Attractions
Jackson Square
German and Czech immigrants had already begun farming the rolling prairie of Colorado County when Daniel Washington Jackson, of Warren County, Georgia, founded the town first called Jackson Station.
Located on the land of the original Stephen F. Austin Colony, Weimar was founded in 1873. In exchange for a half interest in the town site, Jackson, a surveyor at the time, persuaded the Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway Company (GH&SA) to build a depot in the town as a new railway was being built from Alleyton to San Antonio. The city was incorporated in July, 1875.
On October 7,1977, the City Council designated the 100th block of E. Jackson as Jackson Square. The Weimar Public Library, an old train depot with its office located in the caboose, is House Number 1. Businesses on the south side of the street are numbered accordingly.
The original Jackson Hotel was erected in the last 1870's. The first hotel burned down, and a second was built on the site in 1910. This building has housed the San Jacinto Hotel which opened in 1930, then the Weimar Country Inn that opened December 1983 as a bed and breakfast but closed in 1990. It later became the corporate headquarter for Double B Foods. It is now home to the Boys and Girls Club of Champion Valley.
The Weimar Gedenke! Festival
The Weimar Gedenke! Festival grew from the combination of several local festivals and is now the city's main celebration each year the Saturday before Mother's Day.
One of the first annual celebrations in Weimar was the Cucumber Carnival, held in 1940 and 1941. The Texas Pickle Company operated in Weimar for over 30 years and, at one time, over 300 acres of cucumbers were planted in the immediate area. The Cucumber Carnival was an all-day celebration that featured a parade, bathing beauty contest and queen coronation, among other activities. The festival was cancelled in 1942 due to the outbreak of World War Two and was never held again.
In 1973, Mrs. Betty Seifert chaired a committee that planned and successfully celebrated the city's centenniel. While the festival was a great success, it was not continued in future years. However, for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Lions Club held a celebration on Post Office Street complete with carnival rides and games. In addition to the Lions Club, the Weimar Garden Club began the Jackson Square Festival as a means to raise money for landscaping around the new Gazebo. The ladies invited various local organizations to sell everything from homemade ice cream to sausage-on-a-stick. Although it was a successful fundraiser, the festival lacked a proper carnival. The answer was to combine the Lions Club carnival with the Garden Club's festival and christen it "Gedenke!"
Loosely translated from German, the word "gedenke" means "think of" or "remember"; thus the festival is held in hopes local residents will remember their hometown and attend the festival. The festival includes games for all ages, several live bands, a parade, arts and crafts, a BBQ cook-off, a classic car show, and a 5 K fun run/walk. FUN FOR EVERYONE! There is no charge for admission or parking.
Public Library
The library is housed in the old train depot on Jackson Square and is on the State Historical Register. Caboose, adjacent to depot, is used as a library office.
| Weimar Public Library 1 Jackson Square Weimar, TX 78962 Ph: (979)725-6608 |
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| Hours: Monday - Friday 9:30am - 5:20pm Saturdays 9:00am - Noon |
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