History and Haunted honky tonk
The Devil's Backbone Tavern, built on the site of an ancient Indian campground, is widely believed to be haunted. “Oh, there are ghosts, I guaran-goddamn-tee you,” said Robert Kelly, a tavern regular who said he sometimes sees shadowy figures on a steep nearby ridge called the Devil’s Backbone, for which the tavern is named.
Stretching from Wimberley to Blanco, the ruggedly scenic area known as Devil’s Backbone resulted from an earthquake that occurred in the region more than thirty million years ago. The powerful earthquake helped separate the land into two different regions, the Edward’s Plateau to the west and the lower Gulf Coastal Plains to the east.
The Devil’s Backbone Tavern is situated on one of the most picturesque spots along this earthquake fault, providing the historic venue with a spectacular view of the surrounding Texas Hill Country. The history dates back to the late 1890's, when the first stone room was built for an outpost, mailstop, blacksmith’s shop and a stagecoach stop at the top of a treacherous trail where the mail wagon from New Braunfels met the Mail wagon from San Marcos. You could hitch a ride on one of the wagons at that outpost. It was also a general outpost to meet the doctor or vet and old jail door still remains as it was a temporary way to detain criminals or outlaws until they were transferred to the nearest jail.
After Prohibition ended, the sale of alcoholic beverages, particularly beer, became licensed in early 1933. Since Hays County elected to remain "dry" with no public means to purchase alcohol, the tavern, was built near the old blacksmith’s shop just beyond the Hays County line (in Comal) sometime between 1933 and 1937. In the early 1940's, a package store was added and not long after, two Sinclair gas pumps. In 1951, the dancehall pavilion was constructed and a year later walls were closed in. The venue became a center of community as early as the Great Depression and a rare attraction, ahead of its time, women-owned and operated for anything you needed including a cold-beer, a tire change or an ass-whoopin' with local and touring bands such as Adolph Hofner drawing crowds to the dancehall during its “hey-day” for music and dancing. Gas was about 19 cents a gallon when the Sinclair Station opened. The station ran until about 1970. The dancehall thrived until about 1980 and the Tavern has been open 7 days 365, never closing except for state-mandated closures during Covid. even then, locals camped out back at picnic tables at a loss for their sense of belonging.
In 2018, Musicians John & Robyn Ludwick saved the buildings and restored them to hey-day spirit and vision with the same nostalgia from the eras from which they were born, every detail matched and accounted for. The best music in Texas and across the world now graces the stage of this Legendary Honky Tonk and folks travel from far and wide to visit and see this unique gem of the Texas Hill Country that is unlike anything else in Texas Music History. Every era from 1800s to 1970s has left a time capsule across its history that hasn’t been untapped until now. As stewards, we also pay homage to Texas artists and venues that have passed on … from our jukebox of legends to our murals to our pieces of history from Threadgill’s to Armadillo World Headquarters and other lost icons.
There are plenty of ghost stories along the Backbone and spooky regular occurrences here in our tavern. They say this is the most haunted highway in Texas and the area is a regular stop for paranormal aficionados. Ghost stories are an important part of the history of both Devil’s Backbone and Devil’s Backbone Tavern. The most famous of these stories describes a woman who walks down the road and is carrying a baby and calling out for her husband. Others say that the tavern itself is haunted, with some patrons claiming to have encountered ghostly visitors. The jukebox pages flip out of nowhere, and unexplained things happen here all the time - a dollar bill fell from the ceiling at the feet of the couple that had placed it on the ceiling a year prior - they had just walked in the door. Yeah, I’m a believer.
The Devil’s Backbone Tavern certainly has long been a favorite “haunt” for musicians and music fans alike. Don’t forget to look for the Carved Devil’s face in the fireplace - see if you can spot it!
