Trained as a millwright in his native Germany, Carl H. Guenther (1826-1902) started his San Antonio operation in 1859 at the site of the present Pioneer Flour Mills. In 1868 he built another dam and mill upstream at this location. Because it was closer to town, the upper mill was an outlet for products from both plants. About 1900 the Guenther family began operating exclusively from the downstream facility. The vacated upper mill housed a macaroni factory, an ice cream company, and later a garage. In 1926 the structure was razed to widen the San Antonio River. (1979)