On the way to Fredericksburg we passed through Llano. John offered to stop but I wasn't prepared. Instead, we decided to stop on the way back through...and we did.
Llano is a cute little town that was established on the Llano River in 1856. It was mostly a farming and ranching community. It's known as the deer capital of Texas because of the high population of white-tailed deer in the area. Deer hunting is a big deal here. The town never really took off until the mid-1880s.
The first courthouse was a rock structure that was outgrown by the 1880s. The second courthouse built in 1882 was destroyed by fire in 1892. The current courthouse was built in 1893 and is still in use. It's really pretty. I'd have loved to go in but we drove through on a Saturday and it was closed.
On the courthouse square is this building - The Old Southern Hotel. It was built in 1880 by two stonemasons. It was originally 2-story stagecoach stop. The third story was added in 1883 when it was purchased by W A H Miller. Future additions included a kitchen and dining hall where meals were served family style. By then it was called the Colonial Inn. It closed in the 1950s. I'm not sure what, if anything this building is used for now.
The Lantex Theater was built in 1927. It cost thirty cents for adults and ten cents for children when it opened with the movie "The Fourth Commandment". Today the theater is run by the City of Llano and still shows movies and live shows.
This is the Masonic Lodge. It's located on the town square and was built around 1909, though the lodge itself was chartered in 1860. It stills serves Lodge No 242 today.
This cool looking building is the old Llano County Jail. It was built in 1895 and was known as "Red Top" because of...well, the red roof. The first floor of this building housed the jailer and his family. The second floor had two drunk tanks and four cells. The Third/fourth floor housed the gallows. This was an active jail until 1892 because it no longer met the states minimum prisoner housing standards.. It was condemned in 1985 but saved by Historical Society. I think you can get tours there but not on the day we were there. Rumor has it that the jail is haunted.
This is the O'Henry School Building, part of which was built in 1887 for the kids on the south side of the river. In 1902, it was added on to. It's no longer a functioning school, closing in the 1950s. Maybe they can repurpose it for something.
This was really cool. Just across the Llano River from downtown is the Llano County Historical Museum and about 30 feet away from that is this old Dabbs Hotel. It's across from the Railroad Depot and was built in 1907. It was a hotel and, briefly, a bordello. It is also reported as having been a hideout for Bonnie and Clyde in the 1930s! Now it is a bed and breakfast.
Across the parking lot from the Dabbs Hotel is the Llano Train Depot. The Railroad came to Llano in 1892 in the form of the Austin & Northwestern Railroad. Iron was discovered in Llano and the railroad was used to transfer it out. Unfortunately, the deposits weren't big and the business was abandoned. The depot burned in 1961. It was rebuilt and is now the Llano Depot Visitor's Center. There's also a little museum in there.
In 1900, the Llano County Historical Museum used to be a drugstore owned and run by a German immigrant named Louis Bruhl. Inside is the soda fountain from the drugstore. The store closed in 1957 and, later, the building was donated to the historical society. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to go in.
I love this view of the Roy B Inks Bridge. Named for a former mayor of Llano, the Roy B. Inks Bridge was built in 1936 after the previous bridge was washed away in a flood. There appears to be a walking trail along the banks of the river and had I the time, I'd have loved to take a little stroll.
This cool looking building is the Badu House. It was built in 1891 during the boom days of iron production. It was built to house the First National Bank of Llano. In 1898, the building was purchased by NJ Badu. Badu was a local minerologist and used the building as his residence. His family lived here until 1980. Now the first floor is used as an event center and restaurant.
There are about 3.3K people that live in town. Their fast food options include Taco Bell and a Sonic but no McDonald's! They have a Dollar General and a Lowe's for grocery shopping and no big chain restaurants. The biggest employer is the Llano Independent School District. If you need a place to stay, you can check out the Dabbs Hotel (B&B) or the Days Inn.
Llano has some cool stuff going on as well as some interesting history. I would love to have spent more time there to check out the museums, walk along the water and just absorb the vibe of the town. I'm hoping we'll stop there again.
Meanwhile, if you're in the area, check it out!
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