Their form of utopia in Sisterdale was to work hard in the fields during the day to earn the necessities of life. At night they gathered together for stimulating, intellectual conversations about literature, music, philosophy and politics. The Sisterdale Dancehall was the center of this activity.

Foremost in their political views was the belief that basic human rights are guaranteed to all people. In 1853, members of their community adopted the following political, social and religious platform:

a. Equal pay for equal work
b. Direct elections for President of the United States
c. Abolition of capital punishment
d. Free schools-including universities-supported by the state
e. Total separation of church and state

Consistent with their social views, they were strict abolitionists. When Texas sided with the Confederacy, more than 30 men from area settlements were executed for refusing to join the Confederate Army and fight for the cause of slave ownership.

Sisterdale is the home of many descendants of these early pioneers. And, like their ancestors, they still love the music that continues in the Sisterdale Dancehall.

So, let the music play! Come on down and enjoy your own piece of Texas history at the Sisterdale Dancehall.

For more information on the philosophical beliefs of the freethinkers who lived in Sisterdale, click below.

http://www.associatedcontent.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisterdale,_Texas

http://www.answers.com/topic/freethought