Books by
Michael Barr
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The
line of slow moving cars, brake lights glowing, was backed up all
the way to Grapetown Cemetery. It was a sight I'd come to expect
on I-10 between Boerne
and San Antonio but
not in Bankersmith,
Texas, population 0.
Bankersmith sits about halfway between Fredericksburg
and Comfort
on the Old San Antonio Road.
The town dates to 1913 when the railroad came through and began
conducting passenger and freight business on a sidetrack just south
of Grapetown.
The railroad
named the place Bankersmith to honor Fredericksburg
banker Temple D. Smith, the man who
spent a lot of his time and a considerable part of his fortune to
build the
railroad from the junction near Waring
into Fredericksburg.
If the train was on time, which it often wasn't, Bankersmith
was an hour train ride from Fredericksburg
with a stop in Cain City. It was another
hour ride from Bankersmith to the junction near Waring
with stops at Mt. Alamo and Hillingdon
Station. Hillingdon was a flagstop for the convenience of architect
Alfred Giles who
owned Hillingdon Ranch. At Fredericksburg Junction a passenger could
catch the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad into the
Alamo City.
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Bankersmith
Post Office
Click
on image to enlarge
June 2020 photo © Michael Barr |
It wasn't long
before Bankersmith
had a depot and a post office. Because the post master conducted
business from his home, the post office was sometimes listed in
Gillespie County
and sometimes in Kendall
County, depending on which side of the county line the current
post master resided. An old rock fence a hundred feet south of Bankersmith
marks the county line.
In 1913 a reporter for the Fredericksburg Standard wrote
"Many new buildings are under construction at Bankersmith,
the new station on the Fredericksburg-San Antonio Railroad. Arno
Schwethelm's large warehouse is completed and work on the new store
building will get underway in the near future. Alex Brinkmann is
supervising the construction of a large shed for Ed Steves and Son
Lumberyard."
In the 1920s, the population of greater Bankersmith peaked at about
50. Alfred Schnelle built the dancehall and operated the store and
the Handy Stop filling station.
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The rebuilt
dancehall
Click
on image to enlarge
June 2020 photo © Michael Barr |
For much of
the 20th century Bankersmith
was synonymous with rainfall - not because a lot of rain fell there
but because Elroy Schnelle of Bankersmith
was an official weather observer for the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Schnelle's weather reports and rainfall totals, datelined Bankersmith,
appeared in newspapers all over the country.
While Bankersmith
almost always needed rain, the rainfall, when it did come, wasn't
always a blessing. This part of the country is prone to brief but
intense thunderstorms making it the flash flood capital of Texas.
There's an old saying in the Hill
Country. Every drought ends in a flood.
Meanwhile Bankersmith
survived the Great Depression but in the 1940s the town had a run
of bad luck. The railroad went out of business, and a fire destroyed
the dancehall, the store and the Handy Stop filling station. Several
years later a new highway between Fredericksburg
and Comfort
left Bankersmith high and dry. Traffic along the Old San Antonio
Road slowed to a trickle. For 50 years Bankersmith was a ghost town.
Then
in 2013 Austin businessman Doug Guller saw Bankersmith for sale
on Craigslist. He bought it hoping to turn the place into a tourist
destination. Guller remodeled some rustic buildings and renamed
the town Bikinis, Texas after his sports bar and restaurant chain.
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The metal Bikinis,
Texas sign. All that's left of Bikinis, Texas
July 2020 photo © Michael Barr |
Bankersmith
Dancehall interior
Click
on image to enlarge
June 2020 photo © Michael Barr |
A large and
rowdy crowd, including Carmen Electra of "Baywatch," showed up for
the grand opening. The story made headlines around the world.
But the neighbors weren't happy with Bikinis, Texas. They complained
about the noise and disorderly conduct until the owner toned down
the rowdy behavior and changed the name back to Bankersmith.
Today Bankersmith
is a popular stop for beer, burgers and live entertainment. During
special events, like dinner and a gunfight, traffic can get a little
congested. Bankersmith offers free drive-in movies, and on Sunday
the parking lot converts into a drive-in church.
In case you're wondering the honking you hear in Bankersmith
on Sunday morning isn't road rage. It's only the congregation giving
the preacher an Amen. |
© Michael
Barr
"Hindsights"
August 15, 2020 Column
Sources:
""Thirty-Three Years Ago," Fredericksburg Standard, October
16, 1946.
"Hearing is Set for January 15," Galveston Daily News, January
1, 1914.
"Hill Country Ghosts Towns Numerous," Kerrville Daily Times,
January 24, 1987.
"Town Drops 'Bikinis' Name," Odessa American, June 28, 2015.
"Cloud Watching Rewarded After 35 Years," Fredericksburg Standard,
October 26, 1977. |
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