Preservation: Let the Water Flow
Categories: Preservation: You Can Help
By: Mark Boardman 05/01/2008
The Texas Two-Step
If you go to Luckenbach, Texas—yep, the same place Waylon and Willie sang about—you’ll find a population of three and just two buildings: a combination saloon-general store-post office and the dance hall. The hall hops every weekend, bringing loads of folks (and money) to town.
As settlers poured into Lone Star State, dance halls were often the first public buildings constructed in towns and hamlets. They hosted entertainment and served as meeting places. The halls were important to the economic development of towns throughout the state.
Texas dance halls are threatened, reported Preservation Texas in its 2008 list of endangered places. The group reports dance halls have been abandoned, dismantled or converted into antique stores and hay barns. The reason: most dance halls are in small towns, and younger folks are moving to the larger cities, leaving little support for local businesses—including the halls.
The song says, “In Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain.” In those communities where the dance halls are dying, you’ll find a lot of hurtin’.
512-472-0102 • PreservationTexas.org
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT