Wessels Hall at Pioneer Farms, Austin, Tx

Built in the early 1900s by two brothers whose family emigrated to Texas from Germany a few decades before, Wessels Hall represents a typical hand-built early music venue, of the same design that was common for many of these halls dating back to the Civil War. Their horn-and-drum band that initially played in the hall near West Point, north of La Grange,was known as "The Prairy Vally Concert Band."

A one-story wood structure, the hall features a free-span floor enclosed by a tin roof that is supported by wooden trusses. This is typical of some halls in this era, although many featured structural posts on the dance floor, making its open free-span floor somewhat unusual. The built-in seats around the dance floor were common in German halls such as this one. The bandstand extension is also typical for this period, a hallmark of German halls in this part of Texas, rather than having the band play on the floor or a riser at the back of the floor.

Wessels Hall operated for many years as a gathering point for the community of Germans and Czechs in the area, most of whom were farmers. It operated in its later years as a "mixed" hall, featuring a variety of bands playing German, Czech, Moravian and Western music, as well as African-American, Cajun and Hispanic performances. The music ranged from country swing, western and polka to conjunto, German and zydeco. At one point, it was a stop on a performance circuit that ranged from the Dallas area and Seguin to Brenham and Houston.

Ownership of the hall remained in the Wessels family until it was moved to Pioneer Farms in 2013 to save it from demolition at its original site just of Texas 71 south of West Point. It had been shuttered for some time, after last operating as a dance hall on a regular basis in the late 1950s. A "chalk beer" stand that was added to the building in the 1920s, has been replicated in a concessions window on one side balanced with restrooms on the other.

The restored hall has preserved with its original fabric. When it was moved, the roof trusses were removed and numbered, and the building was cut in half to preserve its floor boards. It was relocated in two sections to Pioneer Farms, and was then reassembled as it was originally built -- down to the original dance floor, its perimeter bench seats and its cast-concrete foundation supports that were put back in their original locations.

Through this attention to detail, the hall has been preserved with its original characteristics and acoustics that bring to occupants an incredible original-history experience that is lost in many halls that have been modernized and updated. It truly offers a chance for visitors to step back in time, more than century, to experience Texas' musical history as it once was.