The Austin Pizza Garden - 9/27/2008

Introduction:

Texas Spirit Seekers is scientific in its approach to dealing with the paranormal and does not except the information gathered from Psychics, Séances or Ouija boards as this evidence can be tampered with by the individual giving the information, they have preconceived ideas about the paranormal before the start an investigation, they believe the place to be haunted before the go in the home.

We at Texas Spirit Seekers state that the property in question has no paranormal activity before the investigation starts and try to debunk any of the reports of the paranormal, collect evidence using instrumentation such as audio recorders, video cameras, DVR systems, EMF meters, thermometers, etc. And review all data collected. We do report personal experiences but it is not accepted as paranormal activity unless it can be backed up by our instrumentation. The final report will have an introduction, history of the property if available, list of investigation team members, all experiences, data of interest, instrumentation used, comments, and a final record/conclusion. We at TSS do not charge for any of our services and will not accept payment or contributions to the group; we do this as a service to the community.

History:

Original owner – James Andrew Patton – Built 1879, it was know by the old pioneers as the “Patton Store” and later as the “Rock Store”. The “Rock Store” was built in 1898 by Henry Marx, a German rock mason, under James A. Patton’s supervision. It is a 2 story wood frame house and hand-tooled limestone store with walls, which are 2 feet thick. The rock was quarried from this land in Oak Hill. The architecture of the store was influenced by the German stone houses located in and around Johnson City and Stonewall, Blanc County.

The first post office was located at Berryman’s Store in 1861 at Oat Manvilla. In 1873 Berryman moved to Oakhill where James operated his store. The post office was placed in the “Patton Store”, in Oct 1, 1886, James was appointed Postmaster at the Oakhill.

His wife Virginia Bishop ran the store until about 1912 (33 years). The upstairs was sometimes referred to as the “Hall”. An old organization, “Woodmen of the World”, used the Hall during the early years rent free. John Dudley White, his son in law, was an active member. The Rock Store was rented to Mr. Pierce who ran it about 5 years after Patton retired. John McMahan Patton (brother of James) ran it until about 1918. Rosa Patton White and James (father), started to run the store together until around 1923. On special occasions the Hall was used for Dances.

1923-1925 – The Rock Store “Country Dances” run by James. A private club rented the store about 1926. Rosa White and her 3 kids moved to the Hall to live and she operated the store until December 14, 1928. The store was operated by Mrs. Brown from 1929 (for about 10 years). James rented the store to Mr. Rowlett at $16.00 a month, May 15, 1939. On February 3, 1940, the Hall was rented to Lenis Meyer for $6.00 a month. The Rock Store was leased for the first time for 25 years to Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Martin, April 22, 1940 for $15. They leased the store until Mr. Martin’s death. The lease was then continued by Mrs. S.A. Martin until 1965, when she died.

The outside appearance has not changed from the original except to replace the door which was located on the second floor in the front of the building with a matching window and native limestone. The original outside stairway was of wood and it was replaced with a limestone stairway. The changes were made in the early 1900’s, After the Martin’s died. Margaret White Grunewald, the owners since 1964, loved James Patton “Papa” her grandfather as the father she never knew. James died July 11, 1944 (91) Buried at the Oakhill Cemetery. Deed was turned over to Rosa 1964

In 1970 the building was a Steak and Seafood Restaurant call “The Fortress” operated by James Morris White, Great Grandson. Mr. White restored the building in 1969.

Placard Information: Texas Historical Marker

The Old Rock Store (Currently the Austin Pizza Garden) – The Old Rock Store was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1970. Influenced by style of German rock buildings of Central Texas. Built in 1898 under supervision of James Andrew Patton (1853 – 1944). A German mason laid the stone. Patton fought Comanche’s as a Texas Ranger and was a civic leader and local Post Master. He was known affectionately as “The Mayor of Oak Hill”. He and family, then others, ran a general store here for years. Early on the Woodsmen of the World had a lodge hall on the second floor.

The Spoetzl Brewery - The back portion of the building was built by the Shiner Brewing Association, a stock company of local men. Sold in April 1915 to Kosmas Spoetzl (1873 – 1950), native of Bavaria and former operator of a brewery in Cairo, Egypt. This plant remained open in 1918-33(Prohibition Era), making “Near Beer” and ice. The owner’s daughter, “Miss Cecelie” joined the staff in 1922. She became the only woman in the U.S.A. to be the sole owner of a brewery in 1950. A nephew, August Haslbeck, joined in 1934, Granddaughter Rosa, in 1964. In the family for over 50 years, the plant retains its historic name, although sold in 1966 to new owners.

Experiences:

The following, is a list of experiences that the current employees have compiled. A broom fell over in the downstairs dinning room. The group said that the front door to the restaurant would lock on its own. The apparition of a woman has been seen on the stairs in the kitchen sink area. One of the cooks has seen a pizza cutter spinning on the pizza line and no one has touched it. There have numerous occasions where whispering, footsteps, and chairs moving could be heard. They have had it all from creepy feelings to figures on the stairs and even lights being turned on upstairs when no one is in the building.

Investigators:
Lance Brooks, Teresa Allen, Adam Brooks, Greg Stephens, Brandon Stephens, Conrad Williams, Kimberly Zwick, and Adam Varges.

Weather:
Fair, 89°, High 93°, Low 61°
Feels Like: 89°
Barometer: 30.06 in and falling
Humidity: 23%
Visibility: 10 mi
Dew point: 47°
Wind: N 7mph
Sunrise: 7:22 am
Sunset: 7:16 pm
Moon Phase: New Moon - 0% of Full

Instrumentation:

Photographic – Fujifilm IS1
Audio – Olympus VN410PC, HP DV9000 Laptop computer with Adobe Audition.
Video – Sony HDR-SR1
Thermal Camera – ICI ToughCam
KII Mod. – Paranormal Systems Inc.
EC Meter – New Gravity Media Inc.
THD Data Loggers – Lascar Electronics
DVR System, 1-24IR, 1-54IR, 2-104IR, 1-150 IR Lamp

Personal Experiences:

One of the most notable personal experiences happened early on in the investigation. I sent one of our members, Brandon Stephens with the other Co-Founder Teresa Allen to do a walkthrough with the current manager. While on the second floor near the dinning room stairs, he was scratched on the back by an unseen force. They immediately returned to the rally point and we photographed his back. They resumed their walkthrough. Many of our members felt a little queasy when they were investigating the upstairs dinning room. I personally felt as though there was a heaviness to the air and felt sick to my stomach. These are all great personal experiences but can not be substantiated with rock hard data, make great stories but do little to help solve the mystery.