Day Trips
Fri., July 21, 1995
As a symbol of Texana, Winedale's history began in 1834, when a young pioneer from South Carolina and his wife built a sturdy cedar log cabin at the site. As their prosperity and family grew, so did the house. It was the young man's cousins who settled the nearby town of Round Top on the La Bahia Road.
Fourteen years later, Samuel Lewis bought the house and land. A surveyor who took his salary in land, Lewis developed over 1,000 acres of cotton and stock pastures in the area. With eight children, Lewis doubled the size of the house with a breezeway between the two halves. The eight-room house reflects Anglo-American and German influences: The room arrangement is typical of the American South, but the steeply pitched roof and small windows suggest the work was done by local German craftsmen.
Some of the most remarkable aspects of the house are the excep-tional ceiling paintings. Unlike the stenciled patterns often used by the German settlers, the front rooms of the house were decorated by a skilled local artist.
The road outside the front door of the farm house was paved with logs and used by the stagecoach line between Brenham and Austin. It is not known exactly when, but "Sam Lewis' Stopping Place" became a popular stopover for travelers by the beginning of the Civil War. The settlement never was much more than the inn and a couple of shops.
Sam Lewis died in 1867, and the stagecoach inn was a private home until 1963, when it was bought by Ima Hogg, the former governor's daughter. Hogg originally intended to move the inn to her Houston estate to be restored. She was convinced to leave the building at its original site and to add several other historically significant buildings to the farm.
Hogg donated the property to the University of Texas as study center in 1967. Today UT's Winedale Historical Center covers 215 acres. Besides Lewis' stagecoach inn, the center has a visitor center, conference center, dormitory, nature trail, plantation house, one-room schoolhouse, and hay barn converted into a theatre.
It is in the barn theatre that English students present Shakespeare plays between July 27 and August 20. This is the 25th year that Professor James Ayres has coaxed students to spend their summer in the country studying the English bard. Performances are Thu-Sun at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. This year the students present The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, and The Merchant of Venice. On August 19, former Winedale students will present a special performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
With the unpainted, wood shutter sides down, the theatre looks like a hay barn. With the sides open, rows of benches and chairs arranged, and a battery of ceiling fans whirling overhead, it looks more like a revival hall than a theatre.
Theatre-goers are encouraged to come to the center early to tour the historic buildings. Some visitors like to spread a blanket on the outside to watch the performance. Few go away without a deeper appreciation for Shakespeare's works.
Before each Saturday's 5pm performance, Winedale Hunter's Stew with all the trimmings will be available for $5 per person. Performance tickets are $5 and are available at the gate or by reservation, 409/278-3530. Winedale is about 80 miles east of Austin off US290.
Bed and breakfast facilities are available in Round Top, Winedale, Shelby, Warrenton, and Ledbetter. The closest hotels are in Giddings or La Grange. Call 800/452-9292 for more information.
Coming up this weekend...
Salado Legends is a dinner theatre musical drama portraying the settling of Salado at the outdoor Goodnight Amphitheater, July 22, 29 & Aug. 5. 817/947-9148.
San Antonio Missions baseball club plays a home stand July 21-31 against Arkansas and Tulsa teams. Despite struggling to stay out of the basement of the Texas League standings, the Missions continue to set attendance records. 210/675-7275.
Coming up...
The Great Texas Mosquito Festival in Clute welcomes visitors to Community Park to have fun with Willie Manchew, the world's largest mosquito, July 27-28. 409/265-8392.
--Gerald E. McLeod
