History & writeup by Geronimo Trevino.(excerpt from his book Dance Halls and Last Calls)
There's a place down the road called the Hangin' Tree...
Just
northeast of San Antonio, two blocks from the Bexar county line, in
Comal county is the small community of Bracken. Settled in 1849 by
William Bracken, known for having lost three fingers when Texas rebels
overpowered a Mexican fort on the Nueces River. Bracken was the first
owner of the lands known as the Vicenti Micheli League. These lands were
once owned by the state of Texas and the grant was signed by P.H. Bell,
Governor of Texas. The property totaled 1,114 acres and was located in
the counties of Comal and Bexar by the Cibolo Creek where the San
Antonio and Nacogdoches roads crossed.
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Big
John’s Hangin’ Tree Saloon was once a two lane, nine pin bowling
alley built in 1915.
It has been enlarged to twice it’s original size. The bowling
alley was remodeled in 1956 and closed in 1978.
A new bowling alley was built across the street.
In 1989, Big John Oaks turned the old bowling alley into a road house honky tonk in typical Texas fashion. The bar is made from wood that was once the lanes of the bowling alley. The bandstand is located where the bowling pins used to be placed. Their slogan is “ Now that you’ve found Luckenbach, where the heck is Bracken”
In the fall of 1996, a radio programmer from Denmark visited her first honky tonk and fell in love with The Hangin’ Tree. The Alamo Kountry Kicker Trailriders host a dance each February to help kick off the San Antonio Live Stock Show and Rodeo. The trailriders camp out at different spots on their way to the rodeo grounds and this is one of their designated stops.
Several characters help patronize and add color to Big John’s place. Mayor Sam Bauder of nearby Cibolo, Texas is a regular customer. One weekend, after my band finished a Friday and Saturday performance, I noticed the same guy sitting on the same bar stool he had occupied the night before. As we were packing our equipment up he told Big John “Now that’s a much better band tonight than the one the night before.” I bring that up to Big John every now and then and we always get a big laugh out of it.
Ain't no painted bathroom walls
The Hangin’ Tree Saloon can hold about 175 people inside and patrons can enjoy the outdoor patio in the back of the hall if it gets too crowded inside. There is a kitchen by the patio called Planet Bracken that serves some great barbecue, nachos and hamburgers. Local bands play every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sonny Throckmorton, Johnny Duncan, Augie Meyers, Johnny Bush, Gary P. Nunn and Johnny Rodriguez have all entertained at The Hangin’ Tree. At times it’s been so crowded that if a dog were to slip in under the swinging doors, it would only be able to wag its tail up and down.
