Schultz Saloon

In 1857, Frederick Olmstead visited Seguin while writing dispatches about architecture and society for the ‘New York Times’. He later became a world-famous landscape architect, known for designing Central Park in NYC and the Chicago 1893 World’s Fair grounds (of ‘Devil in the White City’ fame). He was so impressed by Seguin's concrete buildings that he called it "the prettiest town in Texas."Seguin is also where you'll find Schultz Saloon. Its window out front reads “Est. Org. 1900”, but this space has actually been several different businesses over the years. It was a local bar until 2018, when new ownership came in and polished the place up.

While visiting, I chatted with one of the previous owners. A steady, bearded fellow who sat with the wall to his back like a gun-toting desperado, he had a wealth of knowledge to share. I found out that the saloon is named after a St. Louis businessman who opened a hotel in the building to serve travelers using the nearby railway.

The saloon also served as a bordello, which I was informed is a nicer way of saying brothel. The building experienced a fire from a light bulb malfunction at one point, was a meat market in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and before then had a BBQ place operating out the back. Patek’s BBQ was the name, which sounds like it’s of the Czech variety. Customers would come in and slice their own brisket with a knife that was chained to the table. One of the sons, Freddie Patek, ended up playing professional baseball. At 5'5", he was the shortest player in the league.

Lone Star Barber, which resides next door, is one of the oldest barber shops in Texas. This probably accounts for why the large mirror behind the bar is actually a barbershop mirror. I’m no detective, but I’d bet a buffalo nickel on it.

From the pressed-tin ceiling to the painted-wood walls, Schultz Saloon has retained its historical touches. It’s the kind of place where you can sit and easily envision how it looked a century ago. And though Olmsted never got the chance to visit Schultz Saloon, I’d imagine it’s exactly the type of place he’d duck in and write one of his dispatches, whiskey in hand.