Storm’s in Lampasas opened for business in 1950. This place was originally called the Dairy Cue. They sold soft-serve ice cream, but hamburgers were also on the menu. The business grew all through the 1950′s, and the awnings and speaker system were added during this time.

Storm’s in Lampasas is a drive-in. No indoor dining room. They do have a very nice outdoor patio. You can order from the patio and they will bring your food out to you.

They still grind their own hamburger meat and make the french fries from fresh-cut potatoes. The hamburger patties are thin. That seems to be popular with these 1950′s burger joints. Consider ordering a double meat burger or better yet the Storm’s Special.

Storm’s in Lampasas is a great example of a 1950′s drive-in. The old awnings, the menu boxes, and the speaker system are all, well, old.  The provenance of this place is unquestionable. The same family has run the joint since the day they opened in 1950. The place has an authentic 1950′s feel to it. Good burgers, by the way. Give it a try, next time your in Lampasas Texas.

Map to Storm’s

Before Lampasas County was created, John Burleson, an early settler, deeded land to his daughters, Elizabeth Scott and Martha Moore. After it became popular belief that the spring water in Lampasas possessed healing powers, Elizabeth laid out lots for a town and offered them for sale. Lots were priced between $5.00 and $12.50. The notoriety of the Lampasas Springs led to rapid growth, and Lampasas earned the title “Saratoga of the South.”

Lampasas County, named for the Lampasas River, was created from parts of Travis and Bell counties on February 1, 1856, and organized March 10 with Lampasas, as the county seat.

The Town of Lampasas

Disasters plagued Lampasas in the early days. In December of 1871 a fire destroyed the county courthouse. A new courthouse was built only to be swept away by a flood in 1873.

Major change came to Lampasas in 1882. In that year a passenger train linked Lampasas to the coastal city of Galveston. The arrival of the railroad in Lampasas caused major growth. The mineral springs were commercialized and people came to the “Saratoga of the South” for leisure and healing.

Hanna Springs

Hanna Springs

The first private bathhouse was built by Elizabeth and George Scott. Elizabeth Scott and her husband George erected a hotel near the springs, which became known as Scott’s White Sulphur Springs. The springs became a popular recreation site, touted for the healing properties of the mineral water. In 1863 the Scotts sold their property to William H. Storm and Thomas J. Moore. Storm sold the springs property to John L. Hanna and his sister Isabella Hanna in 1867. Popularity of the springs grew under John Hanna’s management, and the hotel and springs became known as Hanna Springs.

Nothing remains of the hotel at Hanna Springs today. A large tank denotes the site of  the Hanna mineral water spring. It’s located a few blocks north of the county courthouse on South Live Oak St. at the junction with East North Avenue near the Hanna Springs Swimming Pool.

Hancock Springs

Hancock Springs

Sometime after 1882 the Hancock Springs Bathhouse and the Grand Park Hotel were constructed. Remnants of the old bathhouse can still be seen today near the pool at Hancock Park. A two-mile trolley, drawn along its tracks by a mule, carried passengers from the Santa Fe Train Depot on the other side of town to the Park Hotel. Today the city operates a pool at Hancock Springs offering the public an opportunity to swim in the mineral water.

The Santa Fe Depot located at 501 E. Second Street, just a few blocks from the town square and county Courthouse (at the intersection of S. Live Oak and E. Second St.) was built in 1904. Early-day center for news and social life. Replaced the mule car from old depot to city square.

Across the street is the Keystone Hotel. Built in 1870, famous early-day stagecoach inn of J. L. N. Gracy. Windows have keystone arches. Native rock was hauled to site by oxen.

The county courthouse, the town square, and the old commercial district around it are all interesting and worthy of a walk to see what’s interesting to you. German food is one thing to keep an eye open for.

Spring Ho Festival

Annual festival held on the second full weekend in July since 1972. Don’t ask about the name, no one seems to know where it came from. A great small town festival that’s easy to recommend. They even have a Spring Ho web site.

Images

What’s Close By

Colorado Bend State Park is a vast scenic park with 6 miles of river frontage along the Colorado River. Within the state park: Gorman Falls is beautiful. The falls are available by tour only on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday at 10 a.m. The location is remote and getting there involves a moderately physical 1.5 mile round trip hike.

The town of San Saba is a few miles further west of Colorado Bend State Park. Nothing here really. No big box retailers, now where to buy $5 coffee drinks, a true retail dead spot. On the plus side there’s Mill Pond Park with a spring-fed lake and water fall. The original water works for the town, it has an interesting history, and also picnic grounds, walking trails, etc.  The Wedding Oak, a 400-year-old oak listed in Famous Trees of Texas is an extremely popular spot for weddings in the area. The Regency Suspension Bridge near the town of Regency and the Beverage Suspension Bridge are two of only a hand full of historic suspension bridges remaining in the state of Texas. Depending on what your interested in, you might want to look at the San Saba County Courthouse or investigate the San Saba Bike Trails. This link to the San Saba County page at the Lower Colorado River Authority web site provides a great index of outdoor tourism attractions in the area.

Related

A Day in Lampasas Texas More information about Hancock Spring Pool.

More information

The Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce – http://www.lampasaschamber.org/

Bibliographic note
Much can be learned about early Lampasas history by simply reading the Texas Historical Commission signs sprinkled all around town. More information was extracted from the Texas Historical Commission’s Sites Atlas. (http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/)

County: Lampasas

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Copyright © 2009 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved

The Lampasas County Courthouse was constructed in 1883 and is the work of noted Waco architect W. C. Dodson. From the escapades of the Horrell brothers outlaw gang to the commercial success of the mineral springs and bathhouses after the arrival of the railroad line from Galveston in 1882—Lampasas Texas had a rich and diverse early history. Please read this short story and enjoy the images below. Click these images to see larger versions.

The Lampasas County Courthouse

The Lampasas County Courthouse was constructed in 1883 from plans provided by Waco architect W. C. Dodson. The Lampasas courthouse is similar in many ways to other Dodson-designed courthouses in Hill, Hood, and Parker counties. The Lampasas County Courthouse was the first of the four to be built. The county courthouse in Lampasas is smaller, both in overall size and height of the central tower, compared to these other buildings. The scale of this building, however, in no way detracts from its grandness.

The courthouse is constructed of native limestone. Two opposing faces of the building feature five-bay composition and the remaining two faces three-bay composition. The vertical composition of the exterior of the courthouse gives the strong impression of a two-story structure. In fact, the interior features three floors with long windows spanning and lighting the second and third stories. The National Register narrative describes the building as having a mansard roof. The mansard roof treatment of this courthouse is certainly of very limited height and is topped by a hip roof.

The interior of the Lampasas County Courthouse shares many features with the Parker County Courthouse. The first floor of the courthouse is roughly divided into quarters by intersecting halls lined with doorways entering into county offices. The staircases are made of wood. Unlike Parker county though, the Lampasas courthouse has a narrow staircase at one end of the building. At the other end a double staircase is nearly identical to one in the Parker County Courthouse. The second floor contains the old District Courtroom. The ceiling of this courtroom must be over twenty feet high. The walls and ceiling are covered with pressed tin and painted green with red and gold accents. There’s no balcony in the District Courtroom. There is however a panel of windows on a third-story landing where people can stand and look into the courtroom.

In a jury deliberation room on the third floor, the Seth Thomas movement for the tower clock is on display. Prior to the restoration of the courthouse in 2004, this mechanical device resided on the first floor. The clock tower itself is modest but elegant.

The courthouse lawn is spacious and fenced. The distance to the surrounding buildings on the town square is considerable. Notably missing are signs, curbs, and parking meters. The uncrowded and uncluttered town square may be a relic of times gone by—when the distinction between parking lot and road wasn’t quite so clear, and horses were the more common means of transportation.

More information

The Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce – http://www.lampasaschamber.org/

County: Lampasas

map

Copyright © 2009 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved

Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon

The first marker tells of the “Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon” in 1873. According to the THC marker, in the 1870′s Lampasas was a wild frontier town. In January of that year Sheriff S.T. Denson was shot while arresting the brothers Wash and Mark Short. The district judge sent out a posse to apprehend the Short brothers, but they were stopped by Ben, Tom, and Mart Horrell and several other bad guys.

Because of the Sheriff getting shot, and because the Horrell brothers turned around the posse, the county judge appealed to then Texas Governor Edmund J. Davis for the help of the State Police. On February 10, Governor Davis issued a proclamation prohibiting the carrying of sidearms in Lampasas. About a month later, state policemen came to Lampasas to enforce the Governor’s proclamation. They immediately arrested Bill Bowen for carrying a gun in town. Bowen talked State Police Captain Thomas Williams and some of his men into entering Jerry Scott’s Lampasas Saloon. Entering the saloon was a grave mistake for the police, that day. Once inside the saloon, a gunfight broke out between the State Police and the Horrell brothers and their accomplices that resulted in the deaths of four state police officers.

After the shootout at Jerry Scott’s Saloon, many more police and frontier soldiers came to look for the Horrell brothers. Several men related to the incident were tracked down and jailed, but the Horrell brothers that remained free broke Mart Horrell and Jerry Scott out of the Georgetown Texas Jail in May of 1873. The Horrell brothers stayed in the Lampasas area until September and then escaped to New Mexico. In 1874 The Horrell brothers returned to Lampasas Texas. In 1876 the brothers stood trial for the murder of Captain Thomas Williams, but they were acquitted.

Horrell-Higgins Feud

According to the THC marker for the Horrell-Higgins Feud, Pink Higgins was a cattleman and trail driver who in 1876 started accusing the Horrell brothers of stealing his cattle-one of the lesser crimes the Horrell brothers had been accused of by that time. On January 22, 1877, Pink Higgins confronted, shot, and killed Merritt Horrell in the Gem Saloon in Lampasas. This was the beginning of a six-month battle between the Horrell brothers and Pink Higgins that’s considered to be the worst frontier feud in Texas history.

On their way into Lampasas on March 26, Mart and Tom Horrell were ambushed by Pink Higgins and his accomplices. Texas Rangers went in pursuit of the Higgins gang but they got away. Eventually, Pink Higgins turned himself in to authorities. In June of 1877 the Lampasas County District Clerk’s Office was burglarized and records related to the feud stolen. Three days later the biggest battle of the feud was fought on the public square in Lampasas, and one man from each side was killed.

Major John B. Jones of the Texas Ranger’s came to Lampasas and sent Sergeant N.O. Reynolds and a company of Rangers out to capture the Horrells. The brothers were arrested and they agreed to make peace with Pink Higgins. This treaty was the formal end to one of the worst feuds in Texas history.

In 1878 in the town of Meridian Texas, Tom and Mart Horrell were murdered in their jail cell by a vigilante mob. Sam Horrell ,the only Horrell brother still alive, left Texas and resettled in Oregon. Pink Higgins eventually settled near Spur in West Texas and worked as a range detective.

Digression

What ties these two stories together, of course, is the crime wave of the Horrell Brothers. During the time that lapsed between the “Gunfight at the Lampasas Saloon” and the “Horrell-Higgins Feud” the Horrell brothers escaped to New Mexico. They settled west of Roswell and immediately got into more trouble. When they eventually returned to Lampasas Texas in 1874 they were pursued by New Mexicans angry over the deaths resulting from the bloody “Horrell War.” These cattle rustling bad guys could have been the inspiration for a hundred Hollywood Westerns.

Pink Higgins, the apparent good guy in this tale was a murderous fellow himself. Legend has it that after resettling in Spur Texas, Pink shot and killed a fellow range detective over a difference of opinion. Although Hollywood may have embellished, a little, the glamour of the cowboy lifestyle, they apparently didn’t even come close to portraying the true brutality of Texas frontier life.

Bibliographic note:
The information presented here was collected while visiting the town of Lampasas Texas. Material was also extracted from the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, and The Handbook of Texas Online. Western writer Bill O’Neal has written a book about Pink Higgins, and you might read it if your interested.

County: Lampasas

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Copyright © 2009 by Sam Fenstermacher
All rights reserved