THE DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS LIBRARY
Col 926
Ernst F. Schuchard Papers
1832-1973
Collection information
Physical description: 8 document boxes, 5 oversize boxes, 2 negative boxes
Acquisition: Gift of Mrs. Dorothy Schuchard
Processed by: Warren Stricker, 1995
Table of contents
Ernst F. Schuchard was born in San Antonio October 22, 1893, son of Hermann and Mathilda Guenther Schuchard. He was educated in San Antonio public schools and at Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, where he received a degree in mechanical engineering.
After serving in the army in World War I, Schuchard began work as an engineer for Pioneer Flour Mills, the business founded by his maternal grandfather, Carl Hilmar Guenther. He later served as Secretary and President of the company.
In 1920, Schuchard began making scale drawings of the eighteenth century San Antonio missions, plotting their color designs from remnants of the decorative elements still to be found on the walls, and from evidence that appeared in old photographs. He conducted detailed research of fresco paintings on missions and other buildings around the world, and analyzed the paints used. A skilled artist, he completed an oil painting of Mission San José in 1927, showing his conception of the exterior fresco designs, and in 1932 and 1933 executed watercolor studies of San José and Concepción, including detailed studies of the patterns. In 1949, with the approval of local Catholic Church authorities, he repainted a portion of the designs directly on the south wall of Mission San José.
Also in 1933, Schuchard began research and work on the reconstruction of the mill at Mission San José. While excavation work was being done at the mission, remnants of the original mill were found, apparently dating from the same period as the mission church. The San Antonio Conservation Society agreed to sponsor the mill's reconstruction, and the Colonial Dames of America donated funds for the mill building. Pioneer Flour Mills, through its president, Erhard Guenther, provided the working parts of the mill. Walls and housing were restored to their former state by Schuchard, who included reproductions of the early machinery, horizontal water-wheel, and grindstones.
Another of Schuchard's extensive historical research projects involved the publication of 100th Anniversary, Pioneer Flour Mills, San Antonio, Texas, 1851-1951. In addition to the history of the milling company, Schuchard compiled facts and photographs related to the history of San Antonio, integrating them into a timeline that charted the growth of the company and the city. The book became a popular and valuable resource, and received an award of merit from the American Association for State and Local History.
Ernst Schuchard was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, the Conopus Club, Order of the Alamo, State Association of Texas Pioneers, San Antonio Manufacturers' Association, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and an honorary member of the San Antonio Conservation Society. He died in San Antonio in 1972, survived by his second wife, and two daughters.
Notebooks, scrapbooks, printed material, artwork, and photographs make up the Ernst F. Schuchard Papers, the material produced and gathered as part of research into San Antonio history.
The papers consist primarily of the organized results of research efforts, organized into notebooks, scrapbooks, and articles. The most detailed work concerns San José y San Miguel de Aguayo Mission in San Antonio, its history and the restoration work of the mission church and its mill. The appearance of the mission is documented by drawings, photographs, and written accounts. The original decoration of the mission buildings is also the subject of detailed investigation. A lesser amount of material is related to Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuña Mission, and other San Antonio missions.
Another area of in-depth research concerns Pioneer Flour Mills of San Antonio, which is documented primarily through photographs, with a few original records. The compilation of data into a published history of the company is included in this documentation.
Several related subjects, such as mills and milling, water, acequias and irrigation systems, and historic buildings, are also the subject of research material, usually compiled into scrapbooks and notebooks.
A number of published sources were used in researching these subjects, represented by periodicals, newspapers, and books and pamphlets, included with the papers.
An extensive photograph collection includes some personal photos in addition to those related to research projects.
The papers are organized by subject, with most printed material and photographs placed in separate series. The 15 series are:
I. Correspondence and Subject files: notes, letters, and printed material on several miscellaneous subjects, including some files related to more detailed research material contained in other series. Also included is information on Schuchard's grandfather, Carl Schuchard, and some personal items.
II. Old Buildings: consists of a single scrapbook containing photographs of buildings in San Antonio and vicinity, showing examples of early buildings, and clippings.
III. Acequias: a scrapbook on irrigation systems, particularly those established during San Antonio's early history. Three artistic renderings by Schuchard of San Antonio acequia sites are also included.
IV. San José Mission: two scrapbooks containing a detailed photographic record of the mission's history, and material related to its restoration.
V. San José Mill: a notebook on the mill and its restoration, and articles written by Schuchard on the mill, illustrated by photographs and drawings, and with additional notes.
VI. Mission Frescoes: notebooks containing research material on frescoes at San José and Concepción missions, and their restoration. Articles by Schuchard on the subject include illustrations and additional notes.
VII. Mills: two scrapbooks contain research material on mills in general, with some references to San Antonio mills. A print of a Fredericksburg, Texas mill is also included.
VIII. Water: a scrapbook gathers a variety of information on water in Texas, including weather records and information on irrigation. Some loose newspaper clippings on water and weather are also included.
IX. Pioneer Flour Mills: personal records related to the company are found here in the form of notebooks maintained by Adolph G. Beckmann, an officer with Pioneer Flour Mills, and by Ernst Schuchard. Both contain an informal journal of activities at the mill, along with notes, photographs, clippings, and correspondence. Schuchard's journal also includes a number of drawings and diagrams of the mill property and its components, along with some engineering data. A scrapbook compiled about 1968 includes a number of photographs, primarily showing construction work in the San Antonio River channel, near the mill. Some advertising-related prints and photographs, along with printed material are also in this series.
X. Pioneer Flour Mills 100th Anniversary book: Schuchard's work on the centennial history of the company includes notes, edited typescripts, and notebooks containing the layout of the text and illustrations. The illustrations themselves are described in the Photographs series.
XI. Periodicals: professional and popular journals, most apparently retained for content related to Schuchard's research interests. Divided between those related to mills and milling, and general subjects.
XII. Newspapers and Clippings: whole and partial copies of several German women's magazines, and a number of clippings related to fashion. These were often used as a source of illustrations for the Pioneer Flour Mills centennial history, and for company promotional material.
XIII. Paintings: two framed watercolors by Schuchard, showing his conception of the church frescoes at San José Mission and Concepción Mission. Each framed item is double sided, one side depicting a frontal view of the mission, the opposite side showing several details from the interior and exterior of each church. An earlier oil painting depicts a scene at the San José church.
XIV. Books and Pamphlets: published material related to Schuchard's research and personal interests. Particularly extensive are items on mills, milling, flour, and baking. Also numerous are items related to art, artists, and art materials, and to Texas history and culture. Many items, particularly those used in research projects, contain annotations by Schuchard. Several publications related to Texas have been separated from the papers and individually cataloged. These items are listed on separation sheets.
XV. Photographs: all photographic prints, stereographs, and negatives are listed in this series, other than those included with scrapbooks, notebooks, or manuscripts. Prints are arranged by subject. These include most of the items used to illustrate the Pioneer Flour Mills history, which are arranged according to the page of the book on which they appear. A small number of prints in other formats, including stereographs and panoramic photographs are stored in different locations, noted in the inventory. Negatives are also arranged by subject. These are frequently associated with the prints included in scrapbooks and notebooks in the papers, and prints appearing in the photo files, or are of views similar to those prints. Particularly extensive are negatives of mills, missions, Pioneer Flour Mills, and family gatherings. Many negatives, particularly family photos, do not have prints associated with them.
Separated items: books and pamphlets
Ambrosio de Letinez, or the First Texian Novel. Austin: The Steck Co., 1967.
Brooks, Charles Mattoon. Texas Missions: Their Romance and Architecture. Dallas: Dealey and Lowe, 1936.
Chabot, Frederick C. San Antonio and its Beginnings. San Antonio: Naylor Printing Co., 1931.
Davis, M.E.M. Under Six Flags: The Story of Texas. Boston: Ginn and Co., 1897.
Duell, Prent. Mission Architecture: As Exemplified in San Xavier del Bac. Tucson, Ariz.: Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, 1919.
Gruening, Ernest. Mexico and its Heritage. New York: The Century Co., 1928.
Hallenbeck, Cleve. Spanish Missions of the Old Southwest. Garden City: Doubleday, Page and Co., 1926.
Hawthorne, Hildegarde. California's Missions: Their Romance and Beauty. New York: D. Appleton-Century Co., 1942.
Hoermann, Alto S. The Daughter of Tehuan, or Texas of the Past Century. San Antonio: Standard Printing Co., 1932.
Hoermann, Alto. Die Tochter Tehuans, oder Texas im Vorigen Jahrhundert. San Antonio: Texas Free Press Publishing Co., 1929.
Kilham, Walter H. Mexican Architecture of the Vice-Regal Period. New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1927.
Madlem, Wilma. San Jose Mission: Its Legends, Lore and History. San Antonio: The Naylor Co., 1934
My First Cookbook. Sugar Land, Tex.: Imperial Sugar Co., 1959.
Smith, Frances Rand. The Mission of San Antonio de Padua (California). Stanford University: Stanford University Press, 1932.
Vaillant, George C. Indian Arts in North America. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1939.
Velásquez Chávez, Agustín. Indice de la Pintura Mexicana Contemporanea. Mexico: Ediciones Arte Mexicano, 1935.
Separated items: maps
Finder Map of Greater San Antonio. San Antonio: Southwell Map Co., [194-]
Gillespie County. n.p., n.d.
Index to Topographic Mapping in Texas. Washington: United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey, 1950.
A Map of Historical Homes and Buildings Throughout Texas. Humble Oil and Refining Co., n.d.
Map of San Antonio and Suburbs, Centennial Issue. San Antonio: Southwell Map Co., [1936].
New Bexar County and Texas Highway Map. San Antonio: San Antonio Map Co., 1928.
Rand, McNally and Co.'s Texas. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1893.
Sanders, J.J. Scenic Road Map of Comal County, Texas and Adjacent Areas. 1955.
Tamayo, Jorge L. Carta General del Estado de Chihuahua. México, D.F.: Libreria Patria, 1943.
Texaco Road Map: Texas, Oklahoma. Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., [ca.1936].
Udden, J.A., et al. Geological Map of Texas. University of Texas. Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology, 1916.
Udden, J.A., et al. Geological Map of Texas (Revised Edition). University of Texas. Bureau of Economic Geology and Technology, 1919.
Separated items: newspapers
[Fredericksburg] The Radio Post, May 4, 1967, Vol. 45, No. 43.
Special issue on the renovation and dedication of the old Gillespie County Courthouse.