This is the first in a series of short previews of the amazing tours that are planned for the VAF conference in 2022.  Mark your calendars!

The house of Charles and Sarah Braches was built east of Gonzales in the 1850s. Sara had settled there in 1831 and lived here until her death in 1894. Sarah and her first husband, Bartlett McClure, were natives of Kentucky; after Bart’s death she married Charles Braches, a German immigrant. The house blends Anglo-America features such as a central passage with Creole features such as a two-story inset front porch and a two-story petite galerie in the rear. As of this writing many original features remain, including exposed lath in the south room, presumably the parlor. The Braches house will be on the eastern tour on Thursday, May 19, 2022!