Email   Print   Share By Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

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The Keystone Hotel was once a popular place to stay for families coming to take part in the healing mineral waters that flow through Lampasas. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

Nearby the Keystone Square Museum houses many artifacts that tell the story of Lampasas’ history. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

“Generations,” a mural painted on the side of a building in downtown Lampasas, shows the generations of businesses that have occupied this building from the late 1800s to present day. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

The museum’s almost-complete collection of every access badge ever used at the Lampasas Spring Ho Festival is on display. The badges were used to get into the fest and ride the rides. The collection is still growing with every year’s Spring Ho. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

This model of the Park Hotel sits above most of the other exhibits. At the time of its contruction in 1882, the Park Hotel was the largest frame hotel in Texas. It burned down in 1895 during a winter cold spell when all of the creeks and springs were frozen. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

An early painting of Hanna Springs hangs on one of the Keystone Square Museum walls. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

This wooden wall inside the Keystone Square Museum shows every livestock brand ever registered in the county of Lampasas. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

The original bank counter from the Lampasas bank in the 1800s now acts not only as a display, but as a divider in the Keystone museum. Behind the counter is a black-and-white photo of the counter being used at the bank on a busy day. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

A wicker body basket that was formerly used to transport corpses to the Briggs-Gamel Funeral Home in Lampasas. According to Glenn Gamel, his father, W.G. Gamel, bought this wicker basket in April of 1911 as a “pick-up basket” to move bodies since there was no ambulance at the time. Erin Rogers, Sentinel Leisure Editor

LAMPASAS - Since moving to the great state of Texas, I’ve found that many Lone Star natives believe this state is its own country. Lately, I’ve discovered that Texas is full of so much history that it indeed could be its own separate country altogether – its massive size contributes to the country-like effect, as well.

Driving through any stretch of Texas in any direction, every town has a significant story to be told that adds to Texas’ history. Of course there are the famous stories that everyone learned about in middle school – the Battles of the Alamo, Palo Alto and San Jacinto, industrialization and massive oil deposits, French expeditions and Spanish exploration, the Texas Republic and U.S. Annexation – but the smaller towns’ stories are just as interesting.

Lampasas is one of those towns that someone might only drive through, but after heading into the center of the town, it is easy to see that this place has a story.

On Saturday, I was heading to a 3-year-old’s birthday party in Lampasas when I took a detour through downtown and was immediately distracted by the old buildings and streets. It has the German-inspired architecture that is typical to many Central Texas towns and an old railroad depot that I’m sure was a busy place back in the day. I passed an old hotel that caught my attention, so I parked my car on the brick street and got out to check it out.

Walking closer, I could see that it was closed, and has been for many years – with missing glass in the windows and an outdated sign. It was a little eerie to look at, but fun to imagine that this hotel was once a busy stop for traveling stagecoaches.

Around the corner from the abandoned Keystone Hotel, I found the Keystone Square Museum and went inside. I could tell this would be an informative visit about the history of Lampasas.

The Keystone Square Museum was established in 1975 because of an enthusiastic group of Lampasas citizens who wanted to preserve the town’s history. They formed a committee while planning a bicentennial celebration of the nation. They decided to house the Keystone Museum in one of Lampasas’ historic buildings – one of the oldest in town – a former sheet metal and plumbing shop in the 1870s.

The museum is dedicated to the lives and experiences of the people of Lampasas County, and is full of displays and exhibits devoted to the county’s past.

The museum has permanent displays, but also spotlights different exhibits. Right now, the featured exhibit is about cooking and the old cookbooks and tools that were commonly used when cooking in the 1800s. There are old cooking utensils everywhere, and while I was walking through looking at them, I was having a hard time imagining having to use these tools to whip up any of my favorite dishes, without a lot of difficulty.

I learned that in the 1800s, Lampasas was known as the “Saratoga of the South,” comparing to the historical Saratoga Springs in New York, which were thought to be healing springs in the 1800s because of the naturally bubbling rich mineral waters that flowed through the area.

Lampasas’ “healing waters” were named Hanna Springs in the 1860s when John Hanna bought the springs while traveling in search of a place to improve his health. Coming from Illinois, Hanna came upon the springs, which had a bubbling effect thanks to the sulphur in the water.

The business in Lampasas was bustling at this time because it became something of a healing resort due to the sulphurous springs, and the Keystone hotel was getting a lot of use. The people of Lampasas thrived on the popularity of the springs,

promoting the waters as having extreme healing effects.

Hanna Springs aren’t the only springs in Lampasas, though – there are also the Cooper, Gooch, Hancock and Gold Springs, along with the Abney Well. Together, all of these waters attracted people around the country who were looking for health solutions, and the town was prosperous.

Inside the Keystone Square Museum, there is a replica of the old Grand Park Hotel, which burned down in 1895. The hotel was built as a summer resort for people who were visiting Hancock Park, which is still a beautiful area today.

The resort was popular because of Hancock Springs, which comes up and flows into the limestone bathhouse. The springs also formed the resort’s swimming pool, which is still an attraction being used today and remains at 72 degrees year round.

I kept getting wrapped up in the different stories that are significant to Lampasas and had a slow time moving on from one exhibit to the next because of the details. Every single thing in the museum seemed to be significant a piece of the town’s history – even the shelves that artifacts were being displayed on.

One of the separators in the museum, splitting up the main room, seemed to be just a divider when I first looked at it. Then I noticed an old black-and-white photo on the wall of a busy bank counter and realized that the counter in the picture was the divider I had overlooked. That’s when I began looking even closer at every inch of the museum. Behind the antique bank counter were the old bank vaults and teller machines used in the Lampasas bank in the 1800s.

Further back into the museum, there were displays of old tools and chairs that were used in early optometry and dentistry. Looking at the dentist tools reminded me of something out of a horror movie – I’m glad there have been significant advancements in dental practices over the past century because I’m not sure dentist visits were very pleasant back then.

I plan on going back to the Keystone Square Museum when I have more time to read every detail, but I had to bring my mind back to present day and head out to the birthday party – 3-year-old Brayden wouldn’t think being at a museum was a very good excuse for me to be late with his birthday present.

I found out that the Keystone Square Museum hosts annual events throughout the year, such as the Needle Art and Quilt show, the Teddy Bear Tea Party for kids, the Tour of Historical Homes and the Carol of Lights around Christmas time. The Spring Ho Exhibition is currently at the museum, just in time for the Spring Ho celebration coming up this weekend.

The Spring Ho parade is Saturday in Lampasas, and I’ll be attending to write a piece about it for next week’s paper.

For information about upcoming events and historical facts about the Keystone Square Museum, visit their website at www.lampasaschamber.org/5674301_47902.htm.