To appreciate Gruene, first of all, you need to remember that what is “old” in Texas is not so old in New England terms. Our first New England posting was to Plymouth County, Massachusetts (home of Plymouth Rock). Bridgewater, Massachusetts (where we lived) was established in the mid 17th century. That town made our second sojourn in New England—in Canton , Connecticut—seem like we were in a “new” town; after all, Canton was not settled by Anglos until the early 19th century.
So when the “old” town of Gruene (whose motto is “Gently Resisting Change since 1872”) is compared with new England locales, it doesn’t seem very old at all. But then, of course, when we compare any locations in the United States with settlements in Europe, everything in the US seems fairly recent indeed. Which is all a way of reminding us that “old” is certainly a relative term.
Gruene (pronounced “green”) is a little town wholly within New Braunfels, settled in the mid 1840s by a German immigrant, Ernest Gruene. Gruene and others built a number of buildings—homes in the Victorian style, shops, and other buildings, but the center of life in the little community was a dance hall and saloon, Gruene Hall. The town struggled but never prospered, and was completely done in by two very different disasters, the boll weevil and the Depression. Everything went under except Gruene Hall, which never closed. By the 1970s the “town” was just some empty buildings and was to be razed, but new owners of the buildings saw potential for Gruene to rise again. New businesses were established, and all of Gruene was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today Gruene is thriving. Tourists come from all around to walk the streets of the 19th-century town, but especially to visit Gruene Hall, which has attracted every famous country and western artist, who want to perform in such an authentic venue. It has even been featured in films such as “Michael” (1996) in which John Travolta plays an angel who, coincidentally, performs in Gruene Hall.
Gruene is eight minutes from our house—definitely on the tour for visitors who drop by.
So when the “old” town of Gruene (whose motto is “Gently Resisting Change since 1872”) is compared with new England locales, it doesn’t seem very old at all. But then, of course, when we compare any locations in the United States with settlements in Europe, everything in the US seems fairly recent indeed. Which is all a way of reminding us that “old” is certainly a relative term.
Gruene (pronounced “green”) is a little town wholly within New Braunfels, settled in the mid 1840s by a German immigrant, Ernest Gruene. Gruene and others built a number of buildings—homes in the Victorian style, shops, and other buildings, but the center of life in the little community was a dance hall and saloon, Gruene Hall. The town struggled but never prospered, and was completely done in by two very different disasters, the boll weevil and the Depression. Everything went under except Gruene Hall, which never closed. By the 1970s the “town” was just some empty buildings and was to be razed, but new owners of the buildings saw potential for Gruene to rise again. New businesses were established, and all of Gruene was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today Gruene is thriving. Tourists come from all around to walk the streets of the 19th-century town, but especially to visit Gruene Hall, which has attracted every famous country and western artist, who want to perform in such an authentic venue. It has even been featured in films such as “Michael” (1996) in which John Travolta plays an angel who, coincidentally, performs in Gruene Hall.
Gruene is eight minutes from our house—definitely on the tour for visitors who drop by.
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