Update on March 26: On March 22 Preservation Texas added the Pfluger House to its ninth annual list of Texas' Most Endangered Historic Places.
In 1875, William Pfluger, a founding father of Pflugerville, built a farmhouse to use as his family home. It took two years to complete, and it was mostly built out of 16-inch cut limestone blocks.
Today, the house has weak floors, some parts with gaping holes, pieces of siding falling off, and the double-decker wooden porches lining the front are rotting through. This is not the ideal condition for a house that the State of Texas declared a historical landmark in 1985.
That's why the Pfluger Haus Foundation is raising money and working with different architects to see what it would take to restore this house to its 1875 condition. In fact, the foundation was founded in 2009 with this sole purpose.
"I'm a past history teacher, so I whole-heartedly believe that if you have something that's a tangible representation of your heritage, you should preserve it," said Steve Fuller, president of the Pfluger Haus Foundation.
The Foundation further hopes to make the Pfluger House a venue that can be used to host weddings, events, parties, community gardens and possibly an educational aid for children.
To that end, the group is hosting a Pfluger House Lemonade Social on March 25 in order to raise awareness for the foundation.
Aside from lemonade and cookies, this event will feature a tour of the historical landmark, a performance from the Park Crest Middle School Drumline and information about how to get involved in efforts to preserve this piece of Pflugerville history. Taking place from 2–4 p.m. at 1516 Pflugerville Parkway, this event is free and open to the community.
There will also be an announcement given by Preservation Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Texas history, March 22 at 10:30 a.m. on the south steps of the Capitol that will influence the restoration efforts behind the Pfluger House.
"I can't yet reveal what this announcement is, but it will certainly impact the project," Fuller said. "We'll be able to talk freely about it at the social for those curious, as well as have some refreshments and raise awareness of the Pfluger House, but for the moment, I can't say."
For those interested in aiding the restoration of the Pfluger House, visit www.pflugerhaus.org or call 251-2878.