Completed in 1897 for Charles August Burchard (b. August 8, 1858, Gonzales; parents Louis and Augusta Bunte Burchard, German immigrants), this late-Victorian residence is listed on the City of Gonzales historic homes tour with the note: “Home to one of the first students at Texas A&M University.” The city walking-tour sheet places the house on the NE corner of Saint Matthew Street and dates construction to 1897; the digital tour gives the street address as 605 Saint Matthew Street.
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Education and early career
City materials state that Burchard was in Texas A&M’s first class in 1876 (among the initial cohort when A&M opened on Oct. 4, 1876); after preparatory study he taught in Texas schools and then read law. Texas A&M’s official histories confirm the 1876 opening and the composition of the earliest classes; local tour documents are the basis for linking Burchard to that inaugural cohort. -
Law and title work
After returning to Gonzales, Burchard practiced law and in 1904 purchased a local abstract firm—today’s Burchard Abstract Company, a title plant that traces county records “to the sovereignty of Texas.” The company’s site and local heritage pages credit C. A. Burchard as founder of the family firm, still operating in Gonzales. -
Civic and church life
The couple were active at Episcopal Church of the Messiah; local write-ups remember Anna Margaret (Kreutter) Burchard as a church musician who taught voice and piano in their home. -
Family
Charles married Anna Margaret Kreutter in 1895 at Galveston. They later adopted a son, Samuel, who graduated from Texas A&M in 1914. Charles died October 7, 1922; Anna died November 12, 1946; both are buried in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery.
House history and features
City and heritage listings describe the dwelling as a Victorian-era family home completed in 1897 for an attorney-educator couple. While a full room-by-room inventory isn’t published online, the house is consistently grouped with other 1890s Saint Matthew Street residences for its period massing, wood-sash windows, and porch treatment typical of Gonzales craftsmanship of the decade.