River Oaks Courts | Medina

In 1930, Stokes purchased an 11-acre riverfront parcel with profits from the B.H. Stokes store, and he constructed a three-bedroom bungalow-style home there. The Medina Light inaugural edition announced its completion on November 7, 1930, saying, “Mr. Stokes now has one of the most modern homes in this country. He also has had an artesian well drilled which gives such a strong flow, that it requires no reservoir, as the flow is strong enough to force the water over the entire place.” The small homestead was conveniently located one mile west of his general store in Medina and along Kerrville Road (later TX-16), his primary trade commute. Early improvements to the property included a garage, and he likely cultivated the land to support the family’s personal needs. The Stokes children enjoyed growing up next to the Medina River which provided them a cypress-shaded retreat for swimming, fishing, and camping.

Stokes was a leading voice for improving education for Medina children. He and others urged the community to raise funds to construct a new school building where the Stokes children were educated. Built in 1933 by local contrctor Hough LeStourgeon, the completed fieldstone edifice provided Medina students modern science curriculum and primary education. As a member of the school board in 1934-35, Stokes promoted agricultural vocational studies to educate the next generation of farmers about conservation-minded cultivation. That year, the district hired University of A&M agricultural teacher Robert R. Tippit to start such a program in Medina.

Tippit’s employment was the impetus that started Stokes’ next business, Stokes Motor Courts, which shaped the development of the current nominated property. Although Medina’s economy improved in the years immediately following the Great Depression, home building was slow to revive. In 1935, when Tippit was unable to find a suitable rental home, Stokes hired LeStourgeon to construct one fieldstone cottage on his 11- acre property for the new teacher. Soon after, Stokes contracted for four more cottages that were completed in early 1936, and he finished the sixth cabin by August. The six cottages became the first rental cabins, and Stokes advertised short and long-term leases. At various times, the business name alternated between Stokes Tourist Camp, Stokes Tourist Courts, and Stokes Motor Courts. Although those names reflected larger trends in the motor courts industry, the three names were used interchangeably between 1935 and 1943. By 1940, Stokes Motor Courts boasted ten fieldstone cottages.

In 1978, a flood of the Medina River devastated the local community, and River Oaks Courts was among the many properties damaged by the flood. Following that event, long-term renters and the owners sporadically inhabited River Oaks Courts, and the pattern of limited occupation continued through the first decades of the next century until purchased by the current owners for renovation in 2017. Following a full renovation and restoration of the property and buildings, the Courts are once again open!