DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my take on what the official marker has to say about the Hostess House in Lampasas County. Now settle in, because this one's got springs and soldiers and a governor and a future president all wanderin' through the same front door. It starts, as so many good Texas stories do, with water.
Mineral springs — Hancock Springs among them — flow into Sulphur Creek right there in Lampasas. And those waters weren't just pretty to look at. People came from all over for the recreation and the health of it.
By the late nineteenth century, the Hancock Springs tract had grown into a fashionable tourist attraction — a convention site, an encampment site, the whole nine yards. In fact, by the eighteen eighties, Lampasas was advertising itself as 'The Saratoga of the South.' That's not a small claim, friend. Then came nineteen eleven, and a man named Dan Culver did something ambitious.
He excavated a large open-air swimming pool right there in Hancock Park, fed by those same spring waters. And you know what happens when you put a pool in a park? You need a place for people to get ready for it.
Charles Baker and L.N. Little bought the property in nineteen twenty-nine, and here's where it gets interesting. They took materials from the Texas Baptist Encampment dining hall and used them to build what would become the Hostess House, sitting south of that pool.
Two stories, frame construction — a reception hall and changing room on the ground floor, and up top, an open-air dance platform. Now you tell me: is there a better setup for a summer evening in central Texas than dancing on an open-air second floor while the springs flow nearby? Local bands played that floor.
Nationally known performers played that floor. The Hostess House became a genuine destination. In nineteen thirty-six, the city of Lampasas bought the park — Hostess House included.
And then the world changed. During World War II, the U.S. government leased Hancock Park as a recreation area for soldiers stationed at Camp Hood — later known as Fort Hood. They even gave the park a new name for the duration: Panther Park.
So those same grounds that drew tourists and dancers now gave weary soldiers a place to breathe. When the war was done, the park came back to itself. A golf course opened to the west in nineteen forty-seven, and the Hostess House got a notable upgrade — a limestone veneer, giving that old frame building a whole new face.
Then in nineteen forty-eight, after additional renovations to the park facilities, Lampasas threw a rededication ceremony. And it drew some attention. Texas Governor Beauford Jester was there.
So was U.S. Congressman Lyndon Johnson. Not a bad crowd for a park in the Texas Hill Country.
For many years following, the people of Lampasas kept on doing what they'd always done — swimming in that pool, attending dances and proms on the second floor. Generation after generation moving through those same rooms. But buildings, even beloved ones, don't hold themselves together.
By the nineteen nineties, the Hostess House had fallen into disrepair. It looked like the story might be ending. It wasn't.
The city leased the building to the Oran Milo Roberts chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and that organization coordinated the fundraising to renovate and restore the Hostess House and keep it in public use. From mineral springs to dance floors to soldiers' retreat to limestone-clad landmark — the Hostess House has held a lot of Lampasas history inside those walls. And apparently, Lampasas intends to keep it that way.
What the marker says
Mineral springs such as nearby Hancock Springs flow into Sulphur Creek, providing Lampasas with waters for recreation and health. The Hancock Springs tract became a fashionable tourist attraction and convention and encampment site in the late 19th century; by the 1880s, Lampasas advertised as "The Saratoga of the South." In 1911, Dan Culver excavated a large open-air swimming pool in Hancock Park, utilizing spring-fed waters. Charles Baker and L.N. Little bought the property in 1929. Materials from the Texas Baptist Encampment dining hall were used to build the Hostess House south of the pool. The two-story frame building included a reception hall and changing room for the swimming pool, with an open-air dance platform on the second floor. Local bands and nationally known performers made the venue a popular destination. In 1936, the city of Lampasas bought the park, including the Hostess House. During World War II, the U.S. government leased Hancock Park as a recreation area, called Panther Park, for soldiers stationed at Camp Hood (later Fort Hood). In 1947, a golf course opened to the west and improvements to the Hostess House included a limestone veneer. After additional renovations to park facilities in 1948, Texas Governor Beauford Jester and U.S. Congressman Lyndon Johnson attended a rededication ceremony. For many years following, the people of Lampasas continued to swim in the pool and attend dances and proms on the second floor. By the 1990s, the building had fallen into disrepair. The city leased the building to the Oran Milo Roberts chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, which coordinated fundraising to renovate and restore the Hostess House and continue its public use. (2007)