Hays County Historical Commission

05/10/2026

04/13/2026

May is National Historic Preservation Month, and in celebration, our friends over at Preservation Texas are hosting an exclusive tour and gathering at the Kyle Log House on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Enjoy an afternoon of great food, drinks, music, and a silent auction in a one-of-a-kind historic setting, sponsored by the Claiborne Kyle Log House Commission!

Built circa 1850 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Kyle Log House is an extremely rare four-pen dogtrot log home that remains on its original site, perched on a bluff above the Blanco River in Kyle, Texas. Closed to the public for several years, the property has recently benefited from research that has revealed new discoveries, now featured in updated exhibits inside the house.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the Kyle Log House, connect with fellow history enthusiasts, and support Preservation Texas—the statewide nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation.

Tickets are $25 for current Preservation Texas members or $35 for first-time members, which includes a complimentary one-year Individual-level membership. Admission includes access to the Kyle Log House grounds and exhibits, along with lunch and a drink ticket!

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit preservationtexas.org/ctxparty26

11/11/2025

10/24/2025

We are proud of the support by the community as well as the hard work done and coordination of our Cemetery and Historical Markers committees.

07/24/2025

On this day in 1880, the town of Kyle was established when David E. Moore and Fergus Kyle (for whom the town was named) deeded 200 acres for a townsite to the International-Great Northern Railroad. Kyle is on Interstate Highway 35 eight miles north of San Marcos and twenty miles south of Austin in northeastern Hays County. The new town drew residents and businesses from Mountain City, three miles west, and Blanco, some forty miles west. Tom Martin operated the first business in Kyle. The community's population exceeded 500 by 1882 but later declined. Kyle was incorporated in 1928 as a general-law city with a mayor and five council members. In 1937 Mary Kyle Hartson, a seventy-two-year-old great-grandmother and the daughter of Fergus Kyle, was elected mayor by a write-in vote; her victory attracted national attention, including a feature story in Life magazine which proclaimed her the only woman mayor in Texas. In the early 1940s Kyle was noted as the only Texas town with an all-woman government. In the year 2000 Kyle contained some 200 businesses and 5,314 inhabitants.

05/25/2025

Good news everyone! After a bit of finicking around with login credentials and trying to get a working storefront operating, we finally have a donations link for people to use to simply donate to the HCHC. We should soon be able to get a storefront as well for those of y'all looking to get some HCHC and Train Depot swag but people often ask for a cashless way to donate to us so this comes first.

You can use your phone's camera or a QR reader to get to the Square link, but if you'd prefer we do have a link: https://checkout.square.site/merchant/Z59A7F9Z3BXNM/checkout/N6NQ6552BM66G7NFVISJEXG7?src=webqr

As always the Depot will still take cash donations in person and you can already get some of our stuff there as we work to get this online storefront functioning.

05/24/2025

What: Juneteenth Children’s Art Exhibit & Reception
When: Thursday, June 19th, 2025 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm
Where: Calaboose African American History Museum
200 W Martin Luther King Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666

FREE EVENT!
Come see Juneteenth through the eyes of 2nd graders. Free refreshments at the Cephas House, across the street from the museum.

02/25/2025

Alrighty, folks of the County of Hays, we've got a meeting coming up on Thursday evening for appointing the new leadership of your local County Historical Commission. The agenda is linked below and any who wish to make comments or bring forth matters to the historical commission may do so following the inscribed instructions. We will be at the historic Kyle Railroad Depot and Heritage Center at 6pm for which we shall begin this new term with appointed chairs and officers in tow!
See y'all there!