1845

For nearly a half century, Gruene was a bustling farming community and epicenter of the local cotton trade. The town itself is named for the Gruene family, who immigrated in 1845 from Germany. Finding available land scarce in New Braunfels, Ernst Gruene purchased 6,000 acres just north of the town along the Guadalupe River and planted it with cotton.

1870

By the 1870’s there were up to 30 families sharecropping on the Gruene farm, making it a community unto itself. Henry D. Gruene had since purchased the farm from his father and in 1878 set about building a mercantile store and cotton gin to serve the sharecroppers. Also in 1878, Henry built a dance hall in the midst of town which quickly became the social center of the community.Gruene Hall stands today as it did then, thus making it the oldest dance hall in Texas.

By 1900, Gruene had become a thriving economic center with two freight rail stations to serve the booming cotton trade.

1920

The town’s prosperity seemed tied to Henry Gruene. His death in 1920 was followed by a decline in Gruene’s good fortune. In 1922, the cotton gin burned down and was replaced by an electric model outside of town. Close on the heels of that disaster was the boll weevil blight, which decimated the cotton industry, and the economic hardship of the Great Depression.

By 1950, Gruene had become a ghost town and it would be another 20 years before the town saw a change for the better.

1974

The 1970’s were a period of rebirth for Gruene. Developers arrived in 1974 and began the arduous work of buying the vacant properties one by one and restoring them to the glory of their heyday. Many of them are now successful businesses supporting the town’s new focus: tourism.

Henry Gruene’s house was turned into the Gruene Mansion Inn. The mercantile building became the Gruene General Store, and the cotton gin was rebuilt as the Gristmill Restaurant. The historic water tower can still be seen for miles rising just behind Gruene Hall, which never officially closed and is one of the most visited historical sites in Texas.

Present Day Gruene

Today, visitors to Gruene will find a vibrant tourist community, replete with restaurants, antique stores, wine and coffee shops, art galleries and live music venues. Though far from the only one, Gruene Hall is still the most popular music venue, hosting some of the biggest names in country music.

With ample bed & breakfast and condominium housing, visitors can stay right in the heart of town and travel on foot to all that Gruene has to offer.