R.I.P. Threadgill's (November 29, 2020)

Threadgill's closed forever this year.  No historical marker is in its future.  Instead, the iconic restaurant and music venue is to be torn down to make way for apartments.

Threadgill's was way more than a beer joint and music venue.  Their homestyle Southern cooking with free seconds on veggies like cheesy San Antonio squash kept the place crowded.  I'll miss the fried okra. 

Quoting from Threadgill's website:

When bootlegger and country music lover Kenneth Threadgill opened his Gulf filling station just north of Austin's city limits in 1933, he had more on his mind than just pumping gas.  After all, just months before he had stood in line all night to become the first person to be granted a beer license in Travis County. Soon after that, his joint would become a favorite for traveling musicians to grab a beer after gigs.

The quintessential beer joint continued to flourish in the '60s, and changed with the social climate of the era by inviting folkies, hippies, and beatniks to Wednesday night singing sessions with open arms. Threadgill's love for people and music smoothed out the conflicts that usually occurred when longhairs and rednecks crossed paths.  A new culture tolerance emanated from the tavern which had a profound effect on its patrons and the music that came from it. Not to mention that Threadgill's is where Janis Joplin developed the brassy style that would propel her to become rock's first female superstar.