The miller's business thrived, until the drought of 1858 dried up crops and the waters of the creek that powered the mill. The resourceful Guenther relocated to San Antonio, purchasing acreage just south of downtown, in what came to be the King William District of fashionable German homes. He built his new mill and house on the San Antonio River. This single-story, rock dwelling was later expanded by his son, Erhard, into an elegant, two-story mansion, which was considered the showplace of its day. The beautiful home faces the castle-turreted mill and was originally separated from it by the river, which was diverted for 20th-century flood control. The mill has remained in continuous family operation and is known today as C.H. Guenther & Son Inc., encompassing three well-known brands, Pioneer, White Wings and White Lilly. Vacant for nearly 20 years, Guenther's descendants restored and reopened the gracious home in 1988 as a museum, restaurant and retail store.

The charming breakfast/lunch dining room on the lower level was once the Tea Room, where the second generation of American Guenthers entertained friends. This airy room is replete with mantel and buffet of sculpted corn and wheat sheaves and art nouveau alabaster light fixtures with clinging brass dragons. Windows were designed to slide into walls to catch the river breeze and are topped by stained-glass transoms featuring ivy vines that encircle the room. Breakfast specials in the present-day restaurant here feature the mill's products -- melt-in-your-mouth biscuits, tortillas, pancakes and waffles -- and the lunch fare is equally enjoyable. A redwood-paneled dining room to the side provides private dining, and a nook in the adjoining vestibule holds a monitor for viewing a video history of house and mill. The entry offers a case full of mouth-watering pastries, and just beyond there is patio dining under a fan-cooled arbor surrounded by stately trees and manicured lawn.

The main-floor library is now a museum of mill memorabilia, including antique baking accessories, family photos and a collection of Dresden china plates, featuring pastoral scenes and childish delights, which were once given annually to grocers and customers. The parlor boasts beveled glass windows, a gas chandelier festooned with crystal, ornate Victorian furniture and two massive, gilt-trimmed mirrors on opposing walls for a never-ending reflection. The former bedroom and music room, both with fireplaces, now house The River Mill Store, brimming with cookware, gourmet baking mixes and all manner of kitchen-related goodies. Beautiful stained-glass doors to what was once the front-entry hall proclaim the family trade with wheat sheaf and sickle, but now lead to a well-appointed ladies room.

The entire top floor, The Roof Garden, was once an open-air ballroom overlooking mill and river and features an impressive brick fireplace, a still-operational lion's head fountain and a small landing to accommodate a German oompah band. You may roam the home from top to bottom, as written narratives provide the history of each room, the Guenthers and their mill, which, like all good tales, has a happy ending indeed. The miller lived happily ever after and his family shared the beauties of this marvelous old home for free with visitors from far and wide. The End.