Bandera’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 3 old photos of Bandera. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Bandera was founded in 1855 by Polish Roman Catholic immigrants from the Province of Silesia. They built St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and many local residents are descended from them.
Bandera is the Spanish word for flag. How the town acquired the name is unknown. One theory is that the town is named after Bandera Pass.
Bandera was a staging area on the Great Western Cattle Trail, during the late 19th century.
The Cabaret Dance Hall opened in 1936. Throughout its history, the dance hall hosted Bob Wills, Doug Sahm, Ernest Tubb, and others. In 2008, the hall was listed as endangered by Preservation Texas. By at least 2013, the hall was closed, by 2015, it was demolished.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Bandera’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bandera’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Bandera
See all 1 →Bandera, decade by decade
1990s
3 historic places in Bandera
3 places in Bandera are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
Architectural styles
When they were listed
Listed 1979Bandera County Courthouse and Jail
Listed 1980Jureczki House
Listed 2004Langford, B.F., Jr. and Mary Hay, HouseThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Texas - Bandera County - ED 10-1, ED 10-2, ED 10-3, ED 10-4, ED 10-5 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.