Wimberley Institute of Cultures (WIC) is once again having their Harvest Moon Dinner & Dance on Sunday, November 6. Taking place at the Historic Fischer Hall, 701 Fischer Store Road, this promises to be an evening of fun. Dinner will be catered by Old 300 BBQ from Blanco, and immediately following the dinner Eric Hokkanen & Friends will provide the music for a wonderful time dancing. A silent auction will also be on premises.
The Harvest Moon Dinner/Dance is the fall fundraiser for the Wimberley Valley Museum, which is located in front of the Wimberley Community Center. Like the Pie Social in the spring, also a WIC organized function, WIC sponsors activities that make Wimberley fun while preserving the heritage of the entire Wimberley Valley. These two functions are the only fundraisers that help to keep the museum up and running.
The Wimberley Valley Museum consists of two historical homes. The Winters-Wimberley House was listed on the National Registry of Historical Places in 2002. The Wimberley-Hughes House was listed as a Texas Historic Landmark in 2016. These two homes were incremental in the establishment of Wimberley as a mill and ultimately as a town.
Wimberley started as a trading post settlement near Cypress Creek in 1848, the year Hays County was organized. After William Carvin Winters built a gristmill at the site in 1856, it took on the name “Winters’ Mill”. When the mill was sold in 1864 to the Cude family, its name was changed to “Cude’s Mill”. It was sold again in 1874 to Pleasant Wimberley and took on his name. Over the years, the mill was expanded to process lumber, shingles, flour, molasses and cotton. The mill is gone, but the historical houses survive.
In 1880, Alfred vom Stein, a postmaster from San Marcos, applied to have a post office established in the community, calling it “Wimberleyville”. The application was granted, but the name shortened to Wimberley.
Wimberley Institute of Cultures was born from the celebration of the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986. The group that formed WIC was responsible for organizing the Bluebonnet Ball, which was the first of twelve monthly events designated by the Wimberley Chamber of Commerce to mark the celebration of the Sesquicentennial in Wimberley. Those responsible for the ball saw the need for an organization to facilitate community events that would promote local historical awareness.
As a result, WIC received a State Charter and an IRS number as a nonprofit corporation in 1987. The charter was granted to WIC for the purpose of educating the public in the history and prehistory of the Wimberley area.
Its ongoing purpose today is to foster interest in the historical, natural and cultural resources of the Wimberley Valley through educational and social programs involving both young and adult members of the community. WIC owns and operates the Winters-Wimberley House, now the Wimberley Valley Museum, and the Wimberley- Hughes House. The museum is open to the public and admission is free. However, donations are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.
Join WIC for an evening of food and fun at Fischer Hall, Sunday November 6, 2022 from 6-10 p.m. Tickets need to be purchased in advance at www.wimwic.org. If you have any questions or need further information, call Tom & Debra Billups (512)965-2662.
