McElroy-Severn House Plaque

In 1875, a vital hub pulsed with life along the Old San Antonio Road. This was the McElroy-Severn House, also known as the Onion Creek Post Office and Stagecoach House. The McElroy-Severn House plaque commemorates this important piece of Buda’s history. Imagine stagecoaches rumbling to a stop, their weary passengers eager to stretch their legs and collect their mail. The year is 1875, and this bustling site served as a lifeline for the scattered homesteads along Onion Creek. The McElroy-Severn House, a five-bay, side-gabled frame dwelling, welcomed travelers with its hipped roof porch. Inside, cedar-framed walls offered a respite from the dusty road. The adjacent one-room post office, built in 1876 from solid limestone, diligently handled the flow of correspondence. For five years, this spot thrived as a vital link to the outside world. But progress, in the form of a railroad, marched relentlessly onward. In 1880, mail service shifted to the burgeoning railroad town of Dupre, later known as Buda. The McElroy-Severn House transitioned from a stagecoach stop to a private residence, becoming the headquarters for family ranching operations that spanned over a century. The house itself bears witness to the passage of time. Limestone chimneys, plastered with concrete, stand sentinel. Several remodelings in 1885, 1900, and 1920 expanded the original structure, each addition layering a new chapter onto its story. The small, single-pane window of the former post office, facing the east wing of the main house, seems to gaze back at a bygone era. The brick and limestone well, the concrete trough, the walkways, and gardens—these remnants whisper tales of Buda’s agricultural heritage. The McElroy-Severn House stands as a testament to this history, a tangible link to the days when stagecoaches and handwritten letters connected a community.