Dripping Springs has a uniquely Texan history that dates back to the 1800s. While you can certainly read about it in a library book or on the internet, doesn’t stepping into the past sound a bit more adventurous?
Visitors can do that when stopping by the Pound House Historical Farmstead Museum. The 19th-century farmstead is spread out over five acres and allows guests to get a glimpse of what Texas farm life was like in 1854.
While the homestead is located on some incredibly beautiful land with large oaks, including one that is over 500 years old, its most attractive feature is its link to the past. It’s impossible to visit the farmstead and not walk away with an appreciation for one of Dripping Springs’ earliest residents.
Dr. Joseph M. Pound left his native Kentucky to fight for Texas against Mexico in 1847 and put down roots several years later. It is believed Dripping Springs was a stop on the original wagon route from Austin to Fredericksburg, which likely factored into the Pounds deciding to settle in the area. In the 1850s, Dr. Pound and his wife Sarah began construction of their cabin, and four generations of the family would eventually call the farmstead home. Being one of the earliest settlers in Dripping Springs, the Pound family was a hub for the community, and their farmstead often doubled as a church, school house, and medical office.
Dripping Springs, and Texas in general, was still very much a wild frontier at that time, and the Kiowa and Comanche trail wasn’t far from the Pound homestead. According to the Pound museum, however, Dr. Pound maintained a good relationship with the local band of Tonkawa Indians, who “revered him as a medicine man and friend.”
While the farmstead was named a Texas Historic Landmark in 1965, very few modern amenities were ever added. Electricity was installed in 1947, but when the last Pound family member left in 1983, the home still did not have indoor plumbing.
The main house was originally a single-room cabin before a second cabin with a center “dog trot” breezeway was added. The structure has since been fully restored to mirror its original condition when the Pound family called it home. Inside the home, visitors will find family heirlooms and several of Dr. Pound’s medical instruments and anatomy books.
Today, the Pound House functions as a living museum that is open to the public on Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM and Wednesdays from 3 PM to 6 PM (there’s also a local farmer’s market during this time). In addition to regular visits, the museum offers specialized programs for school groups scouting troops, is a much sought-after wedding venue, and has played host to the popular Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival.
The Pound House Historical Farmstead is one of the many places that make Dripping Springs such a special place to live. If you’d like to learn more about finding a home here, contact the Caliterra team today.
