Schreiner Park

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm gonna give it to you straight with a little room to breathe. This is Schreiner Park in Kimble County, and the story behind it is one of those Texas tales that just keeps giving the more you sit with it. Now, the land was being used as a park long before it was ever formally deeded to the people; and when the deed finally came, it came from Captain Charles Schreiner himself, in 1916.

Picnics, gatherings, political rallies: this place had seen all of it. There was even a large rock that doubled as a podium. Just a rock.

No stage, no lectern, no microphone. A rock. And folks would climb up on it and hold forth like they were addressing the Roman Senate.

That right there tells you something about the spirit of the people who used this ground. But here's where the story really opens up. In 1908, the Confederate veterans held their reunion right here at this park.

Now, you had people coming in from both sides of the Llano River, and that's when the sky decided to have its say. The rains came down, the Llano River flooded, and suddenly two sides of a reunion, no way across. For three days, people on both sides of that river were conveyed back and forth by an aerial tramway.

A tramway. Strung up over a flooded river, carryin' folks to their meetings and programs, swinging over the rushing water just to make it to a gathering on the other bank. Three days of that.

Now, the man behind the gift of this park, Charles Schreiner, born in 1838 and living all the way to 1927, was not a man born in Texas, or even in this country. He was born in France. He made his way here, and he made his mark: pioneering in banking, in marketing mohair, running a large general store.

A man who crossed an ocean and built something, and then, when it came time, gave a piece of it back to the people. The rock's still there. The river still floods.

And the park still carries his name.

What the marker says

Used as a park long before formally deeded to people by Capt. Charles Schreiner in 1916. Picnics and gatherings were held here, as well as political rallies. A large rock doubled as podium. When the Confederate veterans reunion was held here, 1908, rains caused Llano River to flood. For 3 days people on both sides of the river were conveyed back and forth by an aerial "tramway" to visit and attend meetings and programs. Park donor Charles Schreiner (1838-1927) was born in France. He pioneered in banking, marketing mohair; ran large general store.