D'Hanis

The D'Hanis Brick and Tile Company was founded in 1883, and a second plant, Seco Pressed Brick, opened in 1910, the year the town formed an independent school district. By 1890 there were four general stores, a saloon and a flour and grist mill, and by 1896 two hotels. St. Anthony's School was built in 1908, the weekly D'Hanis News began that year, and Holy Cross Church was completed in 1914; a first bank opened in 1916, and in 1924 Our Lady Queen of Peace was built for the town's Mexican Americans.

What the plaque says

D'Hanis 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)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Landmark Inn State Historic Site — 25 mi
  A store and stage stop at the Medina River ford in Henri Castro's Alsatian town, with a mill race under the ground and rooms you can still rent for the night.

More markers nearby

• Town of D'Hanis — 1.3 mi
• Southern Pacific Depot of Hondo — 7.7 mi
• Hondo — 8.5 mi
• Medina County — 8.9 mi