Marble Falls is a small city on the shores of the Colorado River in the Texas Hill Country. The city was founded in 1887 by General Adam R. Johnson, and incorporated in May of 1907. Marble Falls is located 47 miles northwest of Austin and 85 miles north of San Antonio, so it is centrally located and accessible from two large metropolitan areas. Marble Falls is in the middle of the Highland Lakes chain, and after the construction of the dam which created Lake Marble Falls, the marble falls themselves were no longer visible, unless the lake levels were lowered by the Lower Colorado River Authority, which caused them to be visible in certain locations.
Marble Falls, frequently referred to as the Gateway to the Hill Country, was originally founded when Adam Rankin Johnson traveled down the Colorado from Fort Mason to see the "great falls", as they were called at the time, and obtained land grants with the intention of settling near the falls, until he discovered the certificates were worthless and settled instead in Burnet with his wife Josephine, in 1861. Johnson had intended to help build a great manufacturing community, powered by energy from the falls, but after settling with his wife in Burnet, joined the Confederate army, and was later blinded by a rifle ball in combat.
Johnson later was employed by the land office in Burnet for years, where his reputed excellent memory and his son's help allowed him to overcome the limitations caused by his blindness and succeed in making land deals. In 1887, he finally purchased land in the Marble Falls area, and built a home for his family there. The home faced south, directly toward the majestic falls, and his family members gave him daily reports of their beauty so he could visualize them as he remembered them.
The community later thrived and became a cotton center, known as "The Blindman's Town", and Johnson's home, named Liberty Hall, was later purchased by Orphelia "Birdie" Harwood and her husband George, in the early 1900s, and was later named Harwood house, but is still referred to as Liberty Hall or Liberty House by some. The house was bought in 1946 by Bill and Eunice Hall, and their son, and is now a commercial building, but prior to their purchase of the home, "Birdie", as Mrs. Harwood was called, was elected mayor of the community, and while teaching at the local school, loaned supplies to one of her students, Lyndon Baines Johnson, who later went on the fame as a political force in Texas and later the president of the United States. Johnson along with his family, is one of the most notable early residents of Marble Falls.
In 1970, home mail service began in Marble Falls, and Horseshoe Bay, a beautiful lakeside resort replete with a golf course and various water sports, restaurants, and other facilities and activities, was built on the shores of the lake. Lake Marble Falls itself was created in the forties by the construction of Buchanan Dam, along with Starke and Wirtz Dams, and the other Highland Lakes were created around the same time, by damming the waters of the Colorado River. Lake LBJ is also very close to the city of Marble Falls, and two of the dams used to partially create Lake Marble Falls were rebuilt in the year 2000. Earlier, in 1980, a new high school was built to improve the academic performance of the area students, and ten years later, the internet was introduced in Marble Falls, allowing even more access to reference materials for the residents of the growing community.
Today, Marble Falls is an established community. The yearly Lakefest in August draws throngs of visitors, as do various attractions including numerous restaurants, a movie theater, many R.V. parks, a public golf course called Meadowlakes, and a plethora of gift shops, antique stores, bed and breakfast inns, and a variety of unique local attractions. Marble Falls has a large community of retirees, as well as residents who spend their winters in the town, due to its mild climate. Some of the popular local restaurants include the Blue Bonnet Cafe and Russo's Texitally Cafe, and Rockhopper's Family Fun Center offers miniature golf and other games and sports.
If peaceful, rural living, as well as scenic beauty and numerous amenities are your cup of tea, come to Marble Falls and experience the best Texas has to offer!
Ki is a real estate agent working in the
Austin Texas real estate market. He provides information on his site about
Marble Falls real estate along with a search of the
Austin MLS.
