Skip down to Mason, entry from 7-17-07.
7-28-07
Trip to Bandera
I had a great time in Bandera last weekend and have included several pictures from the town in the movie to the right. The town is currently preparing for the Celebrate Bandera Festival held the weekend of August 31. Be sure to check out the official website www.celebratebandera.com. You can also find out more about Bandera through links on our index page or clicking through to our Bandera County page. Below is a list of my current top five things to do in Bandera:
1. St. Stanislaus Church
602 7th St, Bandera , 78003
830-460-4712
www.sthcc.org/ststanislaus
ststanis@sbcglobal.net
The church was built in 1876 for the second oldest Polish parish in the United States, the oldest being in Panna Maria, near Corpus Christi. The former church built in 1859 had been a wood structure and the current building replaced it. Go inside to look at the wonderful painting on the walls and the stained glass windows - it resembles the "painted churches" near Shiner. The old convent, a small building next to it, is a museum containing many artifacts that belonged to the early Polish settlers of the area. It is located a couple blocks south of the downtown.
2. Bunkhouse Leather
1207 Cedar Street
Bandera, TX
830-796-3690
This store is located just off the main street. It has everything you need for your horse, and if you don't know what you need, they'll help you. The store is stocked with saddles, bridles, and other horse accoutrements. They can design a saddle or repair an old favorite. If you want to know what is involved in owning a horse, just go in the door. The smell of the leather permeates the shop.
3. Frontier Museum
510 13th Street
Bandera, 78003
The museum was established in 1927 by J. Marvin Hunter (see Bandera Biographies) and enlarged to its current size in 1933. Its collection exceeds 30,000 items and is stocked-full of items relating not only to Bandera's history and development, but development of the old west. You will need some time to browse through the displays, but well worth the trip. The museum is located a couple blocks north of the Courthouse.
4. Saloon, Honkytonks and Nightclubs
Bandera is famous for its nightclubs and singers. The clubs are scattered throughout the town, but tend to be on or near Main Street. If you want to dance or just listen to some good live country music, then just drift on into one of them. Several have a hitching post out front in case you have your horse with you and don't be surprised if there are horses tied to it. Some clubs to try are 11th Street Cowboy Bar, Bandera Saloon, Blue Genes and the Longhorn Saloon.
5. Polly's Chapel
When you truly want some "peace and quiet" and a drive through a beautiful part of Bandera County, this is the place to go. After his conversion to the Methodist faith, Policarpo Rodriguez (1829-1914) built by hand this chapel out of native stone. The area is beautiful and once you have turned off Hwy 16, the road parallels Paradise Creek for most of the distance. It is quiet here and drive slowly on Paradise Road, there may be livestock walking in the road. Note the rough exterior of the stone used in the building (exterior photo in movie).
The directions are:
From the intersection of Hwy 173 and Hwy 16 in Bandera, go east on Hwy 16 for 4.9 miles until Privilege Creek Road which on the left. Turn on Privilege Creek Road and go 2.2 miles to where Old School Road joins Privilege Creek on the left. Turn left on Old School Road and go over a low-water bridge. At the top of the hill, Polly’s Chapel Road will be on the right. Turn on to the road and follow it to the end. The chapel is at the end of the road.
Photos by Andrew Butler
This movie includes photos of activities held in Bandera last weekend as well as the St. Stanislaus Church, Polly's Chapel, Bunkhouse Leather, the Bandera Saloon, Busbee's BBQ, wildlife, and finally Bandera scenery. Press play to start the movie, control volume as necessary.
Movie by Hill Country Rambler
Photos by Andrew Butler
Music by Shane Walker
Photos by Andrew Butler
7-17-2007
Trip to Mason-
The slideshow on the right is from the annual Great American Jackass Race through the center of town, a lot of fun and everyone that I met was very hospitable. I have come up with a short list of five other activities that are sure to be of interest on your next trip Mason:
1 Old Yeller
If you loved the book or the movie, then you should see the statue of Old Yeller and Arliss in front of the Mason Library. Fred Gipson, the author of Old Yeller, lived and wrote in Mason. The statue is in front of the Library. If you talk to some of the older residents of Mason, they can tell you interesting stories about Mr. Gipson.
Location:
Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library
410 Post Hill, Mason, TX 76856, (325) 347-5446
2 Eckert James River Bat Cave
If you like bats, this is a must see. And even if you don't like bats, it should be seen. There are 4-6 million Mexican free-tailed bats here. This is a maternity cave with just females and their pups. The bats migrate here from Mexico in the warmer weather and then return to Mexico when cold weather descends on the Hill Country. Where are the grown male bats and what they are doing? Who knows? The bats are packed in here with over 2,000 bats per square meter. You can watch their spectacular exit from the cave in the evening.
Location:
You will need to call to see the bats. The numbers are:
325-347-5970 for information or 325-347-5758 (the chamber of commerce)
Directions:
Take US Hwy 87 south from the Mason County Courthouse approx. 1 mile.
Turn right on RR 1723 at the roadside park.
Go 2 miles and turn right on RR 2389.
Go 4.5 miles and cross Llano River double bridge.
After crossing second bridge, turn sharp right, staying on paved road.
Follow road for 8.3 miles (it becomes unpaved road; keep going)
Cross wide James River low water crossing and continue 3/10 mile to cattle guard.
Sign points to parking area for Bat Cave on the right.
Warning: All the property along James River Road is private land, so Please do not trespass. Watch for wild animals and cattle on the road, and for some reasons cows do like to stand in the road. Be careful. Do not go without calling to verify that someone will be there.
Hours: 6:00 - 9:00 PM Thursday through Friday from May to mid-October.
Cost: $5.00/person. Children under 5 are free.
3 Topaz
Blue topaz is the state stone of Texas and can only be found in Mason County. It is usually found in streambeds and ravines where erosion has occurred. It resembles quartz and ranges from brown to sky blue. This should be a cool weather activity since it will probably require digging and sifting. A beautiful stone, the largest found in the United States, is at the Mason County Museum.
Purchasing stones or gathering information can be done at:
Country Collectibles
424 Fort Mckavitt St
Mason, TX 76856
(325-347-5249)
Underwood Antique Mall
100 N Live Oak
Mason, TX 76856
(325-347-5258)
Mason Gem Service (Gem Cutting for those topazes you find) (325-347-5413)
Two ranches will let you hunt for the stones:
Seaquist Ranch (325-347-5413)
Cost: $15/person, $5/children 7-12, free/children under 7
Lindsay Ranch (325-347-4052 or dhl4668@yahoo.com)
Cost: $10/person
4 Odeon Theater
Remember the old time movie theaters before the multi-plexes. This is one of them. Over the last decade the Odeon Preservation Association has been working to restore the old theater. Movies are currently shown Friday through Monday nights. So, buy some popcorn and a coke and enjoy theaters the way they should be.
Location:
120 South Mason Street
Mason, TX 76856 (on the main square across from the courthouse)
Call 325-347-9010 for times.
5 Fort Mason
As settlers moved out into the Hill Country they came into conflict with the Indians. The U.S. Army established a series of forts along the frontier and this is one of them. The fort was established on July 6, 1851. During its existence, it was abandoned and reoccupied several times. More Civil War generals were produced by Ft. Mason than any other fort- Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston are among the more famous. The fort was abandoned during the civil war and reactivated for a couple of years afterwards. However, its contribution to Mason continued long after the abandonment, when the residents removed the stone for local buildings. Many of the older buildings you see in Mason may have part of the fort in their walls or foundation. The cavalry stable is the only original building remaining. However, several of the older buildings have been reconstructed.
Location: Post Hill and Spruce Street (in the south part) of town.
---Andrew