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Medina County TX
Medina County
Hotels

QUIHI, TEXAS

Texas Ghost Town
Medina County, Texas Hill Country

29° 23' 30" N, 99° 1' 48" W (29.391667, -99.03)
FM 2676
9 miles NE of Hondo
12 miles W of Castroville
West of San Antonio
Population: 100 (est)

Quihi, Texas Area Hotels › San Antonio Hotels
Quihi TX - Bethlehem Lutheran Church and chapel
Bethlehem Lutheran Church and Chapel
Photo courtesy John Hallowell, April 2011

Quihi History in a Pecan Shell

The town was part of Henri Castro’s plan for a string of communities along the perimeter of his land grant.

The unusual name may have been a corruption of an Indian word for the Caracara, a handsome Eagle-like bird often seen in the company of vultures.

The town was planned in 1845 and the first 10 families of Alsatians moved here in 1846. The Indians promptly killed two of the families and were a persistent problem until the 1870s.

Other families joined the original families and they formed a church in 1852.

They had a post office from 1854 until 1872, and that same year, residents of Quihi were credited with starting the first public school in Medina County.
Quihi TX - Bethlehem Lutheran Church with historical marker
Quihi's Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Photo courtesy John Hallowell, April 2011
Quihi TX - Bethlehem Lutheran Church historical marker
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Historical Marker
Photo courtesy John Hallowell, April 2011

Quihi Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Forum:
"I and my wife, Jane Wood, lived in the parsonage of Bethlehem Lutheran Church from November 1985 To December 1989. I was the pastor. I was ordained in the church in Quihi on December 15, 1985. We remember the Nietenhoeffers, Bax and Katherine Morris, the Reeds, assorted Saadhofs. Elmer Beck was the pastor of the New Fountain Methodist Church, a couple of miles up the road to Hondo, at that time.

The meaning of the town's name was always discussed with no real info available re its origin. Your explanation is as good as any.

We now live in Green Valley, TX. Both of us are retired and in good health. Our address is 311 N. Conquistadores, 85614. Phone is 520 398-4367. Email is jane.wood@cox.net. We moved permanently into this place September 9, 2005. We have moved around so much we don't receive the Bethlehem Star anymore. Evelyn and O.J. used to put the paper out. We would love to see it coming in again." - Dave Reid, October 18, 2005
Quihi TX - white chapel
Chapel
Photo courtesy John Hallowell, April 2011
More Texas Churches
Quihi TX - Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Another view of Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Photo courtesy John Hallowell, April 2011
Quihi, Texas 1936 marker
The 1936 Centennial Marker for Quihi
TE Photo, 4-02

See Texas Centennial
Quihi Texas Forum
  • I have just spend a long time wandering around in your site and am so impressed. I live in a quiet little community called Quihi and am putting together a pictorial history of our small town. I know I am going to enjoy reading your newsletter! - quihikat aka Katherine Adlong, Quihi, Texas, September 01, 2004
  • Iron fence in Quihi Cemetery
    Iron fence around a grave in the cemetery
    TE photo, 4-02

    Take a road trip

    Quihi, Texas Nearby Towns:
    Hondo | Castroville | San Antonio
    See Medina County | Texas Hill Country

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