Schulenburg: Texas Polka Music Museum

Schulenburg: Texas Polka Music Museum

  • <p>Texas Polka Museum (Larry D. Moore CC BY-SA 3.0)</p> <p>Storefront with sign saying Polka Music Museum</p>
  • <p>Baca Band, ca. 1880s (Texas Polka Museum)</p> <p>Group of men holding brass and woodwind instruments</p>
  • <p>Guenther Sattler Community Band, 1896 (Texas Polka Museum)</p> <p>Group of men holding brass instruments and a bass drum</p>
  • <p>Nagel’s Home Band, Cat Spring. (UTSA Special Collections Library)</p> <p>Group of men with various instruments and sign saying Nagel’s Home Band</p>
  • <p>Brass band in front of Emil Hopf General Merchandise Store, Fredericksburg. (UTSA Special Collections Library)</p> <p>Brass band standing in front of Emil Hopf’s General Merchandise and Millinery store.</p>
  • <p>Music section of the San Antonio Turnverein, ca. 1880 (UTSA Special Collections Library)</p> <p>Photo of a brass band posing in front of several flags, labeled Musik-section des San Antonio Turn-Vereins</p>

The Czechs claim to have invented polka music; their word pulka means “half-step,” matching the 2/4 time characteristic of the style. But the Polish also take credit for polka, claiming Czechs adopted the style only after seeing a Polish girl performing it. Whichever story is true, in the mid-1800s, European immigrants to Texas brought with them their brand of polka – the accordion leading German and Czech polkas, and the fiddle leading Polish polkas. The German vereins – or associations – became the preservers of polka music, which is still played in the dance halls around the state.

Besides serving as a listing for polka DJs and bands, the Texas Polka Music Museum features exhibits of the instruments, bands, photos, and costumes that make up polka’s rollicking history in Texas.

Texas Polka Music Museum

  • Hours: Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  • Admission: None
  • 625 N. Main St., Schulenburg, TX
  • 979-743-4752
  • Visit Website