Luckenbach, Texas

Texas Small Town History Project Palo Alto College
Katie Mayfield History 1302	Katie Mayfield April 10, 2007
Luckenbach Texas

Origins	Founders	Economy	Stories	Landmarks	Events
Theme	Interviews	Photos	Community Ties	Prospects	Links

Luckenbach, Texas is located right outside of Fredricksburg in Gillespie county. This tiny little town, with a population of 350 people, was originally established as a trading post in 1849 by German immigrants. Luckenbach is one of the oldest settlements in Gillespie county. One of the first settlers in the Luckenbach area was Jacob Luckenbach. Jacob's family were the first to arrive in Fredricksburg. Upon their arrival Jacob was allowed a town lot and a ten acre lot for his family to live on. Approximately three years later he sold both pieces of land. Although Jacob and his family were the first settlers they did not name the town. Reverend Engel was a Methodist preacher who was often away from home. Mrs. Engel established a small country store which is now the General store and beer joint, a favorite to many who stop by. August Engel Jr. had applied for a post office. His sister, Minna Engel, agreed to work as his clerk. It was while they were filling out the postal application that Luckenbach got its name. Minna had put down the last name of her fiancé, Carl Albert Luckenbach, who was the son of the first settler, Jacob Luckenbach.

The school at Luckenbach was a good school to go to. It had grades first through eighth and then from there you were transferred to the school in Fredricksburg. It was built in 1885 and it is a shame that the last year for it to be open was in 1964. In the last year it was open there were 25 kids in the school. There were two first graders, six second graders, two third graders, two fourth graders, six fifth graders, two sixth graders, five seventh graders, and there were supposed to be two boys in the eighth grade, but they had already transferred to the school in Fredricksburg. Although only 25 kids there still was not much one-on-one work. There were two classrooms with one teacher in each classroom. Each kid had their own book, and each kid had their own desk. The desks in the classroom were two desks in one. The only thing separating them was a wooden separator down the middle of the two desks. The school now is a memorable building that is still standing for tourists to see and the locals who attended the school to remember. The school itself resembles a house. When I first saw it I thought it was a house until I saw the sign that said "School # 5". Other attractions in Luckenbach are the cotton gin, and the blacksmith shop that used to be there. The cotton gin was built in 1879 on the banks of Grape Creek. The cotton gin finally shut down in 1929. They had to shut it down, because of the money that it was using instead of making. After the cotton gin was shut down, it still remained standing as an attraction for many to see. It stood there until the year of 2002 when Grape Creek flooded and washed it away. Everything was covered in water. It had reached the height of the top of the counters inside the store. When asked in the interview with Roberta if anything needed to be redone or torn down, because of the water she responded "no". She had said that the floors inside the general store had just been redone six months before the flood came through and that they would just have to stay the way they are. She had mentioned that they swelled up, because of the water saturation, but it is an old town that would have stuff falling apart anyway. Pieces of the cotton gin have been recovered since the flood, but it is now just a pile of rusty metal parts where the cotton gin used to be. The flood of 2002 also wiped out the blacksmith shop that was built in 1885.

While in Luckenbach there are many things to do. Yes, you have Fredricksburg right next door with all the little antique shops, but in Luckenbach there is plenty to do. Although Luckenbach itself stretches for about eight miles all the fun and attention is in the downtown loop. You have the dance hall which is used for all sorts of different occasions. Locals are not the only ones who can use it either. You can rent the hall for your wedding, birthday, anything. Next you have the general store which is now more of a gift shop and the other half of the building is a beer joint.
Many people take their guitars and they sit around singing songs that either they wrote or have redone and drink a beer (or two). When Luckenbach was an actual town the general store was their post office. When the postmaster retired in 1970 the town went from a zip code of 78647 to a rural route. Then there is the feed lot which is now the food stand. If you are hungry go over and grab a quick bite to eat. You also have a stage for all the concerts that take place and the office off to the side which used to be a chicken house. In this chicken house Mr. Engel graded and packaged his eggs so they could be sold. In 1976 Luckenbach had its first World Fair. This fair brought in an approximate 22,000 people in two days. At the end of every summer they would have a festival called the Desalles festival. The significance of the festival is to just simply celebrate the ending of summer and welcome in the beginning of Fall. They set up different booths, vendors came out, and they played music all day and night. In the first weekend of October they have the famous Chili Cook-Off, which is also known as the Ladies State Chili Bust. During the Chili Cook-Off the women cook and the guys do their own thing which is usually sitting around drinking and having a good time. In having a good time they usually have washer tournaments and once again they play their guitars. Another tradition that they have is the Mud Dauber Festival. Every year at the arrival of spring, Luckenbach holds a contest to see who witnesses the first Mud Dauber nest. This tradition was started by the famous, big part of Luckenbach, Hondo Crouch.

1. Katie-Who was Hondo Crouch and what did he do? Roberta-Hondo Crouch was a rancher. He owned two ranches outside of town, one at Block Creek and another on 87 south towards Comfort. He had also bought the town of Luckenbach from Mr. Engel in 1971. He appointed Marge Ottmers as sheriff the year he bought it.
2. Katie-Who was the Engel family? Roberta- Mr. Engel was the Methodist preacher and Mrs. Engel established what is now the beer joint and Minna Engel used the name of her fiancé Carl Albert Luckenbach to name the town.
3. Katie-Were the highways always there and if not did they cause any changes for the town? Roberta- The highways have been here as long as I can remember.
4. Katie- Who were the founding fathers? Roberta- Jacob Luckenbach and his family were the first settlers, but it was his son that the town was named after.
5. Katie- How long was the cotton gin in use? Roberta- Probably only about 20 years it had to be shut down, because it was not making enough money.
6. Katie- What happened to the cotton gin after it was shut down? Roberta- It stood as an attraction until it was washed away in the flood of 2002.
7. Katie- What creeks/rivers run through the town and have they always been there? Roberta-There is Grape Creek and Snail Creek. Grape Creek is the bigger of the two. They have always been here.
8. Katie-Who was Sheriff Marge and when was she appointed sheriff? Roberta- Sheriff Marge was my mother and she was appointed sheriff in 1971 by Hondo Crouch. She was appointed when she kicked someone out for using foul language of a sort that she did not like. She was very well known around the town and around the world. She did a lot for the town. During the flood of 2002 she took all the money home and washed it. She attended Luckenbach school and grew to have four kids.
9. Katie-Where do you think the town of Luckenbach is going? Roberta- Nowhere. There are too many ranchers that will not give up their land to the city to tear up and put motels or apartments in.
10. Katie- How long was the school open and how many kids attended? Roberta- It was open until 1964 and there were two first graders, six second graders, two third graders, two fourth graders, six fifth graders, two sixth graders, five seventh graders, and there was supposed to be two eighth graders, but they went to Fredricksburg school.
11. Katie-What kind of Festivals or celebrations do you have? Roberta- We have the Luckenbach World Festival which brought in twenty-two thousand people in just two days, the Desalles Festival which is held at the end of Summer, the Chili Cook-Off which is in the first week of October, and the Willie picnics every fourth of July.

Hondo Crouch was a rancher that was an everyday regular at Luckenbach. He owned two ranches outside of town. He owned one at Block Creek and he owned another ranch on 87 south headed towards comfort. One day in 1970, Hondo noticed a for sale sign that a man by the name of Benno Engel had put in the local newspaper. He was trying to sale Luckenbach which he wrote as ""Town for Sale"-Lock, stock and dancehall". He could no longer run the town, because he had emphysema. Hondo had asked how much he was trying to sell the town for and Hondo along with Guich Koock and Kathy Morgan bought it. Hondo was known as an imagineer and was also known to bring out the kid in people. He bought Luckenbach and appointed Marge Ottmers as sheriff in 1971. Some other people who were and still are important are Mr. Brodbeck, Michael Blakely, Bobby Emmons, and Chips Moman. Mr. Brodbeck, who lived across the street, was actually the first to fly a plane that was powered by clocklike springs. He even flew before the Wright Brothers, states Roberta. He did not fly very far though, but he still flew. He even had his own mailbox that is still there today for his airmail. Another important person to know around town is Michael Blakely. Mr. Blakely is a songwriter and an author. Today, he still goes to Luckenbach to sing his songs and have a beer with all of his friends. I am sure everyone has heard the song "Luckenbach" by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. These are the two who made the song popular, but the credit should go to Bobby Emmons and Chips Moman for writing the song. Another important person that everyone should know, if they do not know her already, is Sheriff Marge. Some even called her Mama Margie. Marge was born on November 13, 1934, and had married Mr. Oliver Ottmers. Marge and Oliver had four kids together. Two boys and two girls. Their names were Dolores, Roberta, George, and Carl. Marge was appointed sheriff in 1971 after Hondo Crouch had purchased Luckenbach. Hondo had chosen Marge to be sheriff, because of her respect for the town. It really showed when she reprimanded a customer for using foul language. Marge was sheriff until she passed away on July 25, 2004. Her death was a tragedy around the world. While speaking to her daughter, Roberta, I had learned that the news of her mother's death had been spread world wide. They had a military man that had been stationed in Baghdad come to Luckenbach and had said he was sorry to hear about her death.

In England her picture had been placed in the prison as a memorial to remember Sheriff Marge. Marge had a great deal of respect for Luckenbach and every visitor that had ever passed through the town. When Marge passed she had left behind a large family. She left her husband of eleven years, her four kids, seven grandkids, and seven great-grandkids. Everyone will remember Marge, and for those who had a chance to meet her you are truly lucky. Marge has shaped the town of Luckenbach more than anyone, so although she is not physically there, she will always be a part of Luckenbach. Among Luckenbach having such a reputation already there are many people who add to it. Famous country-rocker, Jerry Jeff Walker, had visited Luckenbach in 1973 to record his album "Viva Terlingua". After being released the album had gone gold. Jerry Jeff Walker wanted a "laid-back Texas locale" for a backdrop and figured Luckenbach was the perfect place to record his album. Jerry Jeff Walker and his band took the old dancehall and stacked hay bales around the inside as sound barriers and sat around the saloon writing songs during the day and by night he recorded them. Jerry Jeff Walker returned 20 years later in 1993 to record a follow up called "Viva Luckenbach". In addition to Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson is a big hit in Luckenbach. Every Fourth of July the locals and even tourists have a Fourth of July Willie picnic. Other singers would include Pat Green, Gary P. Nunn, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Billy Joe Shaver.

Luckenbach, Texas

Gillespie County

I would like to thank:
1.Roberta Kendrick Roberta was a great help in gathering information. Roberta was born on December 11, 1954 to Oliver and Marge Ottmers. Growing up she had one sister and two brothers. Although she lived in California and Wyoming she has lived in Luckenbach most of her life making her a reliable source in gathering truthful information. She now works as a machine operator and enjoys woodworking.
2.The Luckenbach website This website was also a lot of help. I gathered many pictures and information about the town from this site. This site being about the town itself also made it a reliable source. I could also verify my information with Roberta.
3. The handbook of Texas Online was also a reliable source was helpful in learning and gathering information for the town and the county.
Once again thank you for all your help in making this site possible.
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