the rights and appurtenances thereto in anywise belonging unto the said W.H. Taylor, his heirs and assigns forever, And I do hereby bind myself, my heirs, executors and administrators to warrant and forever defend all and singular the said premises unto the said W.H. Taylor, his heirs and assigns, against every person whomsoever lawfully claiming or to claim same or any part thereof

Witness my hand on the 27th day of February, 1906

Julia Bartels (her mark)

Signed and delivered in the presence of

Ira P. Jones

F.W. Bartels

Edited November 13, 2007 by isuredid

[fortbendtomontrose]

This is the verbage of the original sale of lot 2 in block 13 (1518 Weber) in 1906. This should remove any futher lingering doubts, that there was ever any structure on that land before that date

No doubts here. Thanks for the very thorough research.

[missjanel]

Probably one of the best threads on HAIF IMO. Fascinating stuff. This house is pending sale and is slated to close at the end of January. I wonder if the buyer knows that the house was not really built in 1856 and what the new owners new plans will be.

[Zippy]

For some reason I stumbled on this thread and wondered whatever came of this property.. if it will become more townhomes or if it will be restored to somewhat "new" condition..

anyone know?

[J Yarbrough]

This map shows the location of the Riordan spring, which had been described as "an inexausible supply of pure water"

Rachel Parker Plumber (1819 ILL -1939 TX),captured by Comanches at Parker's Fort in 1836 and was ransomed back 2 years later, was living with her father James W Parker and uncle Joseph Parker in this vicinity. She died here and is buried within the area of this map. The "dog-trot" log cabin home of Joseph Parker is long gone now.

See The Handbook of Texas Online at:

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online...es/PP/fpl9.html

[detached]

Well, I am certainly glad to have come across this thread while searching for something totally different! I have been fascinated by this house since about 1989, as I drove past the back side of it on I-10. The wonderful brick architecture, in an area that typically held wooden frame homes, was very intriguing. About 10 years ago, I was determined to find the front of this house and did some road navigation to find it way back off of Houston Street. Back then, the area had already declined to a sad state. Now, with the developments over the last 5 years, I can see why this property has become lucrative, and I hope it is restored.

Thanks for the wonderful research.

[NenaE]

For some reason I stumbled on this thread and wondered whatever came of this property.. if it will become more townhomes or if it will be restored to somewhat "new" condition..

anyone know?

I'd also like to know...I would like to explore that area off Houston St. (that area behind the main Houston police station to I-10). Those very old wooden & brick (some bungalow-style) houses have always caught my eye as I rounded that corner of I-10, where it meets I-45, going into downtown. You know by the type of roofs they have. Does anyone know what kind of roofs those are? They look like tin roofs, to me.