Postcard From Cherry Spring, TX

The offending sign.
After awaking from my really nice nap, I ran down to Wendy's, got a salad for supper and read some more Ghost Country by Patrick Lee on my iPad. Returning to the hotel, I broke out the laptop, answered emails, and wrote an entry for this blog. Still not sleepy. Read more Ghost Country. Finally turned off the light and that's when I noticed it - Welcome to Kerrville. Specifically, a sign stating "Welcome to Kerrville" which was outside of my upgraded room that was brighter than any sign I've seen since the last time I was in Vegas. And the room designer, obviously a person who had never spent a single night in one of his/her own designed rooms, evidently thought there would be no need for a window curtain heavier than a sheer. The light from that sign was shining big and bright deep in the heart of Texas and right into my room. I can take naps in light, but I can't sleep well all the night through if there is much light. I guess my head thinks I'm just taking a nap so I wake up after an hour - every hour, all night. I finally pulled one of the 6 pillows the Hampton Inn thinks everyone sleeps with over my head and only woke up 4 times during the night when I rolled over and dislodged my "make-it-dark" pillow.

The next morning I got up bright eyed and bushy tailed and headed back north 16 miles beyond Fredericksburg to a little "blink and you'll miss it" spot on the road, Cherry Spring. Founded in 1852 by Dietrich Rode and William Kothe, two Germans who moved from Fredericksburg, the town was on the route from San Antonio to El Paso and thus enjoyed a good amount of prosperity as a commercial center. A post office was granted in 1858 and it had a population of 202 in 1860. Eventually though, hard times arrived and the post office closed in 1912. By 1933 the population stood at 40 and soon, only 9 residents remained with only one commercial building still standing. That building had been built in 1890 by a one-time Apache captive named Herman Lehmann.  For years it served the neighboring ranchers as a saloon, post office, and dry goods store all rolled into one. In the early 1950's, it was converted into the Cherry Springs Dance Hall and an amazing thing happened.

Music and fame came to Cherry Spring. Anybody who was somebody in country music played the Cherry Springs Dance Hall. Touring acts from the Louisiana Hayride and the Grand Ole Opry played there. Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Bob Wills, Buck Owens, George Jones, Johnny Cash, and Ernest Tubb played there. On October 9, 1955, The King himself, Elvis, played the Cherry Springs Dance Hall. The price of a ticket? A whole $1.50. Every weekend, people traveled from miles and miles away for a few hours of great music and dancing in little bitty Cherry Spring.

And then, gradually, things changed. The big names started playing concert halls and arenas and stadiums instead of dance halls, places where thousands rather than dozens paid good money to hear them. Cherry Springs Dance Hall lost out and music abandoned Cherry Spring. All was quiet once again when the hall closed in the 1980's. After almost 100 years of music and history, the old building became a hay barn and began to fall apart from neglect.

In the late 1990's, interest picked up and several investors bought the old place and renovated it. Once again the sound of music reverberated in Cherry Spring every Saturday night. This time the music was being provided by the up-and-coming pre-Nashville country artists and once again, people traveled from miles away to enjoy good music and some two-steppin'. The only rule was "no line dancing." The manager said, "Nobody can line dance and look good doing it."

In 2007, the place closed yet again and new investors were being sought. I heard the place is open now, but it didn't look like it to me. The whole town looked abandoned except for a couple of old homes with dirt and weed yards. No people were around to ask. I got out of my truck to take a few pictures and see if I could find anyone to talk to, but the only living thing I found was an old dog who half-heartedly barked a couple of times at me and took a couple of slow, easy steps toward me before deciding I wasn't worth the effort and laid back down. He weren't no trouble. I walked over and scratched him behind the ears a few times.

One interesting little tidbit, the town is named Cherry Spring, but the dance hall is named Cherry Springs. Why? Just because they thought it sounded better.

Cited by the State of Texas Music Office as "one of the most historic dance halls in the world," I hope it's actually open and going strong. I like to think that every Saturday night, out in the middle of nowhere, music is being made, dancing is going on, and people are happy. Whether it is or isn't, it somehow makes me content to think it is. So in my mind, that's the way it is.

(Please click here to read the first post in this series.)

7 comments:

  1. Came across this and just thought I'd help you out a bit on this Dance Hall's later history. I actually lived there from 2000-2008 and it was certainly never open during that time, and had not been in any kind of normal operation for perhaps a decade prior to the time I moved there. It's falling apart and just about everything is busted, but there's also remains of the rodeo arena behind the hall, but almost invisible due to the shoulder-high grass and weeds. Such a shame with all that history.

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  2. Thanks for the update. I agree with you - it's a shame for the place to be left to fall apart after so much history, but I don't know what would be economically feasible which would render it viable again. Sad.

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  3. The property is owned by my father Don (D.C. Owens). My family purchased and renovated it in the mid 90's and operated it as a Dancehall .and Rodeo on Saturday nights for a few years. There were no investors...just my dad, who is a major history buff. and antiques dealer Business thrived for the first year and then steadily dropped off until we were forced to again close it's doors for good. I two-stepped with many cowboys and made many friends during the process and we were even featured in Country Weekly. My dad's health is not good and he's unable to maintain the property which saddens me. I helped paint that place, ripped out old insulation which made me itch all over and watched as Daddy painstakingly sautered each beam to add rustic charm. He special ordered cedar benches and tables that still had the bark on the edges. I'm sure nobody left without splinters! I sprinkled the dance floor with sawdust each Saturday and flirted with the bullriders while my older sister slung Lonestar beer and pumped cheese on nachos. Thank you for sharing this and I hope that somebody will be able to restore it to it's former glory someday.

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    1. Thank you for your post! Sounds like you have some wonderful memories of the place. Sorry to hear about your dad. Hopefully somebody like him will come along some day and fix the place up again so the next generation can have good memories like you.
      Take care and thanks again for your wonderful comment!
      Ken

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    2. Hello Kimboxin. I too had that pleasure of meeting your father just a few days ago in June of 2014. It is such a shame that the location of the Dance Hall is such that people must travel (so to speak) to get there. The history that has been gifted to such a wonderful place is one that must be shared and as time passes, the gift seems to fade away as well. I knew nothing of Cherry Springs until I met your dad. Now I can only think of the countless vehicles that pass by the Hall day after day, night after night... with hardly even noticing what was once a true destination. Sadly... a man like your father is very much the same way. How many people pass by him every day and fail to even realize what a wonderful gift they just passed by? I know... being the child of any man comes with challenges especially when you hear how wonderful his mind is but please stay with me..... He really is someone who I could listen to for days. He has knowledge of so many things and a gift for presenting that knowledge. I am forever changed for having spent just a couple of hours with him and his wisdom I will do my best to pass along as accurately as I can. Your father and Cherry Springs Dancehall are truly one in the same.... two aging gifts that few will stop to appreciate. I thank God that I was given the blessing to recognize the value in both. Thank you for sharing both of them with me. Larry, the phone booth guy.

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  4. Hey Kim, I was out in Cherry Spring last Saturday on my way to our deer camp in Mason with some buddies when we came across this dancehall. We stopped and started looking inside. Your Dad came out and was very nice and a wealth of history about the place. We REALLY enjoyed visiting with him. I can't wait to stop back by there and visit with him again. When you talk to him, please tell him "Thank You" for the visit.

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  5. Hey Kim, I was actually passing thru cherry spring last Saturday on my way to Mason with some hunting buddies when we noticed the dancehall and stopped to check it out. Your Dad came over and introduced himself and told us all of the history of the hall. What a nice guy and a wealth of knowledge. We stayed probably 2 hours visiting with him. Tell him I said a sincere "Thank You".

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