Kerr County Stories by Lanza Teague

  Tragic events bring our community closer Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on July 18, 2025 The Worthington Lodge Near Kerrville, destroyed in the 1932 Flood. The Worthington Lodge was located between Kerrville and Ingram, not far from where the intersection of Junction Highway and Methodist Encampment is today Witnessing an historic event during your life time can be either exhilarating or tragic. Over the past two weeks, our community, and many others across the Hill Country, have experienced living through a tragic historic event. It is a harrowing experience we wouldn’t wish on anyone or have to live through in the first place. Flooding is part of life in the Texas Hill Country, a natural part of the ebb and flow of our ecosystem. Floods are important to maintain the “health” of our river and usually come after a long dry spell when the river is mucky. While I have seen many floods in Kerr County, some of them destructive, the devastation caused by this year’s flood went...

  Note: This column was written three days before the tragic flood that hit Kerr County on July 4, 2025. I was writing it for publication on July 5 and the press deadline was early, due to the holiday. In the back of my mind I knew it was probably a bad idea to write about an event, Kerrville's July 4th Celebration on the River, if it hadn't happened yet.  Unfortunately, the Guadalupe River, Mother Nature and the course of history had other plans for the Fourth of July, 2025 in Kerrville. Thousands turn out for big July 4 celebration in 1902 Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on July 5, 2025 Dressed in suits and dresses, Kerrville locals attend the July 4 picnic at the West Texas Fairgrounds. By the time this column is published, Kerrville’s Fourth of July celebration will be over. I hope everyone had fun celebrating our nation’s birth at the Fourth on The River celebration in Louise Hays Park, or wherever you happened to be.  The hard working folks at the Arcadi...

  The search for buried treasure Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on June 21, 2025 1821 Gold Coin, Similar to the coin found in 1933 by Lawrence Norris on Webster Street Buried treasure — those two words inspire mental images of Indiana Jones discovering the Ark of the Covenant or those guys on a TV reality show, endlessly digging for treasure on Oak Island in Nova Scotia.  Did you know Kerr County and the surrounding area has its own lore and legend involving hidden treasure? Before you go digging up random places around town, I need to caution you: People have been looking for these treasures for more than a century, and nothing has ever been found. It is also illegal to use metal detectors or dig holes in the ground of Kerrville area parks. Get permission before journeying across or digging into someone’s property, or you might find yourself in trouble. “Legends and Lore of the Texas Hill Country” is a small book of fun local stories written by William Campion de...

We’re all wild about Harry: From cars to a senior center, a look at the Dietert legacy Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on June 7, 2025 Harry Dietert parks his 1915 Harry Mobile in Downtown Kerrville An incredibly bright and determined teenager, born and raised in Kerrville, had two big ambitions in in life: To own his own motorcar and to get a college education. Neither were easy to obtain in Kerrville in 1915. Harry Walter Dietert was born Oct. 30, 1896, in Kerrville. His grandfather, Christian Dietert, was a German master miller and millwright who is considered one of the founders of Kerrville. The Dietert family came to Kerr County in 1857 to establish a mill. Located on the Guadalupe River, near where the One Schreiner Center now stands, the Dietert Mill was Kerrville’s first water-powered grist and sawmill.   The Dietert Mill and the Schreiner General Store are credited with giving Kerrville it’s “mercantile backbone” and bringing growth to the area....

Letters from the frontline Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on May 23, 2025 Memorial Day Weekend is a time we should take a moment to pause and remember those who served our country during times of conflict, especially those who gave their life while serving. “Wartime Letters Home – Sharing Stories of Service” is an exhibit currently on display at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center). The exhibit pays a beautiful tribute to the local men and women who served in the United States military from World War I to Operation Iraqi Freedom. The exhibit is presented by the Kerr County Historical Commission and the Heart of the Hills Heritage Center. I watched the committee of local historians work for the last several months, collecting letters, stories, photos and artifacts from families and former service men and women in the community to build the display. The countless hours of work resulted in a profound testament to the Kerr County men and women from all walks of life, who served d...

  Local writer makes history with his best-selling books Published in the Kerrville Daily Times on May 9, 2025 Ed Syers' First Book Those of you who know me personally will know that I love tales of the supernatural, especially when it comes to ghost stories. Along with my collection of books involving Texas history, I have a small library of books involving Texas ghost tales and legends. One book I’ve read more than once and that I’ve owned since my teenaged years, “Ghost Stories of Texas” by Ed Syers, was recently damaged in a tragic accident involving my cat, Shreddy McBitey, and an unattended cup of coffee. After accepting that the treasured book was a complete and horrific loss, I went online to see if I could find a replacement for the book, even though it was published several decades ago. To my surprise and excitement, I discovered the book was written by a man who lived in Kerrville and shared a lot of my own interests, including history, road trips and dogs....