From stagecoach inns to Shakespeare, the ghost town of Winedale has a history
that spans from the earliest days of Stephen F. Austin’s colony to its current
habitation by college students.
As a symbol of Texana, Winedale’s history began in 1834, when a young pioneer
from South Carolina and his wife built a sturdy cedar log cabin at the site. As
their prosperity and family grew, so did the house. It was the young man’s
cousins who settled the nearby town of Round Top on the La Bahia Road.
Fourteen years later, Samuel Lewis bought the house and land. A surveyor who
took his salary in land, Lewis developed over 1,000 acres of cotton and stock
pastures in the area. With eight children, Lewis doubled the size of the house
with a breezeway between the two halves. The eight-room house reflects
Anglo-American and German influences: The room arrangement is typical of the
American South, but the steeply pitched roof and small windows suggest the work
was done by local German craftsmen.
Some of the most remarkable aspects of the house are the excep-tional ceiling
paintings. Unlike the stenciled patterns often used by the German settlers, the
front rooms of the house were decorated by a skilled local artist.
The road outside the front door of the farm house was paved with logs and used
by the stagecoach line between Brenham and Austin. It is not known exactly
when, but “Sam Lewis’ Stopping Place” became a popular stopover for travelers
by the beginning of the Civil War. The settlement never was much more than the
inn and a couple of shops.
Sam Lewis died in 1867, and the stagecoach inn was a private home until 1963,
when it was bought by Ima Hogg, the former governor’s daughter. Hogg originally
intended to move the inn to her Houston estate to be restored. She was
convinced to leave the building at its original site and to add several other
historically significant buildings to the farm.
Hogg donated the property to the University of Texas as study center in 1967.
Today UT’s Winedale Historical Center covers 215 acres. Besides Lewis’
stagecoach inn, the center has a visitor center, conference center, dormitory,
nature trail, plantation house, one-room schoolhouse, and hay barn converted
into a theatre.
It is in the barn theatre that English students present Shakespeare plays
between July 27 and August 20. This is the 25th year that Professor James Ayres
has coaxed students to spend their summer in the country studying the English
bard. Performances are Thu-Sun at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturday and
Sunday. This year the students present The Comedy of Errors, As You
Like It, and The Merchant of Venice. On August 19, former Winedale
students will present a special performance of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream.
With the unpainted, wood shutter sides down, the theatre looks like a hay
barn. With the sides open, rows of benches and chairs arranged, and a battery
of ceiling fans whirling overhead, it looks more like a revival hall than a
theatre.
Theatre-goers are encouraged to come to the center early to tour the historic
buildings. Some visitors like to spread a blanket on the outside to watch the
performance. Few go away without a deeper appreciation for Shakespeare’s works.
Before each Saturday’s 5pm performance, Winedale Hunter’s Stew with all the
trimmings will be available for $5 per person. Performance tickets are $5 and
are available at the gate or by reservation, 409/278-3530. Winedale is about 80
miles east of Austin off US290.
Bed and breakfast facilities are available in Round Top, Winedale, Shelby,
Warrenton, and Ledbetter. The closest hotels are in Giddings or La Grange. Call
800/452-9292 for more information.
Coming up this weekend…
Salado Legends is a dinner theatre musical drama portraying the
settling of Salado at the outdoor Goodnight Amphitheater, July 22, 29 &
Aug. 5. 817/947-9148.
San Antonio Missions baseball club plays a home stand July 21-31
against Arkansas and Tulsa teams. Despite struggling to stay out of the
basement of the Texas League standings, the Missions continue to set attendance
records. 210/675-7275.
Coming up…
The Great Texas Mosquito Festival in Clute welcomes visitors to
Community Park to have fun with Willie Manchew, the world’s largest mosquito,
July 27-28. 409/265-8392.
–Gerald E. McLeod
This article appears in July 21 • 1995 and July 21 • 1995 (Cover).