Hear the magic of Luckenbach and the origins of country classics
TUNE IN TO MUSIC
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By Jenna Carpenter
If you’re a country music fan, the name Luckenback may sound familiar — Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson released a song in 1977 about how time in Luckenbach melts their cares away.
“There was a time Willie would play dominoes and just hang out,” said Virgil Holdman, store manager for Luckenbach. “In the 1990s, his 4th of July picnics brought thousands here. But you could see anybody on any day here. There is a magic here that makes them come.” Located 13 miles from Fredericksburg, Luckenbach is part dance hall, part general store, part saloon — and is all parts western charm. There, everybody is somebody. “We’re family friendly and laid-back,” he said. “It’s a Texas state of mind and a real step back in time.” Luckenbach has a history spanning almost 200 years. It was established in 1849 as a trading post. Almost 40 years later, a man by
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the name of August Engel opened a post office, general store and beer joint on the piece of land. His sister, Minna, named the area Luckenbach, after her fiancé, Carl’s family. Carl Luckenbach’s father, Jacob Luckenbach, was one of the first German settlers to arrive in Fredericksburg. He soon moved out of town to what is now known as Luckenbach. Years later, when August and Minna Engel filled out paperwork for the post office, Minna chose the name Luckenbach, and it stuck. The area soon flourished as a tiny, unincorporated town and expanded to include a school, blacksmith shop and dance hall. In the 1970s, Hondo Crouch, Gulch
Knock and Kathy Morgan purchased the property. “Hondo was a true Texas character known for humor and practical jokes, a writer and rancher,” Holdman said. “His wife’s family were settlers here in the area as were the Engels that had settled Luckenbach. He said he bought Luckenbach because Dallas wasn’t for sale.” The area soon became famous for the Luckenbach world fair, a ladies state chili bust, the mud dauber festival and daily games of dominoes and jam sessions — all of which still are on the calendar today. “The ’70s outlaw country music movement came right through here so to speak,” Holdman said. “Jerry Jeff
