Unregistered

I guess you know it by now, but I do also recall walking up a quarter mile or so trail of to the east side of the highway just north of Fredericksburg to the balanced rock. The last time I saw it was in the mid-70s. I too was wondering if it was still there, but alas it seems that its gone.

Frank

mclement

I visited the balanced rock on numerous occasions in the 70's. My family owed property in nearby Marble Falls. My dad, being the geek he was, took us to check out every anomaly in west Texas.
There was a pink granite footpath leading to the rock. I recall only one pedistal about 6" tall and 3" in diameter. Some drunk kids pushed it off its base. Not sure about the blasting theory.
It was carved from rushing water ions ago.

Mark

Unregistered

I believe you are correct. It has been gone for many years now. I don't have the details; however, It is gone.

Unregistered

I never saw balancing rock, and now I never will!!

I know it sounds like kids just being kids, but why cant people just leave things alone. Sounds like a very unique type of formation. Something unique to show ones childrens, somethig to ponder over and wonder how it got up there and stayed up there. Do kids have nothing better to do than destroy what isnt theirs!! It belongs to Mother Nature, and seems to me not many respect her anymore. We can expand roads, make freeways to increase traffic flow but we cant preserve our parks. HRmphhh!

quasi

I grew up in Fredericksburg. It was called 'Balanced Rock'. The area was never a park it was on private property owned by a quarry. In highschool we used go there several times a week at night stare at the city lights and drink few beers. It was great place to take a date. It was blown up while I was still a senior in high school so that was 1986 not 1989 as was mentioned earlier, there are even references to the event in my yearbook. Some friends of mine and I were up there the same night it was dynamited, we found out the next day it had been blown up and being that it was dark and late we wondered if the charges were already set and we did not see them or if the individuals that set them were waiting for us to leave.
Considering that the property was owned by a quarry, quarries have access to explosives, if the area was made into a park they could not quarry into the area where the rock was, if anyone falls the quarry could be liable, and the investigation was almost nothing... its a common belief that the owners blasted the rock. Somewhat understandable but still sad.

I'm in Fredericksburg pretty often and end up driving the highway that goes by there pretty often as well. I still get depressed about it when I go by because it was big part of my teen years.

ploddinTod

Is the quarry still operating?

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PloddinTod

quasi

Yes it is.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...t=k&iwloc=addr

BigBendHiker

Indeed. Things would have been much different had TPWD acquired the property or area upon which Balanced Rock was located. Fortunately, TPWD acquired the Enchanted Rock area. Who knows what that area might be today had that not happened? Another quarry??


BBH

Electric Water Boy

I saw Balanced Rock some 30 years ago. It was cool, but it had already been tagged a bunch and trash was everywhere.

It would have been cool had either TPWD aquired the area or the quarry had protected the area (did the quarry ownthe area?) Blasting didn't help, but I wouldn't rule out vandals trashing the thing. Either way, a lost treasure.

quasi

A picture I found. Some of the older stores in Fredericksburg still have postcards with it's picture similar to this one. It was around 7 to 8 feet high. We used to jump from the ledge next to it to get on it.
If I'm not mistaken, the rock is now about where the photographer taking this picture was.

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genIm...1.jpg&cardNum=

oldude51

Thank you all for all the posts. And thanks so much for the copy of the post card, its all such a shame, but as they say, it is what it is.

i should search my old photos, i may actually have a copy of the rock myself somewhere.

The older i get the more i realize the treasures that i have taken for granted and the beautiful things, both natural and man made that we have lost forever with our neglect.

but not to end on a sad note but a happy one, there is still so much to do and see in this great state of ours, let us learn from our mistakes and share the experiencs of our pasts to help try and preserve the future.

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oldude

TexasGenie

Sad to say Balancing rock NO longer exsist.
Some kids blew it up.
It's a tradegy to lose such a beautiful thing created by nature.
But in todays society..........NO ONE cares about anything any more.