The Lindenau Schutzenverein, or shooting club, was organized in 1901 and will celebrate its anniversary on Nov. 14 with an afternoon of games and an evening dance. The group no longer holds shooting contests, but the 125-year-old dance hall still serves as a community center and hosts occasional dances and fundraisers. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

The Lindenau Dance Hall is among the last remnants of a once thriving German farming community on the Coastal Plains five miles northwest of Cuero. 

The rolling hills were empty except for a few nomadic Karankawa Indians along the coast when empresario Green DeWitt was authorized by the Mexican government in 1825 to settle 400 families between the Guadalupe and Lavaca rivers. German immigrants began moving into what became DeWitt County in large numbers by the 1840s. By 1857 nearly half of the county’s population were Germans.

A group of farm families began the settlement of Lindenau in 1891 near the junction of Sandies Creek and the Guadalupe River. The first public building was a school named Wofford for the ranch it was on. 

The community’s name was changed in 1893 after an entertainer at a school benefit performed “Der Lindenbaum (The Linden Tree),” a popular German song. Because “Lindenbaum” sounds very similar to “Lindenau,” the words are often confused. 

Completed in 1926, the current Lindenau Hall stands where the town once stood near the railroad tracks. The community of about 50 residents, many of them descendants of the original German farmers, is about a two-hour drive from Austin. The octagonal-shaped building has a circular dance floor with seating next to the windows. There is a similar dance hall, the Nordheim Shooting Club, outside of Yorktown. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

The Lindenau Schützenverein, or shooting club, was formed in 1901. It was a way for the spread-out community to come together to shooting contests, dances, meals, and to continue German traditions. The club began a year before the church was organized. 

In 1906, the few businesses of the town moved a mile nearer to the railroad as it marched toward San Antonio, roughly following present-day U.S. Highway 87. Officials closed the post office in 1948. The tracks were abandoned in the early 1970s.

The shooting club’s hall followed the town. In 1926, the current octagonal-shaped wooden dance hall was constructed. While shooting contests are no longer held, the volunteer-run organization continues to be a central part of the community. The hall regularly hosts dances, fundraisers, and community events. On Saturday, Nov. 14, they will hold their 125th anniversary with an afternoon of activities and a free dance in the evening.

1,832nd in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in November 13 • 2026.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.