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 Texas Dance Hall Preservation Inc.

As waves of European settlers arrived in Texas, they tended to settle into their own distinct communities.

"It seemed that a German or Czech family would stop and establish a settlement," Dean said. "About 20 miles up the trail–a day's ride by horse–there would be another settlement. They built their communities around culture halls, like farmer halls, shooting clubs, gymnasiums, turnvereins, or insurance fraternities. The main emphasis was to keep their culture alive."

In addition to the dance floor, many halls included nine-pin bowling alley, domino and card room, and a bar.

Dean is one of the leading figures in the drive to chronicle the story of the dance hall and keep the culture–and the buildings–alive. The musician and former club owner is not sure how many halls remain standing–he has only visited 800 so far.

"I say '800' loosely," he explained. "There are a lot of different kinds of halls. Some were Legion halls that have been taken over by dancers on Saturday night; some might be tin buildings. But as far as historic turn-of-the-century halls like Gruene Hall, I would venture to say not even 20% are like that."

The story of dance halls has two parts–the buildings themselves, and the culture they preserved and passed down. That cultural heritage is still alive in the few halls still operating, such as Turner Hall in Fredericksburg.

One of Fredericksburg's oldest organizations, going back to March, 1871, the Fredericksburg Social Turn Verein still serves its function as a center for community events. Weekends mean wedding receptions and anniversary parties, and bands still book the hall and play for the door. It was also the home of Fredericksburg's last dance club, the only one left from a time when one couple could be a member of five active clubs.

Dancing was part of the culture. Many Texans grew up in dance halls.

Frances Hartmann, Treasurer of the Turner Club, remembers the central role dance halls played in her family from her own childhood.

"Saturdays and Sundays were for dancing and going to church," she said, recalling the times she went as a child. "The whole family went–Opa and Oma, parents, and the kids. They always took the kids along. They had to–the grandparents danced too, so we had no babysitters!"

Lack of babysitting services proved not to be an issue.

"They had benches around the sides," Hartmann said. "When I got a little sleepy, we had a quilt, and I would go to sleep under those benches. I can still close my eyes and see people's feet dancing by."

Irene Pyka remembers watching the older couples come in, some using walkers and canes. But when the music started, everyone danced.

"We danced every Saturday night," recalled Pyka, who was a member of those dance clubs since 1976. Her mother belonged to them before that. "We'd sit at the same table since we first joined."

Each club offered a different style. Some had dress codes; some were casual. Some featured country music; others did more ballroom. Earning membership in a dance club was often a prestigious step.

"All the clubs had good membership," she said. "Some had a waiting list. You had to be invited to attend, then you had to be accepted by the members in order to join."

Clinton and Dorothy Ellebracht would drive all the way from Blanco to Fredericksburg for a night of dancing. They belonged to several clubs, and on other weekends drove as far as Schulenberg and LaGrange just to dance.

"Years ago, everybody went dancing on Saturday night," Dorothy explained. "You can't find anybody to dance anymore. Younger people don't like this music. We old folks love to dance. We're crazy!"

Time was, the local dance halls were the center of social life. Three generations of every family would gather on a Saturday night to dance, gossip, and share snacks. These days, the generations need regenerating. As one director put it, "We are looking for younger members... desperately... because we are getting older!"

Turner's Hall's rise and fall as the dance club is one reenacted across the state. While those alive today saw dance hall attendance taper off in the 1980s with the advent of home entertainment and tighter open container laws, Dean traced the trend back even further. The peak of popularity happened when GIs returned from World War II. Through the 50s and 60s, other forms of entertainment and the fall in popularity of western swing and traditional country began peeling off attendance–to a point.

"While it might have taken a dip in the 1980s, I don't know if it ever really went away," Dean explained. "What happened is that people moved to the cities for jobs. The older generation kept control over the halls, and we just didn't hear about them."

In fact, and in part thanks to Dean, dance halls are experiencing a resurgence. A lot of that is due to interest in the buildings themselves.

"We don't want to let the halls deteriorate, so we are trying to get people to fix them up. We want to get them answers so they do it right and don't ruin the integrity of the hall. Then we help show them how to promote and how to bring in a younger crowd, and get people to come back and have pride in the community again. It's a big task."

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So both for those who've never set foot inside dance hall as well as for readers who remember lying under a bench "watching the feet dance by," here is a very limited sampling of some of the dance halls of the Hill Country and what made them distinct.

Albert Texas Dance Hall

The Texas town of Albert might have been small, but one mighty large figure went to the schoolhouse there–young Lyndon Johnson. He may have spun the ladies in the dance hall as well, but it was out of commission up until recent years, when several owners stepped in and renovated the hall and adjacent small bar. The town also holds a unique distinction–it was named after Albert Luckenbach, the man whose last name still graces another little town nearby by the name of Luckenbach.

Anhalt Hall

Vying for title of oldest dance hall in Texas is Anhalt Hall, near Spring Branch. Turning off Hwy 46 and driving down that narrow lane to the last cattle guard and gate, you feel like you are traveling back to 1875 when it was established for protection against cattle rustlers. It is still very active, hosting regular dances along with seasonal celebrations Mayfest and Octoberfest.

While many dance halls have low ceilings, the towering rafters above the 6000-square-foot hardwood floor give this hall a churchlike feel. And when the music starts... you might as well be in heaven.

Arkey Blues Silver Dollar Saloon

For sheer number of dancehalls per capita, Bandera might be the leader. Not that long ago, Bandera was the destination of choice for young men and ladies from surrounding towns looking for a Saturday night dance. The granddaddy of them all was and is Arkey Blue's Silver Dollar Saloon. Walking down those narrow steps is like walking back to that era, with sawdust on the floor, a Kitty Wells tune on the jukebox, and the legendary table where Hank Williams carved his name.

Broken Spoke

Earning a reputation of being a true Texas dance hall doesn't necessarily mean it has to be "old" or "country." The Broken Spoke was built in 1964 right in Austin. Owner James White was able to bring in music legends Bob Wills, Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, Hank Thompson, Tex Ritter, Ray Price, Kitty Wells and on and on right up to Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and George Strait. The abiding memory for musicians who have played the stage, however, is the very low ceiling that challenges fiddlers!

Cheatham Street Warehouse

By historic dance hall standards, Cheatham Street Warehouse is a relative newcomer, built around 1910. But in that time and under the guidance of Kent Findlay, it helped launch some careers of historical proportions. Guitar god Stevie Ray Vaughan played there, as well as a young Texas State student by the name of George Strait.

Cherry Spring

Cherry Spring Dance Hall was still in action as late as the 1980s. Like many of the old time halls, it was located along the county line, to draw dancers and drinkers from adjoining counties where the law held a dimmer view of drinking and dancing.

Built in 1889 as a stop for cattle drives, this hall was once run by Herman Lehmann, the German immigrant who was captured by the Apaches as a boy and ended up the adopted son of Comanche chief Quanah Parker. In more modern times, the hall has been a hall of fame of country music: Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Johnny Cash, and even Elvis Presley, who was on a Louisiana Hayride Tour just before he burst to international fame.

Crider's Dance Hall

When Walter and Audrey Crider hosted a rodeo on the 4th of July in 1925, they probably didn't expect they were starting a tradition that would continue the rest of the century. They added a wooden dance floor on the banks of the Guadalupe River, and soon were hosting weekly dances, rodeos, or barbecues. Now it is a seasonal destination considered one of the premier outdoor dance venues. Open weekends in the summer, it is a way to enjoy the cool summer evenings dancing in the Texas Hill Country.

Fischer Dance Hall

Like many Central Texas towns and halls, Fischer was settled by German immigrants. Herman and Otto Fischer claimed the 160 acres and set about building a cabin that became a store, post office, bank, and saloon. The dance hall was built just before the turn of the last century, legendarily because the Fischer residents couldn't get along with neighbors at the Cranes Mill dance hall. The builders added a nine-pin bowling alley and rodeo grounds next to the hall. The building's hand hewn beams and arched open ceiling made it a perfect backdrop for several scenes in Willie Nelson's movie "Honeysuckle Rose."

Floore Country Store

Since it opened in 1942 by San Antonio Majestic Theater manager John T. Floore, this Dance Hall has carried on the tradition of this one-time stagecoach stop and post office for cowboys driving cattle up from Bandera to San Antonio. For a while, Willie Nelson played Floore's every weekend, even referring to the owner in Shotgun Willie. Entertainers have included Johnny Gimble, Johnny Rodriguez, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Bob Wills, Ray Price, and more recently Dwight Yoakum and Robert Earl Keen. The store is also known for nonmusical reasons–tasty tamales and homemade bread!

Grapetown Hall

Established in 1887, Grapetown Dance Hall is a good example of how dance halls were connected to other functions. This typical building sits at the end of a shooting range, still used by local shooting clubs for the annual Scheutzenfests, which were once held on the Saturday and Sunday closest to the full moon closest to the first day of August.

"That's because the shooters came in wagons and buggies, and they needed the light to tend to their horses," local historian Charles Feller explained. "Also, they used to have a dance under the stars on Saturday night."

The hall may not host as many dances these days, but it is still a popular site for wedding parties, family reunions, anniversaries, and impromptu festivals such as Das Ist Alles, an "end of summer" party put on by local musicians.

Gruene Hall

Along with the Broken Spoke in Austin and Luckenbach Dance Hall, Gruene Hall may be the best example of a genuine Texas Dance Hall that has made the transition to modern business model.

In fact it claims to have been in continuous operation since it was built in 1878. Perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River, the Hall has prospered with the growth of the town of Gruene into a tourist attraction for tubers, shoppers, and diners from the IH-35 corridor. It still hosts local bands as well as George Strait, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Kendalia Hall

Another hall still in use after more than 100 years, locals boast that it has the best wood floor in Texas, made of Douglas fir from Oregon. But the more legendary wood is that of the large oak tree out front, where disorderly dancers were handcuffed until they returned to sobriety.

Leon Springs Dance Hall

A former stagecoach stop just outside of San Antonio, in 1993 Leon Springs became home to a new dance hall. Home of a mile-long bar, the place has hosted up and coming music stars such as the Dixie Chicks and Johnny Dee & The Rocket 88s.

London Hall

London Hall is another with a legitimate claim to longevity, boasting it has held a dance every Satruday for more than 100 years, at least in the words of a Johnny Bush song. Yes, Bush has played there, along with other Texas legends.

Luckenbach

Ah, Luckenbach, the town that transcended its famous dance hall. Who hasn't heard of Luckenbach, population 3? With the 1977 hit Luckenbach Texas, the tiny town turned into an international destination. The history of the community actually began back in 1849 when the Engel family opened a Post Office-Store-Saloon on the banks of Snail Creek. In the 1970s, "Imagineer" Hondo Crouch and associates bought the entire town, and kept locals amused with hi-jinx such as Moseying Contests, Ladies Chili Cookoffs, and Hug-Ins.

The dance hall was built around 1887 and still claims to have one of the nicest dance floors around. It was here that Jerry Jeff Walker recorded his live "Viva Terlingua" album, and where he used to turn up unannounced to tip a cold beer with Hondo.

Quihi Gun Club

Another example of the German settler's affinity for combining conversing, dancing, shooting around community dance clubs. Nine miles from Hondo, Quihi was organized in 1890, allegedly as a defense against Indian attacks. The hall was said to have been built six feet off the ground to avoid flooding form nearby creeks. Quihi is also another club claiming to have "the best dance floor" in the area.

Saengerhalle

This New Braunfels institution is different from some other halls because it was built more recently. It started in 1959 as repurposed Army barracks, and managed by a German singing club. It was one of the few to have modern air condition, bathrooms, and sound equipment. It attracted another Who's Who of country music, including more recent acts such as Lloyd Mains, Bruce Robinson, Gary P. Nunn, the DeRailers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Django Walker.

Sisterdale

Like other classic Texas dance halls, Sisterdale Dance Hall is as well known for the artists it has hosted as its architectural features. Along with regular Saturday night dances, weddings, and special events, it has served as the backdrop for a movie, a George Strait/Bud Light commercial, a Brooks and Dunn music video.

Twin Sisters Dance Hall

Established in 1870 near Blanco, Twin Sisters is now owned by a local nonprofit organization and used for monthly dances and special events. Legendary Texas Hill Country musician Adolph Hofner often entertained the dancers here.

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Then there are the dance halls that fall outside the spectrum listed above.

On one extreme are those halls that no longer exist. Many have fallen into disrepair, for as many reasons as there are dance halls. One example is the Hye Dance Hall. Even though it lies along the booming 290 Wine Trail between Johnson City and Fredericksburg, the thousands of tourists passing by probably haven't even noticed it. But next time you drive through tiny Hye, Texas, look across the road from the Post Office. Behind the brush and parked trukcs you can see the rusted tin walls of the Hye Dance Hall. It is no longer active.

The other extreme is the dance hall that never existed but does now. This doesn't include the abandoned halls that have been restored, such as Albert. This is about a dance hall that was built from whole cloth, er... wood, to look like it always existed.

Guller Hall is an ambitious example of an entrepreneur recognizing the value of the dance hall, by building a new "old" hall.

It is actually part of a larger story that caused quite a stir, even winding up on the national news. It's about the town of Bankersmith, just up the road from Comfort and around the corner from Luckenbach. The town itself was not really a "town." It was founded as a railroad stop in 1913. The town was to be named after local banker Temple Smith. There was a hitch; there was already a Smithville, Texas. They couldn't very well use the banker's first or middle names, which were Temple and Dallas, for obvious reasons. Hence, Banker Smith, or Bankersmith.

The tracks went through from Comfort to Fredericksburg, and were the same ones piercing the famous tunnel a few miles down the road, now home to the Old Tunnel bat colony. When the tracks were abandoned in 1935, the town's population also dwindled.

The place continued to be occupied into the early 1950s. It was inhabited by local musicians when, in 2012, restaurant entrepreneur Doug Guller bought the entire town. He renamed it Bikinis, Texas, to promote his chain of restaurants by the same name.

Plopping a town named after a chain of restaurants based on the concept of girls in cutoffs and bikini tops selling food and drinks in the middle of an area known for its German heritage was startling to say the least. Protests from local landowners arose, but Guller wasn't deterred nor finished. Once he refurbished the buildings into a bar and office, he set about building a new "old" dance hall.

Like a wooden phoenix, the 6000-square-foot dance hall rose from the dust just south of the original building.

Every stick, board, and sheet of tin in Guller Hall was recycled from old buildings. That was the intent, according to Guller.

"We wanted to make sure it fits out there in the Hill Country," he said. "When putting together the dance hall we acquired lot of old long leaf pine and tin. We built it really looking at the great dance halls at Luckenbach and Albert."

While the construction is traditional, the entertainment is not. The very first event involved the bronzing of television star Carmen Electra's bikini.

While not as colorful or controversial as Guller Hall, there are countless more dance halls in every corner of the state, and through the Texas Dance Hall Preservation, Inc., Dean's goal is both to preserve the halls and to raise awareness among a younger generation. The group holds monthly fundraisers at halls around the state. Funds are used to assess old halls by structural engineers and preservationists. Members are available to present lectures and host local benefits.

"We don't want to let the halls deteriorate, so we are trying to get people to fix them up. We want to get them answers so they do it right and don't ruin the integrity of the hall. Then we help show them how to promote and how to bring in a younger crowd, and get people to come back and have pride in the community again. It's a big task."

But it seems to be working.

"I think the new generation of musicians are appreciating the past, their history, culture, and these dance halls. Once you get people into these older dance halls with the windows open and the weather coming in and people dancing on those hardwood floors to live music, there's nothing like it. It's kind of like riding the Ferris wheel for the first time."

Does the Dean of Dance Halls have a favorite one?

"Everybody asks that," he said. "It's kind of like asking who is your favorite child. I have 500 photos on my web site. Some are great for the locale; some for the actual architecture; some for what they have done with it; some for their age; some because they are strictly doing nothing but polkas. Each one has a different reason to love it."

The larger question is this: Are they buildings? Or are they a cultural memory?

The best way to determine that answer is to go visit one. It will be hard not to imagine that you have slipped back in time.

No matter the weather, the mood will be warm and friendly inside a Texas dance hall. Garlands of lights might glow from the rafters. Folks might be lined up at a buffet table laden with a potluck of meats, cheeses, cookies and cakes. A western band playing old standards. No one using a cell phone.

Buildings or culture? The answer is likely "both," according to Patrick Sparks, president of the Texas Dance Hall Preservation.

"If you want someone to understand Texas and Texans, first you take them to the Alamo, then you take them to a dancehall," he said. "That is our culture. That is what Texas did. That is what we do."

Don't believe it? Just ask some of the folks you find inside a Texas dance hall on any given Saturday night.

"I joined and pay the dance club dues, knowing good and well I won't be at every dance," said Andrew Tatsch. "But I pay dues to keep the thing going because this is the only place you can go and do this."

Jan Wigginton enjoys it, even while sitting. "It's lots of fun and family oriented." And why is she not dancing? She laughed. "I'm old and my knee hurts."

Jewel Wierich is there, "because I grew up here and my parents came here all the time."

Eldon and Helen Feller belong. "We come here for the fellowship," said Eldon. "We dance, we bring all this good food, and we enjoy good friends."

Margaret Priess grew up dancing. "We like the good wood floor. I've been sick so I can't get as rowdy as we used to, but we can still listen!"

Edgar Priess comes for fellowship, fun, and fitness. "It's good fellowship, and I like to dance once in a while. It's good exercise, dancing."

"There's so few of these dance halls still around," said Mike Goldsen. "It is so inexpensive, what you spend for more than three hours of music and entertainment. Dancing is a dying art–you just don't see it anymore. We need to keep the dances going."

"You don't see this anywhere else," added Goldsen, who happens to be from Alabama. "It is so unique to this area, this culture. When there are 250 people at an event and you know three-quarters of them, it is very special."

As long as families come together on a Saturday night, and the band has a fiddle and steel guitar, and dancers still do the Two-Step, Herr Schmidt, Cotton-Eyed Joe, and Schottische, and they serve Pearl beer at the bar, and kids fall asleep on a pile of coats, the dance halls will continue to bring people together and set Texas apart.

And everyone will still be dancing.