Schreiner's Roses

Schreiner's Roses. . Until 1929, the area where the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center is now located was the family's rose garden. The family loved roses. Over the years, as the original rose bushes died, they were not replaced; however, visitors and residents may remember the one surviving pink thorn-free rose bush that dominated the front yard until 2009. , Josephine (Dodo) Schreiner Parker, Charles' great-granddaughter, created the Hill Country Preservation Society in 1976 and served as its president until her death in 2009. She was the driving force behind the Mansion's restoration and the birth of the Hill Country Museum. As the story goes, Dodo loved the pink rose bush in the front yard. She refused to let anyone so much as trim it. After her death in 2009, the rose bush immediately started fading away. Within 30 days of her death, the long-surviving rose bush was dead too. , On a happier note, the water fountain which now sits in the back yard was originally located in the middle of the family's rose garden. Although later sold to a private owner, the fountain was later returned to the Mansion.