Onion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach House
Also known as: McElroy-Severn House
Why it's listed
On a bluff above Onion Creek, a quarter mile east of Buda, sits a group of buildings that once served travelers and mail on the Austin-San Antonio post road. A frame house began about 1875 as a dogtrot, later enclosed as a center-passage dwelling, and grew through additions around 1900, 1920 and the mid-twentieth century. Behind it stands a small front-gabled post office of dressed limestone, dated 1876 by a carved lintel. Its stonework includes a floral design, a three-link chain and an eagle in the keystone, possibly marking the nation's centennial. The post office and stage station served the community only a few years before the railroad reached Buda in 1880 and shifted settlement to the new town. The property is significant for its link to early settlement and stagecoach and mail routes, and for the craftsmanship of the post office. The city owns the site and plans a museum and community center, but the buildings are vacant and deteriorating.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant for its role in early settlement of Hays County, as a stagecoach stop and post office on the Austin-San Antonio post road. It also claims architectural significance: the stone post office is a rare, finely crafted building type for the area, and the house shows several building campaigns of a center-passage dwelling.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02001211, listed October 27, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 109 N. Loop 4, Buda |
|---|---|
| County | Hays County |
| Listed | October 27, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02001211 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1875-1921 |
| Architectural style | Other: Center-Passage; One-Room |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently vacant with restoration work planned; buildings are unsecured and deteriorating, and the post office has lost its door and much of its roof. |
| Acreage | 52.3 |
| Coordinates | 30.09040, -97.83697 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02001211.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999800
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.