Writer Sets Her Novel in Bandera

On the eve of the Civil War, Polish immigrants Marcin and Agnieszka Anderwald arrive in Bandera, Texas, seeking a fresh start in a new land of fertile soil and freedom. But their dreams quickly become nightmares when Marcin provokes a sinister specter hell-bent on revenge. A battle ensues for the hearts, minds, and souls of the Anderwalds and their extended family of immigrant outcasts, Arab camel wranglers, wounded warriors, and a songstress on the verge of madness. As the generations unfold, each must confront its darkest fears. Can faith, love, and sacrifice overcome unrelenting evil, or will the Anderwalds remain forever wretched and undone?

The Wretched and Undone is a sweeping historical-fiction novel set in the heart of the Texas Hill Country and inspired by real people and actual events. Set in Bandera Texas this book begins at the Frontier Times Museum. Then you will recognize places like St. Stanislaus and the Medina River. Names such as Anderwald, Standard, Kalka and more are blended through this fictional tale that is captivating from the first page.

 The Frontier Times Museum welcomes novelist, J. E. Weiner, on Thursday, June 12^th, for an author’s meet and greet from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Heralded as "a genre-bending thrill ride through Old Texas," the novel was named a Killer Nashville Top Pick for 2024 and a Claymore Award Finalist for Best Southern Gothic.  In reviewing the novel, Adam Van Winkle, editor-in-chief at Cowboy Jamboree Press, stated, “A rattlesnake falls from the church rafters [St. Stanislaus], and from there, J. E. Weiner unwinds a scorching Southern gothic tale… Her generation-by-generation saga of the Anderwald family across the tumult of the late nineteenth century is told with true authenticity of voice and place. Her characters are so well crafted they crawl off the page. The novel's dark edges are absolutely gripping. A finer piece of historical fiction I cannot recall."

The book places historic Bandera and the Texas Hill Country in the spotlight. Come and see if your family is a character in the book, which will be available for purchase at the event.  Wine and refreshments will be served.  This event is free and open to the public. The museum is located at 510 13^th Street, Bandera, Texas.  For more information, call 830-796-3864.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. Paul Hilliard will be hosting for May.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. David Wayne will be hosting for April.

Tickets available for purchase at the Museum.

Dinner catered by Black Tie Affairs

Full Bar Service

Live and Silent Auction

Raffle for Henry Steel 30-30, lever action $100 each. Call museum for raffle ticket or buy at gala.

Gala will be at the Lodge on San Julian Creek

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. David LeStourgeon will be hosting for March.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. Dennis Owens will be hosting for February.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. Lew Pewterbaugh is the January host!

Aguero’s talk and presentation will begin at 1:00 pm.  

A sheep shearing demonstration will follow at 2:00 pm.

Nimmrichter’s demonstrations will be on view from 10:30 to 1:00 pm. All activities are free with museum admission. Admission and activities are free for museum members.

Texas Ranger Jim Gillett - the Last of the Indian Fighters 

A presentation by the LoneStar Heritage Foundation

As part of Veterans Day celebration, we are welcoming James McCrae to speak on the history of noteworthy Texas Ranger, Jim Gillett.   McCrae, author of the recently published Concho Plains Battle: Texas Ranger Company Versus Mescalero Apache, will explore the life of this Texas Ranger Hall of Fame inductee. James Buchanan Gillett was born in Austin, Texas on November 4, 1856. By 1872, the family had moved to Lampasas and in 1875, he went to Menard and joined the Texas Rangers.  In addition to dealing with cattle thieves and outlaws, the Texas Rangers were responsible for protecting settlers along the Texas frontier in skirmishes with the Native Texans. Gillett’s Texas Ranger company often fought with the Kiowa, Comanche and Apache Indians.  In January of 1881, Gillett, as part of a company led by G. W. Baylor, participated in what is called the last fight between the Texas Rangers and the Indians. After pursuing a group of Apaches who had attacked a stagecoach, the Rangers surprised the Indian camp, killing six, capturing a woman and two children, and scattering the rest of the band into the mountains.  In 1921, Gillett wrote and published his memoirs, Six Years with the Texas Rangers. It has remained in print ever since. The book was condensed into a textbook in 1928 and was used in public schools for many years in at least seventeen states. James McCrae is the CEO of the LoneStar Heritage Foundation.  The LoneStar Heritage Foundation is dedicated to working with local heritage organizations, museums and history oriented centers, to assist them in the common goal of supporting and promoting the rich culture and history of Texas. The presentation is offered with museum admission and refreshments will be served.  Museum members will enjoy free admission.  Saturday, November 9th, 2:00 pm.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. Dennis Owens is the September host!

Our annual “Moonshine and Moonpies Bash” featuring live music, moonshine tastings, hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine. This event is for adults age 21 and over.

Moonshine tastings with our sponsor, Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery, and their variety of moonshine flavors to choose from. Enjoy an Old Fashion Southern Dinner (and Moonpies, of course!) catered by the Bandera High School culinary students. Live Music on the Trail Drivers Stage by Rockabilly Band, $2 Pistol and Fire Spinning by Pope plays with Fire! Multiple item silent auction. Tickets are $45 per person. Entrance includes free admission to our exhibits. No one under 21 admitted. Sponsorship Opportunities are available!

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

4th Sunday Jamboree is a monthly free musical event! Each month a different member of the Frontier Times Troubadours hosts and plays their favorite songs with the assistance of some of the best musicians Bandera has to offer. Dennis Owens is the September host!

Hear Us Roar!

Women’s Suffrage and the League of Women Voters

After many years of fighting for the right to vote, women suffragettes were successful in pushing Congress to pass the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which said that no one could be excluded from voting in an election because of their gender. Kerr County historian, Bunny Bond will discuss the history of the Women’s Suffrage movement in the United States and in Texas and the origin of the League of Women Voters in this timely presentation on the eve of the 2024 national elections.

In conjunction with the presentation, the museum will unveil a new display of Politics, Party, & Polls featuring historical political memorabilia from the museum’s permanent collection.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

Games and prizes all geared towards getting the kids ready for school.

The family of Western artists Shermalee & Lou Mack are graciously sharing the artwork of their parents for a limited gallery showing. in the Doane Art Gallery at the Frontier Times Museum.

The Symphony of Colors: A Retrospective of Susie Short exhbit will be closing on July 15th.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

Presented by the Frontier Times Museum, The Bandera Historical Commission and The Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!

Snake Handling & Presentation by Hill Country Reptile Gardens, Carl Person. Featuring Rattlesnakes, Scaled Viper, Cottonmouth and more.

Take a picture with a real PYTHON!!!

Educational programming is one of the most important missions of the museum.

The Frontier Times Troubadours!