Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Fortress Home

By Keith Peterson, March 18, 2020

1. Fortress Home Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Built in early 1850's by Martin Wieland, from Dessau, Germany. Used as a neighborhood fort. Enlarged 1873, 1912.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1964

Erected 1964 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 15352.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 30° 24.612′ N, 97° 38.327′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. Marker can be reached from Fort Dessau Road west of Bauhaus Bend, on the right when traveling west. The marker may be hard to see from the street as it is attached to the old fort. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1425 Fort Dessau Rd, Austin TX 78753, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Evangelical Lutheran Church of Dessau (approx. 0.6 miles away); Oertli Dairy (approx. 1.3 miles away); Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church (approx. 2.1 miles away); Pflugerville (approx. 2.3 miles away); Pflugerville Schools

Fortress Home and Marker image. Click for full size.

By Keith Peterson, March 18, 2020

2. Fortress Home and Marker

Click or scan to see
this page online

(approx. 2.4 miles away); St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 2½ miles away); Walnut Creek Baptist Church (approx. 2.7 miles away); Bohls House (approx. 2.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.

Also see . . . Fortress Home marker application. This link provides detailed information on the blockhouse. (Submitted on December 2, 2020, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas.)

West Wall of the Fortress Home image. Click for full size.

By Richard Denney, November 13, 2020

3. West Wall of the Fortress Home

The original blockhouse was incorporated into the larger house expansion of 1873. The west wall shows the original blockhouse with gun ports. From the marker application: "In the west wall on both sides of the chimney are port holes, so placed that one could straddle a beam and handle a gun .. The west outside wall is marked with nearly a hundred bullet holes, which have been plastered over."

Credits. This page was last revised on December 3, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 18, 2020, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. This page has been viewed 270 times since then and 15 times this year. Last updated on December 2, 2020, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 18, 2020, by Keith Peterson of Cedar Park, Texas. 3. submitted on December 2, 2020, by Richard Denney of Austin, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.