LCRA awards $22,608 grant to Hilda Community Club to help complete new community building

Replica of 1895 schoolhouse will be available for meetings, reunions, emergency responses and more

May 28, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • LCRA awards a $22,608 grant to the Hilda Community Club for phase two construction of a community building that will replicate the 1895 Beaver Creek/Hilda schoolhouse.
  • When complete, the building can be used for meetings, shared meals, family gatherings, an emergency response center and more.
  • The grant is one of 41 being awarded through LCRA’s Community Grants program through June. LCRA will accept applications in July for the next round of grants.
LCRA representatives present a $22,608 grant to the Hilda Community Club for renovations to the 1895 former schoolhouse. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, from left to right, are: John Palacio, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; Susan Doell, club board secretary; D’Lynn Brandenberger, club board member; Tom Doell, club board president; Martha Leigh M. Whitten, LCRA Board vice chair; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, Nancy Eckert Yeary, Carol Freeman and Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA Board members; Caroline Blanding, daughter of Melissa Blanding; Larry Willmann, club board member; and Dian Willmann, club member.
MASON COUNTY – The Hilda Community Club soon will complete work on the interior of a new community meeting space in a building that will replicate the 1895 Beaver Creek/Hilda schoolhouse, thanks to a $22,608 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The LCRA Community Grant, along with $6,000 in matching funds from the Hilda Community Club, will help finish the building’s interior with insulation, shiplap walls, beadboard ceilings and paint. Once complete, the building will serve as a community gathering place for potluck meals, celebrations, reunions and other events.

“Hilda is a small community with deep roots, and this building is a way to honor that history while giving people a place to come together,” said Tom Doell, president of the Hilda Community Club. “After our former community building burned in 2017, we didn’t have a dedicated place for residents and visitors of Hilda to gather. This grant helps us finish the inside of the schoolhouse replica and bring those opportunities for connection back.”

Hilda was settled in the late 1850s by German immigrants, many of whom migrated from the Fredericksburg area. The original Beaver Creek/Hilda schoolhouse was built in 1895 as a one-room school. It later expanded to two rooms. The school served the area until the 1940s, when Mason County schools were consolidated, and the building later was dismantled.

The community later gathered in a 1920s-era band hall built by the Hilda Community Club. Because the band hall included a stage, it became the area’s primary community meeting space before it was destroyed by fire in 2017.

“Instead of rebuilding the old band hall, we decided to recreate the schoolhouse because it represents an important part of Hilda’s story,” Doell said. “From the outside, the building already looks close to finished. With the help of this grant, we can complete the interior in a way that reflects the original schoolhouse and gives the community a useful, welcoming space for years to come.”

The completed building also will serve as a shelter and command post during emergencies in the area.

This is one of 41 grants awarded recently through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July. More information is available at www.lcra.org/grants.

Contact Info

Clara Tuma
512-578-3292
[email protected]
After hours: 512-944-6719

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves communities across Texas by managing the lower Colorado River, generating and transmitting wholesale electric power, providing clean water supplies, operating telecommunications infrastructure, and owning parks for outdoor recreation. LCRA delivers power, water and infrastructure that support the region’s growth and quality of life. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1934, LCRA receives no state appropriations.