Herman and Ada Knibbe House

Herman and Ada Knibbe House. . In 1910, Herman Knibbe (1884-1954), grandson of the first settler of Spring Branch, German immigrant Dietrich Knibbe (1817-1896), built this house with his wife, Ada (Ohlrich) Knibbe (1889-1980). The house was one of three residences on the same road owned by Herman and his two brothers, Arno Knibbe (1889-1984) and Harry Knibbe (1886-1974). The Knibbe family played an integral role in the growth of Spring Branch, operating the local general store and serving as postmasters., The Knibbes constructed this house using large quarried rock, obtained from their ranch on a hillside east of the property. The overall structure of the house is intact from its original 1910 construction, including original exterior walls, all exterior entrance doors with transoms and full-length oval beveled glass panes, and single-pane windows with wavy glass., Along with the main house, the Knibbes built a chicken house, a partially underground cistern with an attached hand pump, a wooden smokehouse, an additional caretaker's house built in 1930, a tin-covered outbuilding which originally served as a carriage house, and a two-room woodwork shop and storage area. Utilizing all the resources Spring Branch had to offer, the Knibbes milled wood, farmed cotton, raised cattle, chickens, and goats, quarried rock and provided water and electricity to the area., Over a century of Knibbes lived in this house, which stands as a testament to the hardships and accomplishments of the earliest settlers of Spring Branch and the legacy of their descendants. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2018.