Slumber Falls Camp
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on the Guadalupe River Road four miles northwest of the city of New Braunfels, this area has been a popular swimming and picnicking site since the late 1800s. In the 1930s, Harry Landa sold 20 acres in the Veramendi survey to W.V. & Francis Schulz Lillie and it was developed into a tourist court. Mrs. Lillie and her brother, Herman Schrader, built 11 cabins one at a time as they could afford them. Advertised as “paradise of the hills,” the camp was a popular tourist destination during a rapid increase in automobile tourism, particularly along River Road. The camp was a place to get away from the city and enjoy the beauty of a hill country river. Drought conditions closed the site as a tourist camp in 1957. As early as 1956, the Texas synod of the evangelical and reformed church (United Church of Christ) voted to seek a campsite for youth and adult activities. The wooded site with 11 cabins on limestone cliffs with majestic views overlooking the Guadalupe River was chosen. The property was purchased on December 31, 1957. Slumber Falls Camp, named for the peaceful and serene falls on the river, opened in the summer of 1958 with 385 campers and 100 staff. The camp facilities expanded and evolved into a beautiful naturally-landscaped camp with updated facilities while maintaining several of the original tourist court cabins for a 1930s camping experience. The camp continues the tradition of providing a memorable camping and learning experience for youth and adults where they can slumber with the sound of waterfalls.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This bend of the Guadalupe River has drawn swimmers and picnickers since the late 1800s, and in the 1930s it was developed into a tourist court whose eleven cabins were built one at a time and advertised as a 'paradise of the hills.' Automobile travelers flocked to it during the boom in car tourism along River Road until drought closed the camp in 1957. The United Church of Christ bought the site and reopened it in 1958 as Slumber Falls Camp, still serving youth and adults today.
Why it matters
It captures the rise of automobile-era leisure travel and the reuse of a Depression tourist court as a lasting summer camp.
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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