Impractical Heart: Nostaliga Hits You Like a Rock

Kopperl, Texas is a small town located northwest of Lake Whitney; right where the praires start rolling into the Texas Hill Country. If you don't know exactly what you are looking for Kopperl gets no second glance in your rear-view mirror. If you blink you pass right by it.

This tiny town doesn't hold much of anything in it. Three churches (Baptist, Methodist, and Church of Christ), a Masonic Lodge, Volunteer Fire Department and a school that still houses Pre-K through 12th grade all in one building. If you look really closely you find that there is a rarely opened antique store, and old Santa Fe Railroad depot and the remnance of a few buildings from Kopperl's hayday.

You may wonder why I am writing what seems like an obscure blog about a town you have probably never heard of. I spent every weekend in this town when I was a kid. My grandmother owns the afore mentioned antique store and Santa Fe Railroad depot. I had some of the best times of my life here.

I write this blog because this is a part of me. This little town holds a very special place in my heart and I know one day my trips to Kopperl will be few and far between. My grandmother, who we refer to as "Mammie", is getting older and I have to start preparing myself for the day she passes through the gates and waits for me in Heaven.

I digress (because those thoughts are not easy to bare yet). My uncle is currently working to get a Historical Marker put on the depot. This is not an easy task. It is very time consuming and tedious and a lot of things must go in to getting a Historical Marker put on a building. My contribution so far has been taking the pictures of the depot to send to the Commissioner.

As I took the pictures I thought about Kopperl as a small town starting out. I bet it was booming! The railroad ran through there, the town had an actual main street full of horses, carriages and maybe a car or two.  However, after they moved the railroad out to the west of town the town slowly died. Kopperl has an interesting history and in 1969 Steve Fromholz wrote a song about Kopperl:

Eventually Craig Hillis wrote a book about the song in 2002:

If you look closely in the upper right hand corner our depot made the cover. If you look even closer than that there are two little girls playing patty cake next to a window...that is me and my sister. No Lie!

Kopperl is deep in my roots and I hold dear the time spent there. I know there may come a day when Kopperl is back on the map as a town that booms with people, places and things! I am sure I won't be alive to see it...but some of my future generations may.

I took these pictures a day before I turned 28. Nostaliga really has a way of creeping into your thoughts as you approach a birthday. My picture taking adventure helped me dream back to when I was a kid and on this birthday I really enjoyed that. It is hard as an adult to slow down and think of a time when we weren't so stressed, pressed for time or on the hook for so many responsibilities.