Friday, September 5
Last stand in Old Texas Town
The story almost resembles an old Western plot itself: a ragtag group of eccentric old-timers refusing to pick up sticks and move on, despite an order to leave from some rich out-of-towners who want to use the town to build new-fangled infrastructure. That’s what is currently playing out in Spandau, where the lease for Old Texas Town expired on Sunday, but the cowboy enthusiasts who have occupied the site in Haselhorst for 57 years are refusing to budge. In fact, they’re planning a party this Saturday, despite the wishes of the new owners, who want to turn the land into a data centre. All that remains to be seen now is whether the whole thing ends in a shootout.
The replica Western village of Old Texas Town is over 10,500 square metres and includes a saloon, bank, jail, church, and an antique pharmacy, as well as a wheelwright’s and a saddler’s workshop. It’s true that there are some questionable elements, such as visitors donning Native American dress or waving Confederate flags. But whatever you think of it, this old community seems hard to shake. Visitor numbers rose sharply in August, and an online petition to save the Western village has already garnered more than 10,000 signatures.
So who will win: the townspeople or the speculators? Old Texas Town ain’t big enough for the both of ‘em.
