Albert: Albert Dance Hall

Albert Luckenbach has two Texas towns named after him. Everyone knows the first one, though. However, the second sits a short drive east, in Gillespie County. That’s where you’ll find Albert Dance Hall, a wood-sided barn of a building with picnic tables out front. Meanwhile, its icehouse serves cold beer and free live music most days.

Here’s how it happened. In 1892, Albert and Minnie Luckenbach sold their store on South Grape Creek. Then they moved east to a hamlet locals called Martinsburg. They opened a store, and the new post office took the name Albert. Many locals credit Minnie for that, since she had already named one town after her husband. Why not two?

Built for Brass Bands

In the 1920s, Max Beckman built the dance hall. German brass bands toured a circuit through Albert, Hye, Luckenbach, and Fredericksburg. Similarly, the Albert Echo Singing Society performed here. Behind the hall stands the Williams Creek School. Before politics, a young Lyndon Johnson attended it briefly. Legend says he climbed the oak trees at recess.

But the good times didn’t last. In the 1930s, the school consolidated with Stonewall, and people moved away. Soon Albert Dance Hall went silent, and its roof started to sag. By 1985, the building had finally become a storage locker. That’s like using a church organ as a coat rack.

Then the town found strange new life. In 2004, insurance broker Bobby Cave bought Albert and started restoring it. Then he opened an icehouse where the old store had stood. In 2007, he listed the entire town on eBay. Since then, new owners have kept the repairs going.

Now singer-songwriters play free shows under the oaks, while the dance hall hosts weddings and dances. Read the town’s story at the Albert history page. Then drive west to Luckenbach to meet the other Albert. One town got famous. However, the other got a second chance, and it’s making the most of it.

Featured photo: Renelibrary, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0