The Herff Farm
Cultural History Meets Natural History
In 1852, German immigrant Dr. Ferdinand Herff (1820-1912) acquired large tracts of land at the confluence of Menger and Cibolo creeks to develop a farmstead that eventually grew to encompass 10,000 acres.
The Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne once was part of this historic farm, and in 2007, the Friends of Cibolo Wilderness began to acquire the last 62 acres of the Herff Farm that remained intact adjacent to the nature preserve as part of its efforts to protect and preserve the land and water for people and wildlife. The farm is a key element in the CNC’s Cibolo Conservation Corridor, a collaboration among a variety of partners aimed at protecting four miles of Cibolo Creek and its watershed.
In 2010, the Herff Farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. That same year, the farm was among seven sites that Preservation Texas named to its annual list of Texas’ Most Endangered Historic Places.
A physician based in San Antonio, Dr. Herff maintained the farm as a summer home until 1894, when his son, Charles, moved from San Antonio to manage the property until the early 1920s. In 1935, George and Erma Rozelle purchased 68 acres from Charles Herff's son. Last occupied in the mid-1980s, the property includes the family home – a two-story, limestone structure built in 1883 – as well as agricultural and domestic structures.
As a fragile, yet-to-be-restored historic site, the Herff Farm now is open only occasionally to visitors and researchers for special events, projects and scientific study. But big plans are afoot for the farm!
Our Vision for Herff Farm
As an organization devoted to protecting and learning about nature, the Cibolo Nature Center is eager to explore the ways that preserving our historic and cultural heritage at the Herff Farm align with our mission of conserving wildlife.
We are in the process of working with a variety of partners to plan and implement programs at the Herff Farm that allow the preservation of history, culture and nature to enhance and enrich each other.
Among our goals is for the farm to function as a sustainable living center for the Hill Country, demonstrating home gardening, rainwater catchment and conservation, sustainable energy practices, backyard chicken coops, composting and more. We plan to partner with the community to create a community garden and farmer’s market, complementing a farm and garden education program for children and adults.
Trails will connect the Herff Farm to rest of the community. Families could shop at the farmer’s market , take their children to visit the farm animals, take a class on gardening or rain catchment, have a picnic at the historic homestead and walk the trails through the farm, over the creek to the Cibolo Nature Center, and onward into Boerne and back.
Thanks to volunteers, the farmer’s market is already in the planning stage, with other programs to follow soon after. Let us know if you would like to help out with the Herff Farm; you can contact Georgia Galey at volunteer@cibolo.org for more information.
