Texas Small Town History Project Palo Alto College
Rhiannon Goode History 1302	Rhiannon Goode April 10, 2007
Bracken, Texas

Origins: The story of Bracken, Texas began in 1850 when William Bracken purchased the 1,114 acres of land from the Texas Government known as the Vicenti Micheli League. It wasn't until 1880 that the land was considered an actual town, when the International and Northern Great Railroad came in and bought some of the land and in 1890 the "deed of dedication" was filed in Comal County. The town was originally named Davenport but was changed to Bracken; they had to change the name of the town when the post office was established because there was already a post office by that name in Texas. One source on the web said the name changed occurred in 1883 and another said in happened on July 14, 1899, I'm not sure which the right date is. The original town had only seven blocks then six more were added with the name change.

Founders:William Bracken was the first owner of the lands and a little fun fact is Bracken was known for having lost three fingers when Texas rebels overpowered a Mexican fort on the Nueces River. After William Bracken the three main families that owned the land through the years were the Schneiders, Pfueffers, and the Davenports.

Businesses: One of the older buildongs of Bracken is the Hangin' Tree Saloon. Built in 1915 the establishment was originally a two lane bowling alley. The bowling alley was remodeled in 1956 and later closed in 1978, and then in 1989 a man by the name of Big John Oaks turned the old bowling alley into a road house honky tonk. In the remodel of the alley the wood from the lanes was used to create the bar and the stage is where the pins used to be. The Hangin' Tree also has become one of the designated stops of the trail riders on their way to the rodeo each year. The Bracken Store Cafe is also another place that has been around for quite sometime as well. The Bracken Store Cafe was originally a bar but now is a local eatery.

Stories:. In 1972, in order to avoid becoming part of the City of San Antonio or Schertz the citizens of Bracken and Garden Ridge joined together to fulfill the requirements for the minimum population to be considered a town. The townspeople succeeded in staying their own little for the most part but eventually Garden Ridge became a city of its own and the nearby cities had their effect on the town. Bracken is only about five to six miles away from two major shopping centers and yet for the citizens of the town they can have the feel of a small town community with the amenities of a large city close by.

Landmarks: One of the most famous attractions is the Bracken Bat Cave, the cave is the world's known largest bat cave housing between 20 and 40 million bats. For over 10,000 years, the bats have come to Bracken Cave every spring, probably beginning as soon as the last Ice Age receded northward, allowing the sun to warm up the coastal bend of a place we now call Texas.

Events: With the building of the railroad between 1880 and 1890 along came the depot and the freight office. A water tower was built to power the steam engines, and with the railroad running through the town there was a need for a post office to send mail, the building of all of these establishments led to more jobs for the people around the town. There were two large stores in Bracken, one was owned by Mr. Fromme and the other by Mr. Fenske, there was a saloon located next to each store and on weekends they were the place to be, almost everyone in town could be found there. In 1871 the Bracken Methodist Episcopal Church was organized and in 1872 the church itself was built along with a school named Davenport. The town was doing well until about the time of Prohibition and the horseless carriage, first one store closed then another until all were shut down except for one. That one store stayed open until it was burned down in 1935, it was rebuilt later on that year and is still standing today. In 1940 the post office was no longer in use and the population of Bracken was estimated to be around 50 people. During World War II the Comal Elementary School was formed when Davenport School consolidated with schools from Solms and Danville.

Location: Bracken is located on the edge of Comal County about five miles outside the northeast part of Loop 1604 off Nacogdoches Road. The town of Bracken hasn't changed very much since it was first established, probably the only reason the town has managed to survive is because it is so close to a major city like San Antonio the residents can still live in their town and it is close enough to commute to work.

Community Ties: Having a population of around 75 people, Bracken still has that small town feel. By being so close to a large city like San Antonio and lager communities such as Garden Ridge and Schertz the town has been able to survive and because the residents can still live in the small town and make a short commute to work.

Comal County

International and Northern Great Railroad Link

Bracken, Texas, from the Handbook of Texas Online

Garden Ridge, Texas; Story of Bracken, Texas (Comal County) Carolyn Bindseil; original article published in the G-Grace Newsletter, Carolyn Bindseil, Editor, November/December 1986.

Central Texas Tours; by Texarch Associates and Edward Moore; copyright 2000

History & writeup by Geronimo Trevino.(excerpt from his book Dance Halls and Last Calls); Words by Jeff Simonson

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