February 16, 2008 - Saturday
So my human's sister told us about a little town called Gruene (pronounced green) which she
insisted we needed to go see. And see we did. Here is a little Gruene History: 1845 - 1974
Arriving in Texas in the mid 1840s, German farmers became the first settlers of what is now
known as Gruene, Texas. Ernst Gruene, a German immigrant, and his bride Antoinette, had
reached the newly established city of New Braunfels in 1845, but acreage was scarce. Thus,
Ernst and his two sons purchased land just down river, and Ernst built the first home in Gruene
in early fachwerk style. His second son, Henry D. Gruene, built his home (now Gruene Mansion
Inn) and planted his surrounding land with cotton. Having become the number one cash crop,
the cotton business soon brought 20 to 30 families to Henry D.'s lands.
Henry D. built houses in various styles -- a Victorian cottage (now Lone Star), a large brick
home, and a frame house (now Gruene Haus) for the foreman of his farm. The first mercantile
store (now Gruene General Store) was built in 1878 and a cotton gin (now Gristmill River
Restaurant and Bar) powered by the Guadalupe River was added soon after. Further construction
during this profitable time included a dance hall and saloon (Gruene Hall), which became the
center of the community's social life.
As the town continued to prosper, a new mercantile building (now The Gruene Antique Company)
sprang up in 1904. However, the death of Henry D. in 1920 marked the downfall of Gruene's
development and good fortune. In 1922, the original cotton gin burned and was replaced down the
road by a modern electric model (now Adobe Verde). Yet, the economic disasters of the boll weevil
and the Depression were too much for the family businesses and they went under, except for Gruene
Hall, which never closed."
For those of you who do not know, Gruene is home of the Gruene Hall, the location
used as set for the dance hall scene in the movie "Michael" (1996) starring John
Travolta and Andy Mcdowell.
"Built in 1878, Gruene Hall is the oldest continually running dance hall in Texas,
and the Central Texas birthplace to many great songwriters and musicians. Including
George Strait, Ace in the Hole, Jerry Jeff Walker, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Robert
Earl Keen, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Hal Ketchum, Bruce and Charlie Robison,
and many more."
If you want to learn about Gruene, you can visit here:
Gruene
To learn about Gruene Hall, you can visit here:
Gruene Hall
