D'Hanis, Texas

Everything D'Hanis is known for

2 songs mention this city 1 artist from here

Music in D'Hanis

Songs About D'Hanis

if you were mine
miranda labert & leon bridges
16%
all my ex's live in texas
george strait
10%

Artists From D'Hanis

J
Jamie Lin Wilson
country Pop: 50

Rivers & Roads in Song near D'Hanis

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near D'Hanis.

US Route 90 6 songs Frio River 8 songs Interstate 35 27 songs Guadalupe River 9 songs Interstate 10 23 songs

History of D'Hanis

D'Hanis, TX RoadyGoat

D'Hanis might seem like just another quiet spot on the map, a place where the rolling hills meet the horizon and the pace of life slows down. But look closer, and you'll find it's a place that's quietly punched above its weight. It's a town where Friday night lights shine a little brighter, thanks to a six-man football program that's brought home more than its share of state championships to D'Hanis High School. Of course, D'Hanis is more than just football. It’s the kind of place where the echoes of the past still linger. The majestic St. Anthony's Catholic Church, with its cornerstone laid back in 1906, watches over the community, a testament to the enduring faith of the people who settled here.

D'Hanis, TX RoadyGoat

D'Hanis has always been a place rooted in the land. Founded back in 1847, it grew slowly, steadily, as a farming and ranching community. Ben D'Hanis put down roots here, and the town took his name. You can still feel that pioneer spirit in the air, a connection to the generations who worked this land. The arrival of the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway in the 1880s was a turning point, solidifying D'Hanis as a center for the surrounding area. Even now, agriculture continues to be the lifeblood of the town, shaping its rhythm and character. Of course, history leaves its marks in other ways too. They say a stagecoach carrying gold was robbed just outside of town, the treasure never recovered. That kind of story sticks with a place, becomes part of its folklore. And then there's St. Anthony's Catholic Church, built in 1906, a beautiful building that stands as a testament to the faith and resilience of the community. Even more recently, D'Hanis has found a different kind of fame. And you can't forget the Cowboys—D'Hanis High School's six-man football team. Those state titles are a source of immense pride, proof that even in a small town, you can achieve great things.

D'Hanis, TX RoadyGoat

The land around D'Hanis, Texas, rolls gently, a subtle rise and fall that speaks to its location on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. At just under 700 feet above sea level, it’s a place where the flat plains begin to break into something more textured, more interesting. The soil here is good for grazing, and for crops too, which explains why, since 1847, families have built their lives on ranching and farming. You can almost feel the weight of that history in the land itself, in the way the fields are laid out, the fences follow old boundaries, the very rhythm of the seasons. The arrival of the railroad solidified D'Hanis as more than just a scattering of ranches. The Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway brought new opportunities, new connections to the wider world. But even with those changes, the land remains central. It's the reason the community is here, why generations have stayed, and why, on Friday nights, the whole town seems to gather to watch those D'Hanis Cowboys—those six-man football players—carry on a winning tradition.

D'Hanis

1847

In 1847 Henri Castro established D'Hanis, his fourth colony, 1.5 miles east of this site, named for a Castro Company official. Alsatian immigrants endured great hardship to build a community that thrived for over 30 years. In 1881, when the railroad bypassed the town, D'Hanis moved with it. Aided by the railroad, new D'Hanis flourished, sending cattle, cotton, and brick to markets. From 1900 a strong Mexican-American community grew in the town, contributing to its fortune. The new area survived despite crop failures and the Great Depression, becoming known simply as D'Hanis. (1997)

Historical Marker →

J. M. Koch's Hotel

1898

J. M. and Mary Ann Koch owned and operated a hotel in D'Hanis beginning in 1898. They purchased the land on this site in July 1902, and built this hotel in 1906. Reportedly constructed by Chinese railroad laborers, it is built of early bricks from the D'Hanis brick plant. In December 1914 the Koch family sold the building, which continued as a hotel until 1920. The Farmers Exchange of D'Hanis purchased it that year for use as a feed store, adding a cotton scale to the east side of the structure. A later owner operated it as a boarding house. A simple but elegant early 20th century hotel with Late Victorian details, the edifice's notable architectural features include its symmetrical plan, three-bay façade with central door, paired round-arch windows, 2-story porch and corbelled brickwork on the parapet. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2000

Historical Marker →

Fort Lincoln

1849

Fort Lincoln, on the west bank of Seco Creek a mile north of D'Hanis in west central Medina County, was named for Capt. George Lincoln, an officer of Company E, Eighth Infantry, who lost his life in the Mexican War battle of Buena Vista. The fort was one of eight that formed the first line of permanent federal frontier defense in Texas from Eagle Pass on the Rio Grande to Coffee's Bend on the Red River. In 1848, at the conclusion of the Mexican War, a Texas Ranger company commanded by Charles S. DeMontel established a camp on Seco Creek a mile north of D'Hanis. On July 7, 1849, Fort Lincoln was established at the site used the year before by DeMontel. The 1,476-acre plot had been patented to the heirs of Milton Anderson on August 27, 1846. The fort was built on the west bank of Seco Creek on high, open ground that provided a commanding view of the surroundings. Companies E and G of the Eighth United States Infantry , commanded by Maj. James Longstreet, were stationed at Fort Lincoln to repel and track down Indian raiders in protection of newly arrived European and American settlers and the commercial and military property transported on the Woll Road, an important trade route from San Antonio to Fort Duncan on the Rio Grande and points west. Longstreet's second in command, Lt. Richard Irving Dodge, was the man for whom Dodge City, Kansas, was named. Water for the post was hauled from Seco Creek, at that time no more than a succession of standing pools. The builders of the fort made use of the locally abundant gray limestone in construction. In 1851 the installation had buildings for two companies, a commissary store, a storehouse for company property, a storehouse for the quartermaster's depot, and a hospital. The temporary buildings were of logs or poles, with roofs of shingles, thatch, or tarpaulins. Though the number of officers and men stationed at the fort was usually between 90 and 120, it reached 141 at one time. Longstreet was succeeded by Maj. Pitcairn Morrison, who was succeeded by Bvt. Capt. William Steel and Capt. Washington G. Newton. Fort Lincoln was abandoned on July 20, 1852, after the frontier line had advanced westward. The buildings remained intact for some time, and the Texas Rangers made headquarters at the site. The barracks were torn down and transformed into residences east of Seco Creek at D'Hanis after being purchased by Irishman Richard Reily, who used the hospital building to raise his family. None of the buildings remains. On May 26, 1936, a dedication ceremony was held for the unveiling of a marker placed by the Texas Centennial Commission at the site.

Tsha Handbook →

D'Hanis, Town of

1847

Now Known as Old D'Hanis. Established in 1847 by 29 families under the leadership of Theodore Gentilz, representing Henri Castro (1781...1861), distinguished pioneer and colonizer of Texas who introduced the early settlers of Medina County. Named in honor of Guillaume (William) D'Hanis, manager of the colonization society. When the Southern Pacific Railroad missed the town, its citizens moved to the present D'Hanis. Erected by The State of Texas 1936

Historical Marker →

Hondo Anvil Herald

1886

The Hondo Anvil Herald , a weekly newspaper serving Medina County since 1886, owes its origins to a nineteenth-century county seat dispute that divided the Southwest Texas towns of Castroville and Hondo City and to a man who later bought the principal papers from each town and put them together. The Castroville Anvil was established in July 1886, not long after Castroville defeated a move to make Hondo the county seat. Castroville supporters staged a large celebration of their hard-won victory. One of the features of the event was the firing of anvils, a process by which anvils are blown into the air by charges of gunpowder. The loud, cannon-like reports set the nearby hills ringing with echoes. The newspaper was named Anvil to suggest a metaphorical parallel. Two previous papers had operated in Castroville, the Era (1876–79) and the Quill (1879–82). With total capital of $2,500 the Castroville Printing and Publishing Company formed on May 24, 1886. Circulation was more than 500 within a year and 750 by 1888. W. B. Stephens, the first Anvil editor and printer, was succeeded after two years by P. J. Stephenson. In 1889 the paper was sold to the state Farmers' Alliance , which sought $5,000 in stock from members. John G. Hall served as editor. In 1892 Castroville lost to Hondo City in another county seat election. In 1891 Herman E. Haass, who as a boy had worked as an Era printer's devil, became the Anvil 's editor and business manager. He bought out the paper in 1893 but sold his interest in 1894, when he was elected county judge. Hall returned as editor and major owner, though the Anvil Printing Company was held by Haass's father, Valentin, a native of Bavaria. J. O. Holzhaus replaced Hall as editor in 1898. In 1900 Valentin Haass sold the Anvil for $275 to twenty-six-year-old Fletcher Davis of Marshall County, Mississippi, a partner of another of Haass's sons, Henry. In August that year Davis married Roberta Octavia Hopp, who became lifelong assistant editor. The Hondo Herald , established in March 1891 by H. S. Kirby with editors Sam and Jeff Jones, was Hondo's third paper. It was preceded by the short-lived Medina County News (1882–88) and the Hondo City Quill (1890). Louis J. Brucks became editor in 1893, left in 1895, and returned in 1897. Herald circulation was 470 by 1894 and 520 by 1896. Brucks, who became sole owner by 1897, later served as county and district attorney. The Herald 's only competition was the short-lived Hondo News (1900). Davis bought the Hondo Herald and consolidated it with the Anvil and named the paper the Hondo Anvil Herald . The first edition appeared on October 17, 1903. In July 1911 Texas citizens voted narrowly against a statewide constitutional amendment for prohibition . Beginning the previous September, in 1910, Davis's antiprohibitionist Anvil Herald saw local competition from a new weekly, the Hondo Times , edited by W. R. and J. H. Hardy. The new paper, financed by local prohibition supporters, took a strong dry stance and pushed for the amendment. The two papers warred through their editorial pages for eleven months. Shortly after the election vindicated Davis in majorities both statewide and in Medina County, the Hardys sold the Times to Edward J. Brucks. By 1914 Davis had bought out the Times and also acquired the Star in nearby D'Hanis. In addition to newspapers, Davis's office also handled job printing. In the 1930s and up to the mid-1940s Davis's daughter, Anne, ran the paper as managing editor. In 1946 the Davises sold the Anvil Herald to William E. Berger, an Illinois native who had worked for the Gonzales Daily Inquirer . Berger bought the Anvil Herald with backing from his Gonzales employers but like Davis soon became sole owner. Anvil Herald circulation, about 1,800 when the paper changed hands in 1946, grew to 3,600 by the late 1980s. In 1986 the paper celebrated its 100th anniversary with a ninety-four-page commemorative edition.

Tsha Handbook → · 7.3 mi away

Things to Do in D'Hanis

quirky 24.3 mi away
A 400-Year-Old House Crosses the Ocean

The Steinbach Haus was originally built between 1618 and 1648 in Wahlbach Alsace France. In 1988 the Steinbach family carefully numbered every beam and…
quirky 24.3 mi away
The Frozen Dialect

For over a century visitors to Castroville were more likely to hear Alsatian than English in the homes stores and taverns. The remarkable thing is the dialect…
historical 24.2 mi away
Henri Castros Impossible Dream

Henri Castro was born in 1786 to a prominent Jewish family in France. He became a US citizen then returned to Europe to recruit settlers for a Texas empresario…
historical 24.2 mi away
The Little Alsace of Texas

In 1844 a French-born empresario named Henri Castro led 700 Alsatian farmers across the Atlantic to settle 25 miles west of San Antonio. They built…
historical 24.3 mi away
Drought Locusts and Cholera

The Alsatian settlers who founded Castroville in 1844 faced a gauntlet of biblical proportions. First came Comanche raids. Then a fifteen-month drought…
historical 24.0 mi away
The San Antonio-El Paso Road

By 1849 Castroville had become a vital water stop on the San Antonio-El Paso Road the main artery connecting civilization to the far western frontier.…
quirky 24.1 mi away
The Grand Daddy Church Festival

What started in 1882 as a handful of families celebrating the feast of St. Louis has grown into Castrovilles signature event drawing 10000 visitors each…
historical 24.2 mi away
The Landmark Inn

In 1849 a way station was built on the Medina River to serve travelers heading west from San Antonio on the El Paso Road. Perched along the riverbank the…

Sports in D'Hanis

🏆 STATE CHAMPIONS Class 1A · Softball · 2019–2022

D'Hanis — UIL 1A Softball State Champions — 2 titles

Most recent: 2022 1A

D'Hanis School, nestled in the heart of Medina County, boasts a proud tradition in Class 1A softball. The Cowgirls have twice reached the pinnacle of Texas high school softball, securing UIL State Championships in 2019 and again in 2022. These titles highlight a consistent level of excellence within the smallest classification of Texas high school sports.

The community of D'Hanis, with its quiet charm, has rallied around its team, celebrating these significant achievements. The Cowgirls' success on the diamond reflects the dedication found in small-town Texas athletics, where local support and hard work often lead to memorable seasons.

State titles
2 (2019–2022)
Most recent
2022
Class
1A
The moment

The D'Hanis Cowgirls captured the Class 1A UIL State Championship in 2022.

Sources: UIL State Championship Archives

Everything Near D'Hanis

57 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

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