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WIMBERLEY GUIDES
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| What's Happening? |
Upcoming Events
The calendar for Wimberley area events |
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Featured Property
Special Hill Country properties. |
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Area Market Days
Market Days year round...the guides. |
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A Brief History of Wimberley, Texas with Photos and References
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A glance across time... from prehistoric Wimberley, to today's tourist and retirement village.
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Prehistoric Wimberley was home to native Americans, and evidence of
their presence is found near now extinct stream beds and along the
river. 16th century Spanish explorers came here looking for gold and
adventure and by the 17th century Spanish church representatives
arrived to stake a claim on the population and natural wealth.
By the mid-1800s several families were living in this area, and
explorers and adventurers from the southern states came to the Hill
Country. Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, James Bowie and David Crockett
became legends and died in the more populous areas here. Land along
waterways was sought after, and trading posts were established near
stream crossings. First came the grist and flour mills, followed by
schools and churches. Thus a village was formed at the little trading
post at Cypress Creek. This was Wimberley.
In the mid 19th-century, William Winters built a two-room cut limestone
home on the north side hill of Cypress Creek and constructed the first
grist mill on Cypress Creek. (See the
Winters-Wimberley House above.) The home and mill were eventually purchased
by Pleasant Wimberley for $8,000 in gold. His family moved here and the
mill was used for a flour, grist, sorghum, as a saw mill and a cotton
gin. Pleasant also helped establish a church and a school here. In 1880
an application for a post office for "Wimberleyville" was made, and the
postmaster general shortened the name and granted it. Thus, Wimberley
became an official postal destination.
West of Wimberley lies Blanco, another destination for travelers. Water
along the travel route between Wimberley and Blanco was precious, and
legend has it the windmill still operating at Wimberley Valley Ranch
furnished the only watering place between the two settlements. First
travelers on horseback and by carriage, then those in early cars,
stopped at this location on the "Blanco Road", now FM 2325, for water.
In May of 2000 a central portion of the Wimberley area was incorporated
as the Village of Wimberley (click here to see incorporated area),
comprised of approximately 10% of the Wimberley area residents and most
of the centrally located businesses. The 13,000 plus residents of the
Wimberley Valley are those that make up Wimberley as most folks refer
to it, still defined by the zip code assigned by the postal service,
78676.
Because of its natural beauty, Wimberley has traditionally drawn
retirees and others seeking a retreat from the hectic pace of cities
like Houston and Dallas. Development is creating a threat to many
of Wimberley's natural resources, as in much of the world. This
challenge is stimulating activism to protect and maintain watersheds,
air quality and diversity of the wildlife and flora that has always
made Wimberley special.
Wimberley boasts a strong tourist trade and is
home to world renown authors, artists, and musicians looking for the
quiet life. Wimberley has been recognized as an attractive tourist
destination by such publications as Travel Holiday Magazine who placed
it on a list of 2003's "America's Ten Best Small Towns."
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