Bridge at McAlister Crossing (Mueller Bridge) (0.2 mi. SW)

John Murphy McAlister (1807-1885) and his wife, Isabella (McClain) (1817-1872), settled in La Vernia with their family in the early 1850s. In 1857, they purchased several hundred acres of land on the southwest bank of Cibolo Creek. The natural stream crossing adjacent to their property became known as McAlister Crossing and for years served residents on both sides. The McAlister children subdivided the land following their father's death in 1885. About the same time, county commissioners designated the local route, including the crossing, as Road No. 62 (present County Road 337). In 1906, the Henry Mueller family purchased land on the east side of the creek; a son would later buy land on the west side, just southwest of McAlister Crossing. In 1908, county commissioners permitted the placement of telephone poles along the road and the creek crossing. In 1915, the Commissioners Court contracted with the Alamo Construction Company of San Antonio to erect five bridges in the county, including one at McAlister Crossing. The most expensive of the new structures, the bridge at McAlister Crossing, completed in 1915, cost nearly $9,000. Because members of the Mueller family owned property on either end of the bridge, it was often called Mueller Bridge. The three-span, 252-foot Mueller Bridge at McAlister Crossing features polygonal camelback trusses with multiple panels. For more than 70 years it served local residents, surviving Cibolo Creek's occasional raging waters. Closed to vehicular traffic in 1988, it remains a historic link to engineering designes of the early 20th century. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004

Bridge at McAlister Crossing (Mueller Bridge) (0.2 mi. SW) is a historical marker in La Vernia, Wilson County, dedicated in 2004. It is one of 46 historical markers documented in Wilson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 101 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3529, -98.0696 near La Vernia. The nearest cataloged historic site is Mueller Bridge (historic place), about 0.3 miles away. Others within a short drive include Rector Chapel Cemetery, Britton-Robinson Cemetery, and Power Grave.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5493013258. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.