History

First thing you need to know about Gruene is how to pronounce it: Green. The second thing you need to know about Gruene is that it's fun. No matter what your definition of fun is, you are going to find it in Gruene, that little historic district near New Braunfels. Do you have fun shopping?

The Texas Blue Topaz, the State Gem of Texas, is found only in west to northwest Mason county in the geologic region known as the Llano Uplift. Topaz is a mineral compound of aluminum, silica and fluorine and found in certain, but not all, pink granite outcroppings. The Texas topaz was designated the official state gemstone when Governor Preston Smith signed the 61st Legislature's House Concurrent Resolution No.

Those who come to the Texas Hill Country from some less-blessed location may not understand the phenomenon of a real Texas dance hall. Sure, other parts of the country have places to dance–nightclubs, ballrooms, or repurposed roller rinks. But the folks who settled Texas had the foresight to build halls designed for dancing. Actually, the original halls were multi-purpose and multi-ethnic, according to Stephen Dean, co-Founder of

Of the thousands of people who take up residence in the Hill Country each year, many have been home brewers, that breed of men and women who have the urge to create what they like to drink. When that passion turns to wanting everyone else to share in the fruits of their labors, it was only natural that they would start serving up beer in the towns they call home. Fred Hernandez and his wife Jennifer, former mechanical and chemical engineers respectively, fell into the homebrew scene with a simp ...

For those seeking a little (or a lot of) history about beer and brewing in pioneering Texas, Fredericksburg's Jeff Holt is the source – so much so in fact, that this dedicated aficionado of the "cool one" has literally written the book covering this fascinating subject. Entitled Historic Texas Breweries, it's a must-read for one and all with a shared passion for foamy heads and history.

MARBLE FALLS—The game, although it had to be won for the historic moment to be reached, was actually on the undercard. There was symmetry in that each moment of the action and halftime equaled a year in the incomparable coaching career of Jerry English. 40 seasons on the bench and this well-respected and admired mentor and teacher arrived at 1,100 victories.

In 1954, when Paul "Bear" Bryant, the new football coach at what was then called A&M College, conducted his pre-season football training camp at the school's adjunct in Junction, he couldn't have known that a great legend would be born. Joining Texas A&M's Twelfth Man legacy, the story of Bryant's "boys of Junction"