Historic Dripping Springs
Eight years after Texas became the 28th state of the United States, three American families trekking from Mississippi and Kentucky decided to make their homes in this beautiful part of the Texas Hill Country. Following the road that carried supplies to a U.S. Army fort in Fredericksburg, the "Old Three" -the Pound, Moss, and Wallace families-stopped their wagons to form a frontier settlement between 1853 and 1854, amongst the area's rolling hills, rock-bottomed streams, majestic views, and abundant wildlife.
By 1857, this modest settlement of log cabins and farmsteads needed a post office, which required them to pick a town name. Indiana "Nannie" Moss called it as she saw it: inspired by lush, fern-covered, limestone ledges that still drip with water to this day. Henceforth, the town would be known as Dripping Springs.
Although there were homes and businesses scattered about over the years, Dripping Springs didn't have a centralized location until 1881, when W. T. Chapman, a young entrepreneur, established a 12-block city plan. The resulting growth included a school, a hotel, mercantile stores, blacksmith shops, a livery stable, a stagecoach stop, a steam-engine-powered mill, and cotton gins.
Almost a century after the city plan was drawn, Dripping Springs still remained a sleepy farm and ranch community. It wasn't until 1981 that the town would call an election to incorporate itself as a means to push back on the rapidly expanding jurisdiction plans of the City of Austin. Thus, Dripping Springs got into the business of governing itself, electing its first mayor, James W. "Jimmy" Glosson, and eventually experiencing its own significant growth spurt around 2010.
Many buildings and homes rich in heritage and history still exist in Dripping Springs and help shape the story of who we are today. The Dripping Springs Historic Preservation Commission and other preservation-minded citizens created a historic brochure that you can find below, with hope that the spirit of our pioneers, founders, and their families will live on.