Site of Rehearsal Hall for The Hoo Hoo Band
Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas
Marker Inscription
At the turn of the century, a group of Lufkin men organized a town brass band. It later became known as the Hoo Hoo Band after representing Texas at a national convention of the Order of Hoo Hoo, an organization of American and Canadian lumbermen. In addition to concerts in nearby Cotton (Calder) Square, the band performed at various events and also directed such civic projects as the formation of the town's fire department. Inactive by the 1920s when school bands became popular, the Hoo Hoo Band remans a symbol of Lufkin's early civic pride and quality of life. (1982)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around the turn of the twentieth century, Lufkin men formed a town brass band that took the name Hoo Hoo after representing Texas at a convention of the Order of Hoo Hoo, a fraternity of American and Canadian lumbermen. Beyond concerts in the town square, the band helped organize civic projects, including the local fire department. School bands eclipsed it by the 1920s, but it endured as a symbol of early Lufkin's pride.
Why it matters
The band captures the civic culture of an East Texas lumber town, where a musical group tied to the timber industry helped build the institutions of everyday community life.
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Themes & tags
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