With $500 left over from the Bluebonnet Ball, part of the Texas Sesquicentennial celebration in 1986, a small group of civic-minded Wimberley residents embarked on a rather ambitious mission. Calling themselves the “Wimberley Institute of Cultures,” the group set out to research and document the Wimberley Valley’s cultural resources, and to share their findings with younger residents in an educational outreach.

Although the WIC started small, and with little money (an annual Pie Social has been their main fundraiser since 1990; this year’s event is scheduled for April 11), it has been a tremendous success, and the membership rolls now include more than four hundred good-hearted citizens. They have not only collected hundreds of historic photos and documents and made presentations to thousands of students, but have restored Wimberley’s premier historic landmark (the Winters-Wimbeley House) and several panels of an amazing mural painted by noted local artist Buck Winn (for the Pearl Brewery), called “The History of Ranching.” They have published a self-guided tour brochure for historic Wimberley and produced a play dramatizing the arrival of electricity; they have put together a cookbook (featuring local recipes and art), a history course and a video on water conservation; and they have presented regular exhibits featuring different aspects of Wimberley culture.

They recently built a cedar-post ramada for outdoor activities behind the Winters Wimberley House and turned the old barn into a climate-controlled archives building. They are now planning the transportation and restoration of the 1870s-era Zack Wimberley House, a 540-square-foot frame house built by Pleasant Wimberley’s son for his young bride.

But it’s not ALL work for this energetic group; the WIC sponsors interesting and educational trips for members, and the fun, food and fellowship are definitely part of the appeal. If you are interested in joining or supporting ...

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