Explore Marble Falls History

Even the building is historic at the Falls on the Colorado Museum at 2001 Broadway in Marble Falls. The facility is located in the Granite Building, which originally served as the only school in town. It was built in 1891 from pink granite found just up the road in the Granite Mountain quarry.
The museum is open from 10-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Because it is located on the campus of an elementary school, visitors must have a photo ID to enter on school days before 3:30 p.m.
You may be wondering why falls is in the name of both the town and the museum when there are no falls anywhere to be seen. You’ll find the answer at the museum, but in a nutshell, those falls are underwater. Water rushed over limestone rocks that looked very much like marble located just upriver from the Hwy 281 bridge. The falls disappeared when the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) built Max Starke Dam in 1951 to form Lake Marble Falls.
Occasionally the LCRA lowers the lake to do maintenance or repairs on the dam. You’ll see a silted over version of the falls then, and depending on the time of year, get a chance to walk around and play in the rapids.
To learn more, pay a visit to the museum. You can also visit the museum’s web site at www.fallsmuseum.org, or call (830) 798-2157.
The entire Highland Lakes area is steeped in history. In fact, you can plan an entire vacation around museum and historic site visits.
In Llano County, check out the Llano County Museum at 310 Bessemer in Llano. It’s located on the Llano River in the old Bruhl Drugstore Building. Along with many exhibits, a restored log cabin is on the grounds. For more, visit the museum’s website at www.llanomuseum.org, or call (325) 247-3026.
Visit the LBJ National Historic Park in Johnson City, hometown of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The find the former president’s boyhood home take Texas 290 east from U.S. 281 in Johnson City to Avenue G and continue south till you see the signs. You can also check out the Johnson Family Settlement. For more, call (830) 868-7128 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/lyjo/index.htm.
The Fort Croghan Museum at 703 Texas 29 West in Burnet, offers a look at the lives of early settlers in the area. For more, visit the website at www.www.fortcroghan.org, or call (512) 756-8281.