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Saffold Dam

1853 establishments in Texas1938 establishments in TexasDams on the National Register of Historic Places in TexasGuadalupe River (Texas)Infrastructure completed in 1853
National Register of Historic Places in Guadalupe County, TexasNational Youth AdministrationNew Deal in TexasParks established in the 1930sTexas State Antiquities LandmarksTourist attractions in Seguin, TexasUnited States local public utility damsUse American English from July 2025Use mdy dates from February 2025Waterfalls of TexasWatermills in the United States
Saffold dam 2013
Saffold dam 2013

Saffold Dam at the Flores Crossing is a dam and man-made waterfall in the city of Seguin, Texas. Named for William Saffold, a Civil War veteran, a major landowner and local merchant. The dam was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1979. This dam began as a natural outcropping in the riverbed. After Henry Troell bought the mill, the dam was further built up over the years. In 1895, Troell installed hydroelectric generators to power his mill and the town. Then in 1907 he sold the dam and power plant to the City of Seguin, which owns them today. The low but wide dam forms a graceful S curve, a rare structure for a dam. It is a unique design on the Guadalupe River, and perhaps in Texas. The dam we see today was built as part of Max Starcke Park, designed by Robert Hugman, the father of the San Antonio River Walk. The dam/waterfall, like the rest of the original section of the park, was built by the National Youth Administration, to Hugman's plans. The park was dedicated in 1938, the town's centennial. Saffold Dam is located on the west side of Texas State Highway 123 Business, about 10 blocks south of downtown Seguin. One side borders Max Starcke Park and the city's water works; the other side has the abandoned power plant.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Saffold Dam (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Saffold Dam
Stockdale Highway,

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N 29.550833333333 ° E -97.97 °
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The Powerplant Texas Grill

Stockdale Highway
78155
Texas, United States
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Saffold dam 2013
Saffold dam 2013
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Sebastopol House Historic Site
Sebastopol House Historic Site

Sebastopol House Historic Site is an antebellum Greek Revival house built of concrete, located in Seguin, Texas, United States. Joshua W. Young built it between 1854 and 1856 for his sister, Catherine LeGette. Today Sebastopol is one of some 20 surviving buildings that give Seguin the largest concentration of early 19th century structures in the U.S. As a result of its unusual concrete construction, Sebastopol House was included in the Historic American Buildings Survey (H.A.B.S.) in 1936, made a Registered Texas Historical Landmark in 1964, and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970. It is a prime example of the limecrete structures of Seguin. The house is constructed entirely of unreinforced cast-in-place concrete and it is one of the oldest and largest structures in the state using this building method. This process was developed and patented by doctor and chemist John Park, who had moved to Seguin in 1846. But he soon had imitators and competitors, contractors like Joshua Young. Often slaves did the hard physical work, using boards to build forms, kept at the right width (12 to 18 inches) by screws and oak spacers when the limecrete mixture was poured into the forms, and allowed to harden. Then the forms were raised another foot or so and the process repeated. A large part of the "Park's concrete" mix was caliche, a thick deposit of gravelly clay that underlies Seguin. Usually the caliche was dug out on site, providing a basement level, as at Sebastopol. The caliche was then mixed with sand, lime made from nearby limestone deposits, and organic materials like straw or horsehair. The exterior walls were usually whitewashed, and the interiors often had woodwork or wainscoting of local walnut, oak or pecan. Joseph Zorn Jr. bought the house in 1874 and it remained in the Zorn family until 1961. Zorn was mayor of Seguin from 1890 to 1910, and played a major role in establishing the first system of free public schools in the town. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired the house and grounds by purchase in 1976 from the Seguin Conservation Society, which by agreement had preserved the house until the state agency could get funds for the restoration in its budget. Sebastopol was again opened to the public in September 1989. The house is restored to its 1880s appearance. In 2011 ownership was transferred to the City of Seguin.