{"nrhp_refnum":"76002051","name":"D'Hanis Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"7 mi. W of Hondo","address_restricted":false,"city":"D'Hanis","county":"Medina County","state":"TX","lat":29.330339024500034,"lon":-99.2602801507015,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-06-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A rural historic district at Old D'Hanis, Medina County, Texas, the original townsite of Henri Castro's fourth colony, first settled in 1847. It covers several blocks south of Highway 90 with mid-to-late 19th century stone houses, a ruined church and the sites of destroyed buildings.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is one of the best examples of an 1850-80 European colonial village in Texas, with its original plan and many homes intact and few intrusions. The town declined after the railroad bypassed it in 1881, which preserved its buildings. It remains a visual link to Medina County's 19th century colonization by Alsatian immigrants.","narrative":"Old D'Hanis, in Medina County, Texas, is the original townsite of Henri Castro's fourth colony, settled in 1847 mainly by Alsatian immigrants. The district covers several blocks south of Highway 90 and holds 17 architecturally significant structures, mostly modest stone houses from the 1850s to 1880s, along with remodeled buildings, modern structures and the sites of 22 lost buildings. Houses followed a compact plan, often two rooms with a sleeping loft and a rear shed room, built of rubble or cut stone with timber lintels. The ruined St. Dominic's Church, built in 1868 in Gothic Revival style, is a landmark of the old community. The railroad bypassed the town in 1881 and placed a depot about a mile away, drawing commerce and residents to a new D'Hanis. That decline left the original street grid and many buildings largely intact, which is why the district was listed as an example of a European colonial village in Texas.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Alsatian stone vernacular houses, with Gothic Revival (St. Dominic's Church) and Victorian examples","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as sparsely populated, with St. Dominic's Church in ruins since its abandonment in 1915. Some houses are occupied, some are ruins, and several are remodeled. Recent preservation work on several historic structures is noted.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.476363-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/9730/40973030/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/76002051.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002051/0ec728b773-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76002051/0ec728b773-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%27HanisTexas.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D%27HanisTexas.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973030","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109999733"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/medina-county/dhanis-historic-district-76002051/"}