|
|
|
|
A New Name for an Old Frio Friend Mary Tom Neal Buchanan and husband, John, former owners of Neal's Lodges, are now managing, along with a daughter and son-in-law, 15 cabins along the beautiful Frio River that were not included in the sale of Neal's Lodges. Missing involvement in the resort industry, Mary Tom and John are now taking a more active role with their 15 cottages, henceforth known as Buchanan Cabins at Neal's. Because of the family relationships between Neal's Lodges and Buchanan Cabins at Neal's, the Buchanans will work closely with Neal's Lodges to continue to provide the best possible services to you and your family. We look forward to hosting your next Frio River experience!
Read on if you're interested in learning more about the family that has maintained Neal's Lodges and Buchanan Cabins all these years....
NEAL’S LODGES: FIFTY YEARS OLD By Jane Knapik From THE UVALDE LEADER NEWS, June 5, 1977 Fifty years ago Tom and Vida Neal realized that increasing numbers of people would become interested in camping facilities on the Frio River in the Hill Country north of Uvalde. Neal’s farsightedness has paid off for the family – and for vacationers at Concan. Four of the early cabins that Neal built are still in use. Now his daughter Mary Tom and her husband John Buchanan have added more cabins, giving them 36 units, most of which are air-conditioned and generally resemble modern motel rooms. The camp also offers facilities for nine recreation vehicles, and plans for future expansion are already on the drawing board. Tom Neal moved north of Concan after World War I. Before long he married Vida Thrift, a girl he had known when the Neals and the Thrifts had all lived in Georgetown. Tom and Vida’s two daughters, Billie and Mary Tom were born at the Neal home on the Frio. By 1922 Tom was appointed postmaster at Concan, a settlement on the east bank of the Frio River. A schoolhouse stood across the road from the combination post office and store. After a bridge washed out on the road from Concan northward to Avant’s Camp, Tom gave right-of-way for a new highway to cross the river at Concan. At the completion of the road, Tom moved his business to the west side of the river, its present location. When Neal built the first cabins, the area was called “The Shut-In,” meaning a secluded place on the river, closed in by hills. As passing years brought new meaning to that term, Tom named his camp “Neal’s Vacation Lodge.” Mr. Thrift built those first cabins: five down on the west riverbank and one on higher ground. Mr. Fowler of Sabinal helped with later building. A dining room was built on the bluff south of the highway in 1928. Dining tables that Thrift made of now-rare 1x18 boards are still used at the Lodge. A concession stand was placed below the dining room, and five more cabins were constructed. In spite of the flood of 1932 that washed five units down the river, Tom built three more cabins close to the river. But after they washed away in a 1935 flood, he gave up building so near the river, thus avoiding further losses to the river. Some of the first customers were George Brown of Houston, his associates in the Brown & Root Construction Company, and even one of Howard Hughes’ lawyers. Many Uvaldeans also drove out to rent cabins or to have meals in the dining room. For thirty years, Mrs. Neal, with the help of Maudie and Lonnie Bradbury, provided home cooked meals for guests. According to the Neal daughters, “Mama and Maudie cooked all those meals on a wood stove. Their big problem was getting somebody to keep them supplied with firewood, and sometimes they ran short on other necessities. “Fried chicken was the Sunday specialty. One time Mama and Maudie ran out of chicken and had to go the chicken pen to kill one. Since someone else had always taken care of that part of the work, they didn’t know much about selecting poultry. They chose the toughest old rooster in the flock. “Lonnie, who was the cook that day, had the task of trying to make the meat tender. According to stories Lonnie told later, even though he cooked and cooked, the customer was never able to get a fork into the meat.” During off-season months, Tom went into various business ventures, including fur trading and goat raising. Unfortunately, a New York fur dealer left Tom holding a d $2,000 “hot” check during the Depression; and Tom’s partner in the goat business sold the stock and left Tom only the debts. But the success he had in subdividing his property on the nearby Leakey Road turned out so well that it made up for the other problems. Besides that, the family enjoyed living in Concan. The Neal daughters attended the local school with such teachers as Audry O’Bryant and Ora Mae Caddell. Then they transferred to Sabinal, going by car pool with the Meyers boys until a bus route was set up. Later they spent college years at Southwestern University in Georgetown. During those early years, the UVALDE LEADER NEWS carried a column of Concan news, with frequent items about guests at “The Shut-In.” In 1951 an article marked the 25th year of operation, stating that facilities included 23 cabins, a dining room open each day, and dancing on the outdoor pavilion and dressing rooms for swimmers. Soon after that, Billie and her husband, Jack Graves, and Mary Tom and her husband, John Buchanan, bought the camp from their parents. Even after her husband’s death, Mrs. Neal, or “Mimi” as she is affectionately called by her family, remained a vital part of the camp’s activities. She owned and operated the store until recent years and continued to manage the camp during off-season months. She also kept up early ranch day tradition by taking care of her own cows and calves. In 1941 Billie and Jack Graves were married in the family living room, located just behind the store and post office. After World War II, Mary Tom and John married in the same setting, with Rev. Tidwell, a retired Methodist minister and family friend, officiating. “I grew up in Dallas and never saw Concan before 1942,” John said, adding with a chuckle, “And I haven’t seen much else since.” He and Mary Tom met while he was a World War II cadet at Hondo’s Navigation Training School and she was a civilian worker at the base. The fact that they met at a Halloween party continues to be the basis for family jokes. Billie and Jack Graves live in Uvalde, where he is an architect. The Buchanans lived for five years in McCamey, where John was band director. Every summer they returned to Concan to help with the family business, which had grown to the extent that the Neals couldn’t handle it without the help of their children. When John became a Uvalde band director, first at the high school, then at Southwest Texas Junior College, the Buchanans moved to Concan permanently. They became the sole owners of the business in 1958. Work at the camp occupied all of John’s school holidays, until he resigned from school work to spend more time at Concan. The four Buchanan children, Mary Anna, Helen, Susan, and John Thomas, automatically became part of the work force when they were old enough. The only vacation the Buchanans ever took was an occasional off-season weekend in San Antonio, leaving the camp responsibilities to “Mimi.” Sometimes even those brief San Antonio trips were interrupted. One year a lucky interruption was a call from a teacher of china painting. That call led to the porcelain art workshop that has been held every May for the last 12 years. As many as 120 artists attend weeklong sessions using the Neal cabins, dining room, and china kilns. In 1976 a top name in the art, Jean Sadler, came from California to hold the workshop. This year several outstanding instructors demonstrated new art techniques. About two years ago, John and Mary Tom couldn’t resist a chance to sell the business and take life a little easier after so many years of demanding work. Mary Tom continued as postmistress, but they sold the store and camping facilities. The business stayed out of the family hands for a whole year. Then when the new camp owners were willing to sell, the Buchanans bought it back – with much encouragement from their children. They all realized how much of themselves they had invested in the business venture begun by the Neals. So they’re back again in this 50th year of family ownership with more enthusiasm than ever – and with new plans for expanding the facilities. Helen and Susan drive to Concan to help whenever possible. Mary Anna and her husband Rodger Roosa and their young family live and work in the camp. So does John Thomas. Mary Tom said of John Tomas, “He’s as mechanical as his great-grandfather Thrift; he can fix or build anything.” They never close the cabins during the year, but the dining room is open only during the summer from Easter to Labor Day and during deer season or for special groups. People from Uvalde, following a 50-year-old custom still like to drive up for a summer meal – or for a longer stay. Prices of cabins range from $13.50 to $31.50 for four people. Sometimes it appears that the seasonal business is about to become a year-round one. In addition to the china painting workshop in May, a university biology class regularly enjoys camp facilities while spelunking in a nearby bat cave. About 25 members of the Audubon Society come from Massachusetts in April to bird-watch and study bats. An Audubon group from Austin is another regular group. Church groups make reservations for September and October. Buchanan family members know how to handle dining room facilities for these off-season guests, but during the two main season, additional help is hired. Neal’s Camp has always attracted family groups. Mary Tom estimated that 75 percent of their customers are making a return trip and are often the second or third generation of their family to enjoy the place. As an example, the young man who handled the camp horses last was the third generation of his family to travel from Houston to Concan. Mary Tom and John enjoyed a column that Frank X. Tolbert wrote for the Dallas Morning news in which he complimented their camp. Recently the Texas Monthly magazine also recommended it. They have found that their new building, constructed near the dining room and other cabins now spreading south of the highway, is as adaptable as they had hoped. For instance, during one week last July, it served as headquarters for a family reunion, and then was converted to the scene of a wedding reception and luncheon. A new game room attached to the store has become a popular gathering place. And the merchandise collection in the store is a curiosity in itself, apparently including some of everything that campers have ever asked for. For example, there are ear plugs, snuff, cactus plants, Uvalde honey, water hoses, used paperback books, groceries, ladies’ hosiery, and kerosene lamps. Guests at the camp can swim, hike, take float trips down the river, ride horses or enjoy music at the open-air pavilion. A special treat during the summer on Wednesday and Saturday nights is a hayride that takes visitors, mainly families, on a winding trip along the river. A local ghost is employed to appear along the way, and marshmallows and other refreshments await guests at a bonfire on the riverbank. Actually the Buchanans know that the beauty of nature is the main attraction of Neal’s Camp. And they wouldn’t have it any other way. Mary Tom said that she has never wanted to live anywhere else and has never thought any sight was as pretty as the view of the river as she sees it from her home. Even when she was a child, she thought it was beautiful. Now when she sees guests enjoying the beauty of the place, it makes the 50 years of her parents’ planning and all her family’s work seem worthwhile.
|
|
