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Andice, Texas

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Music in Andice

Songs About Andice

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Artists From Andice

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Chad Austin
country

Rivers & Roads in Song near Andice

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Andice.

Interstate 35 45 songs Texas Colorado River 6 songs Pedernales River 6 songs Texas State Highway 71 2 songs

History of Andice

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, Texas, has a unique story behind its name. In 1899, Reverend William Isaac Newton wanted to name the new post office after his newborn son, Audice. However, postal officials misread the name as 'Andice' and approved it. The town's name has since been pronounced 'an-dice', although the correct pronunciation, considering its origin, is 'an-diss'. This pronunciation is still used by older, native residents, but it's rare among younger generations and recent transplants to the area.

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice sits nestled in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a land sculpted by eons of geological activity. Beneath the surface lies the Edwards Aquifer, a vast underground reservoir that bubbles up in springs and feeds the lifeblood of the region: the San Gabriel River. This water, filtered through layers of porous limestone, has carved out the rolling hills and canyons that define the landscape. The soil, thin and rocky, favors hardy grasses and drought-resistant trees like live oak and juniper, painting the hillsides in shades of green and gray. The land here demands resilience. Early settlers, drawn by the promise of fertile bottomlands along the river, quickly learned to adapt to the cyclical droughts and flash floods that shaped their lives. They became ranchers and farmers, skilled at coaxing a living from the unforgiving terrain. The limestone that underpins the area provided building material for homes and fences, a tangible connection to the earth itself. The spirit of Andice is a reflection of this landscape: tough, resourceful, and deeply rooted in the land.

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, Texas, sits nestled in Williamson County, a place where the Blackland Prairie meets the edge of the Hill Country. The soil here, rich and dark, drew farmers early on, folks looking to coax a living from the land. Agriculture has always been the backbone of this community, from cotton in the early days to the cattle ranches that dot the landscape now. You can still see the remnants of that agricultural past in the old barns and weathered fences that stand as silent witnesses to generations of hard work. The area's proximity to larger towns like Georgetown and Liberty Hill has shaped its destiny, too. Andice never quite boomed like those places, remaining a close-knit, rural community. It's seen its share of change, though. The coming of the railroad bypassed Andice, impacting its growth potential, while the development spreading out from Austin has brought new residents and a different pace of life. Yet, despite the encroachment, Andice has managed to hold onto its identity – a place where the stars still shine bright at night and the echoes of its farming heritage linger in the air.

Smart-McCormick Home

1855

Smart-McCormick Home, 1855. Built by Bryce M. Smart (1816-1880), who had a grist mill, tannery, freight line. His children rescued newborn calves abandoned on nearby Chisholm Trail. McCormicks, 5th generation descendants, now own home. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Historical Marker → · 4.3 mi away

Rocky Hollow Cemetery

1850

In the 1850s, a group of pioneer Black slaves came to this area from Union County, Arkansas, and founded what is now known as the Rocky Hollow Community. This cemetery soon was established on land given by Thomas P. Chapman. Although it was used before the Civil War began, the first marked grave, that of Confederate veteran William Bacon Tucker, is dated 1865. Known in earlier times as Bullion and as Little Arkansas, Rocky Hollow Cemetery continues to be maintained by descendants of the community's founders and of many ex-slaves. (1984)

Historical Marker → · 4.4 mi away

Williams-Buck Cemetery

1854

Legend surrounds the first years of this burial ground. Local oral history relates that among the earliest graves are those of a slave called Willie Osborne and an unknown Native American. Members of the Stephens family, ambushed by Indians in 1854, are said to have been buried here in their wagon. The oldest marked grave is that of infant Polly Williams, interred in 1854 on land owned by W. W. Williams. A cemetery association was organized in 1960s. Many honored veterans of Confederate and U. S. Armed Forces are interred here. Fifteen graves were moved from the Bullion Cemetery in the 1970s when Lake Georgetown was formed. More than 240 graves were counted in 1997. (1998)

Historical Marker → · 5.0 mi away

Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic

1973

Since the 1970s the Fourth of July and Texas music have been synonymous with Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic. The country music extravaganza began in 1973 and was inspired by a country music festival that took place outdoors on a ranch near Dripping Springs, Hays County, in March 1972. Willie Nelson, one of the performers, and some of his business associates decided to organize a one-day event for July 4, 1973. Eddie Wilson, owner of Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, promoted the concert, which was held at the same ranch in Dripping Springs. Musicians in addition to Nelson included Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings , and Tom T. Hall. Organizers soon realized that their plans were incomplete: the lack of sanitation, electricity, and parking space became obvious as an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 fans jammed two caliche backroads to the site. As understaffed health-care volunteers treated cases of heat exhaustion, security personnel tried to keep the stage clear and contended with intoxicated fans. In spite of the first picnic's shortfalls, Nelson and promoters made plans to stage a bigger and improved Independence Day concert for the next year. In 1974 the picnic was actually a three-day festival that took place outdoors at the Texas World Speedway in College Station. Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Buffett, Leon Russell, Michael Martin Murphey, and Jerry Jeff Walker were among the lineup of musicians that attended. From this time on, Willie's picnic established itself as an annual event. In 1975, 90,000 people descended upon the hamlet of Liberty Hill in Williamson County to hear Nelson and the Charlie Daniels Band, Delbert McClinton, the Pointer Sisters, and Kris Kristofferson. The Texas Senate proclaimed July 4 "Willie Nelson Day." Ironically, the overcrowding problems of the previous picnics had also prompted the Texas legislature to pass the Texas Mass Gathering Act, and Williamson County officials charged Nelson with violating that law. Throughout the 1970s however, the picnics continued at various sites—Gonzales, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Austin Opry House, and the Pedernales Country Club. Musicians included Doug Sahm , Emmylou Harris, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ernest Tubb , and other semi-regulars such as Leon Russell and Kris Kristofferson. After 1980 and a successful concert at which over 90,000 fans heard Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel , Ray Price , Johnny Paycheck, and others at Nelson's Pedernales Country Club, Nelson and his organizers announced the discontinuation of the event, though an event of sorts took place as a series of shows at Syracuse, New York, Giants Stadium in New Jersey, and Atlanta International Raceway in 1983. In 1984, however, the picnic began anew and in the succeeding years was held at various venues around Austin. The 1986 concert also doubled as Farm Aid, which Nelson orchestrated in the mid-1980s to raise money for America's farmers. John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan , Joe Ely, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds were among the musical acts that played Nelson's picnics. By the 1990s the on again–off again picnic had become more subdued. A modest crowd of 15,000 cheered on performers at Zilker Park, Austin, in 1990. The Highwaymen, which featured Nelson, Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings, headlined the concert. Nelson's next festival—in 1993—was a scaled-down affair at the Backyard in Austin, with about 3,000 people in attendance. From 1995 to 1999 Willie's Fourth of July Picnic took place in the Hill Country town of Luckenbach . Logistical and county permit problems kept the concert from taking place there in the early twenty-first century. The 2000 event occurred at Southpark Meadows in Austin. Even though organizers cancelled the picnic, planned for Luckenbach, in 2001 and 2002, residents of that town sought to host future Fourth of July Picnics. The picnic resumed in 2003 and was held at Two Rivers Canyon Amphitheater in Spicewood

Tsha Handbook → · 8.8 mi away

Mullen, John W.

1842

John Mullen, farmer and Confederate officer, was born in New Castle County, Delaware, on January 20, 1811. On January 21, 1836, Mullen married Mary Hamilton of Butler County, Ohio, in Terre Haute, Indiana. This couple had two sons and three daughters. In 1842 Mullen was a member of the Mier expedition to Mexico and eventually he was among the survivors incarcerated at Perote Prison . Though many died in prison, Mullen endured and was among those released on September 16, 1844, and put on board a ship bound for Galveston. With the onset of the Mexican War in 1846, Mullen volunteered and was mustered at Fort Clark, Indiana, as a second lieutenant in Company H of the Fourth Indiana Volunteer Regiment. This unit participated in several engagements during the course of the war. On July 16, 1848, Mullen was discharged as a colonel at Madison, Indiana. In 1849 Mullen brought his family to Texas and settled at Webberville in Travis County. In February 1853 the Mullens relocated near Florence in Williamson County and began farming. After the start of the Civil War , Mullen enlisted in the Twentieth Texas Infantry Regiment on April 2, 1862. Later, he organized two companies to be added to the Second Texas Cavalry, Arizona Brigade , with which he served as lieutenant colonel. On January 19, 1863, Mullen was discharged on account of disability by order of Gen. John Magruder . On December 15, 1863, Mullen's wife Mary passed away and was buried in the Mullen Cemetery near Florence. Mullen returned to the military in 1865 and was listed on the rolls of the Eighth Texas Cavalry Regiment of Col. Benjamin Terry 's “Terry's Texas Rangers." After the war, Mullen settled in Burnet County, Texas, where he remarried on January 23, 1866. His new wife, Ruth M. Fisher of Arkansas, gave birth to a daughter before she died in 1869. Two years later, on February 9, 1871, Mullen married Nancy A. Mowery (born on September 4, 1836) of Missouri. The couple had one son and two daughters before John W. Mullen died on January 9, 1894. He is buried in the Mullen Cemetery.

Tsha Handbook → · 5.4 mi away

Briggs, TX

1880

Briggs is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Farm Road 2657 in northeastern Burnet County. The site is part of the Aaron F. Boyce survey patented to Boyce's heirs on September 30, 1850. The Boyce land is on the headwaters of Berry Creek, where a number of permanent springs provided constant water. Settlers first called the area Springs, then Gum Springs. The land on which Briggs stands was purchased by Stephen Taylor from W. T. (Bill) Gann, who came to Texas from Missouri in 1855. Taylor arrived from Tennessee around 1880. Between 1870 and 1890 many new settlers arrived from Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Alabama, and other states to establish homes and farms in this blackland section of Burnet County. Taylor built a cotton gin and sold it in 1882; he then erected the first general store in the area that became known as Taylors Gin. In 1888 a petition was circulated among the citizens and sent to Washington, D.C., requesting a post office for Taylor's Gin; the request was granted on March 27, 1888. William Hazelwood, a physician who set up practice in the community, passed a petition to get the name changed to Briggs, in honor of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Henry D. Briggs. The community was renamed on June 21, 1898. By 1900 a site had been platted into lots and blocks, land had been donated for a new school, and the population had reached 100. Businesses thrived, cotton was king, and two gins operated in Briggs; the town had doctors, a drugstore, and two general stores. Telephones and electricity came in the early 1900s. A bank was chartered in 1909. From 1906 to 1928 business prospered. On April 12, 1906, a tornado demolished the school. A new building was built, and in 1915 a high school was organized. The population reached about 300 in the 1920s. In 1928 devastating fires took their toll of homes and businesses, most of which were never rebuilt. The Great Depression brought on a farming decline; the remaining gin and businesses closed. With the arrival of U.S. Highway 183 many citizens began commuting to shop and to work in nearby communities, including Killeen, Copperas Cove, and Camp Hood (now Fort Cavazos ). Briggs's population reached its height of 520, served by twenty business, in 1936. The population subsequently fluctuated between 250 and 300 until the late 1960s, when it declined to ninety-six. In 1969 the Briggs school was consolidated with the Burnet district. In the late 1980s Briggs had two churches, a post office, two service stations, and scattered residences. The population was ninety-two in 1990 and in 2000.

Tsha Handbook → · 8.5 mi away

Things to Do in Andice

nature 15.4 mi away
Inner Space Cavern

Texas Highway Department drillers punched into this cave in 1963 while testing the ground for an Interstate 35 overpass in Georgetown. The drill bit dropped…
food 21.5 mi away
Round Rock Donuts

Texas-sized golden donuts from a bakery dating to the 1920s — the giant 'Round Rock Donut' has drawn dawn lines and a Man v. Food cameo.

Everything Near Andice

349 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the nearest 200 are listed here — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

  • Andice, TX

    Andice, Texas, has a unique story behind its name. In 1899, Reverend William Isaac Newton wanted to name the new post office after his newborn son, Audice. However, postal officials misread the name as 'Andice' and…

  • Andice Baptist Church · 0.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Andice Baptist Church, a congregation with roots stretching back to the earliest days of Texas Baptists. Reverend Freeman Smalley, one of the first Baptists in the state, preached in…

  • Engineering a Fireproof Future from the Ground Up · 1.1 mi

    The beautiful stone buildings in downtown Florence aren't just a matter of style; they're a triumph of local geology. Florence sits at the eastern edge of the Hill Country, where thick layers of Cretaceous limestone lie…

  • Florence, TX · 1.1 mi

    Florence High School stands out as it is the only high school in Texas with a complete meat-processing laboratory and full-service meat market.

  • Site of Loafer's Glory Apostolic Church · 3.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Loafer's Glory Apostolic Church, a place that began with a revival in 1908 at the Loafer's Glory School. Evangelist Fred Lohmann took over in 1909, drawing hundreds with his tent…

  • Gabriel Mills · 4.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Gabriel Mills, a town that once thrived right here. It started in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1849</say-as> when Samuel Mather settled and built a gristmill in <say-as…

  • Smart-McCormick Home · 4.3 mi · Historical Marker

    Smart-McCormick Home, 1855. Built by Bryce M. Smart (1816-1880), who had a grist mill, tannery, freight line. His children rescued newborn calves abandoned on nearby Chisholm Trail. McCormicks, 5th generation…

  • Rocky Hollow Cemetery · 4.4 mi · Historical Marker

    In the 1850s, a group of pioneer Black slaves came to this area from Union County, Arkansas, and founded what is now known as the Rocky Hollow Community. This cemetery soon was established on land given by Thomas P.…

  • "Dog Run" Log Cabin · 4.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Dog Run Log Cabin, built way back in 1851 by William Williams, a settler who came all the way from Arkansas. Look closely at the construction – cypress, oak, and cedar logs, all joined by wooden…

  • Fore Cemetery · 4.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Fore Cemetery, a final resting place established by a prominent settler. Wiley Fore arrived here in 1883, joining his nephew Robert Baker's community. Almost immediately, Fore organized the local…

  • Williams-Buck Cemetery · 5.0 mi · Historical Marker

    Legend surrounds the first years of this burial ground. Local oral history relates that among the earliest graves are those of a slave called Willie Osborne and an unknown Native American. Members of the Stephens…

  • The Dome Nobody Thought Could Stand · 5.4 mi

    Florence, Texas got its name in the eighteen-fifties, most likely from Florence, Alabama, the earlier home of its first postmaster, though some say it honors Florence Brooks, a merchant's daughter. Neither theory points…

Show all 200 nearby places
  • Not Italy, But Follow the Thread · 5.4 mi

    Here's a myth worth busting as you drive through Florence, Texas. It's easy to assume this town was named straight for Florence, Italy, that jewel of the Renaissance. But the documented theories don't say that. The…

  • The Bankers Who Bought the Renaissance · 5.4 mi

    Florence, Texas got its name the plain way. Settlers arrived in the early eighteen-fifties, briefly called the spot Brooksville, and it was known as Florence by eighteen fifty-seven, when the first post office opened.…

  • Where the Name Really Came From · 5.4 mi

    Rolling through Florence up here in northwestern Williamson County, you might picture Italy. Hold that thought, because the honest answer is: nobody's completely sure where this town's name came from. The site was…

  • A Name That Means Blooming · 5.4 mi

    Whatever brought the name Florence to this Texas town, the word itself carries a lovely old meaning worth knowing. It reaches all the way back to Latin. The original Florence, the one in Italy, began as a Roman…

  • Two Florences, Worlds Apart · 5.4 mi

    Let's play a little name game as you roll through Florence, Texas. Remember, this Florence most likely got its name from a first postmaster's old Alabama hometown, or from a merchant's daughter, not straight from Italy.…

  • Mullen, John W. · 5.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    John Mullen, farmer and Confederate officer, was born in New Castle County, Delaware, on January 20, 1811. On January 21, 1836, Mullen married Mary Hamilton of Butler County, Ohio, in Terre Haute, Indiana. This couple…

  • Early Church · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a building that wore many hats right here in Florence. Back in 1845, John C. Caskey donated this land, first for a cemetery and then for a meeting house. That native stone structure,…

  • Aynesworth, Kenneth Hazen · 5.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through McLennan County, not far from Florence, the Texas town where Dr. Kenneth Hazen Aynesworth was born in 1873. He became a prominent surgeon in Waco, serving railroads and city boards. But Aynesworth…

  • Ratliff, Archillus P. · 5.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, an area that was on the Texas frontier when Archillus P. Ratliff first settled here in the 1840s. Ratliff wasn't just a farmer; he was a Texas Ranger, serving with John S. 'Rip'…

  • Florence, TX · 5.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Florence, Texas, a town with a name that might have come from a person or a place. Settled in the early 1850s and officially named Florence by 1857, its origin story is a bit of a mystery. Was it…

  • Mahomet Cemetery · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Mahomet Cemetery, a community graveyard for Sycamore Springs and Mahomet. Interments here date back to the 1850s, and it still serves descendants today, with veterans from the Mexican War to Vietnam…

  • First United Methodist Church of Florence · 5.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Florence's first Methodist congregation. They shared a stone building with other groups starting in 1856, and officially got their first pastor in 1858. The current church building was…

  • First Baptist Church of Florence · 5.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Florence, organized way back in April of 1856! The founding pastor, Reverend Robert Hay Taliaferro, was a real pioneer, helping establish Baptist congregations…

  • Rock House Community · 5.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Rock House, a pioneer community that thrived for over a century. It all started in the late 1840s when Uriah H. Anderson settled here, thanks to a Texas land grant. By 1875, kids were…

  • Mahomet-Sycamore Springs Community · 5.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Burnet County, past the site of what was once two distinct pioneer settlements: Mahomet and Sycamore Springs. They started out eight miles apart in the 1850s. Sycamore Springs had a general store,…

  • Florence Church of Christ · 5.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Florence Church of Christ. Established around 1853, this congregation was influenced by the Second Great Awakening and the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. A deed in 1873 secured land for…

  • Mount Horeb Lodge · 5.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving near Briggs, Burnet County, past the site of the Mount Horeb Lodge. Chartered in 1854, they first met in a log schoolhouse before building their own hall in 1856, which also served as a church and school.…

  • Site of Concord School · 5.8 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of what was once Concord School, a hub for this community for decades. It began its life as Clear Creek School way back in 1857. By 1888, it was known as Concord School, and in 1896, this…

  • Connell Cemetery · 6.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Connell Cemetery, a final resting place for a family deeply woven into Texas history. Sampson Connell Jr. arrived in Texas as a boy in 1834. He fought for Texas independence at the Battle of San…

  • Prairie View Cemetery · 6.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Prairie View Cemetery, established in the early 1890s. It began as the churchyard for the First Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and includes graves of pioneer settlers and veterans.

  • The Community of Briggs · 8.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Briggs, a town with a story of resilience. Settlers from the Old South arrived here in the 1860s and 70s, building a community and holding services at nearby Gum Springs. The town got its post…

  • Briggs State Bank · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing the site of the Briggs State Bank, built in 1909. This limestone and brick building was the heart of a town that thrived on cotton and wool for fifteen years. But by the mid-1920s, farming changes hit…

  • Lawler Community · 8.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through the Lawler community, a place that grew up around a generous man. Before the 1850s, this land was settled, and it got its name from L. T. Lawler, better known as 'Uncle Lee.' He was so beloved…

  • Briggs, TX · 8.5 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Briggs is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Farm Road 2657 in northeastern Burnet County. The site is part of the Aaron F. Boyce survey patented to Boyce's heirs on September 30, 1850. The Boyce land is on the…

  • How the Purple Heart Trail Grew Across Texas · 8.6 mi

    This highway is part of the Purple Heart Trail, a symbolic trail that runs through all fifty states to honor those killed or wounded in combat while serving in the armed forces. In Texas it started with one road. In two…

  • Site of Prairie Point Community · 8.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through what used to be Prairie Point, a community that sprang up in the 1850s with cattle ranches and family farms. By the 1870s, settlers were building their lives here. A schoolhouse opened its doors…

  • Why the Road to Killeen Is Called Phantom Warriors · 8.7 mi

    State Highway One Ninety Five, from Interstate Thirty Five to Killeen, is the Phantom Warriors Highway. Texas lawmakers named it in two thousand three in recognition of the soldiers of Third Corps and Fort Hood. A…

  • Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic · 8.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Since the 1970s the Fourth of July and Texas music have been synonymous with Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic. The country music extravaganza began in 1973 and was inspired by a country music festival that took…

  • Hickman, John Edward · 8.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, not far from Liberty Hill, the birthplace of John Edward Hickman. He wasn't just any lawyer; Hickman rose to become Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, serving from 1948…

  • Liberty Hill, TX (Williamson County) · 8.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Liberty Hill, a town whose very location has been on the move. Back in 1853, the first post office was established three miles west of where you are now. The postmaster, William Oliver Spencer,…

  • Bryson Stagecoach Stop · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Bryson Stagecoach Stop, a crucial hub for travelers in pioneer Texas. John T. Bryson and his wife Amelia built this home in the 1850s, using sturdy cedar logs and local stone. Imagine…

  • Liberty Hill Methodist Church · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Liberty Hill, where this community's spiritual heart has beaten for over a century and a half. The Methodist Church here started way back in 1854, a mile and a half northwest of where you are now.…

  • First Baptist Church of Liberty Hill · 9.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the First Baptist Church of Liberty Hill. Organized in 1882 when the railroad brought the town to this location, its members erected this building on land donated by Rev. W.O. Spencer.…

  • Stubblefield Building · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past what might be the oldest building still standing in Liberty Hill. Look to your right – this hand-cut limestone structure was built back in 1871 by S.P. Stubblefield, a veteran of the Mexican War. His…

  • Liberty Hill Cemetery · 9.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Liberty Hill Cemetery, a resting place that's been serving this community for over 170 years. The earliest burials here date back to 1852, when settlers were just putting down roots. In 1875, John T.…

  • Manuel Flores · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site where a tense moment unfolded in Texas history. It's May of 1839. Manuel Flores, an emissary of the Mexican government, is leading a small group, carrying ammunition to Native Americans on…

  • Liberty Hill Masonic Hall · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Liberty Hill, and right here is a building with a long history. It started in 1875 as the Liberty Hill Lodge No. 432, meeting first in the local Methodist church. But by 1883, they moved upstairs…

  • Matthews, John G. · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a man who saw some serious Texas history. John Giles Matthews arrived in Texas back in <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1839</say-as>, settling in Austin. He fought as a Ranger for…

  • Spencer, William O. · 9.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Williamson County, near Liberty Hill. Look around – this was the frontier back in 1853 when William O. Spencer settled here. He'd moved to Texas years before, but after his wife Amy died, he…

  • An Art Park in a Cow Pasture · 9.5 mi

    You might not expect to find a world-class collection of modern art in a small Texas town, but Liberty Hill is full of surprises. In 1976, a local artist named Mel Fowler had a wild idea: to host an international…

  • Living on the Edge · 9.5 mi

    As you drive through Liberty Hill, you are crossing one of the most significant geological features in Texas: the Balcones Escarpment. This isn't just a line on a map; it's a long, ancient fault zone that marks the…

  • Picking Up for the Train · 9.5 mi

    The downtown you're passing through is a testament to 19th-century grit and pragmatism, and it is not where Liberty Hill started. The first post office opened in 1853 three miles west of here, and William Oliver…

  • Liberty Hill, TX · 9.5 mi

    In 1976, Liberty Hill hosted an International Sculpture Symposium, leading to the creation of the Liberty Hill International Sculpture Park. The park is home to 27 monumental pieces made from granite, concrete, bronze,…

  • John G. Matthews House · 9.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the John G. Matthews House, built in 1872. Matthews himself came to Texas way back in 1840, joining the Rangers and fighting in the Mexican War. He built this sturdy, hand-hewn limestone house for…

  • Russell Fork Iron Truss Bridge · 10.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving near Bertram, and right over the Russell Fork of the North San Gabriel River stands this impressive Iron Truss bridge. Built in 1911 after a county vote, it was designed by the Missouri Valley Bridge &…

  • North Fork of the San Gabriel River · 10.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising along the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, a key part of the Brazos River system. This stream has been a lifeline for ages. Spanish explorer Fray Isidro Felix Espinosa first named it Rio de San…

  • Joppa Community · 11.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Joppa, a farming and ranching community that started life as Pool Branch. In 1874, the William Alexander Faires family were among the first settlers. The nearby waterfall created a pool,…

  • The Bryson Place · 11.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Bryson Place, built in 1906 by local builder Marcus Langford for John H. Bryson and his wife Milda. The land itself has a long history in Burnet County, first purchased by Milda's uncle in 1855.…

  • Georgetown Grace Academy - 2025 Texas 6-Man TAIAO III state football champion · 12.0 mi · Sports News

    You're near Georgetown Grace Academy High School in Georgetown. Last December, they took down Stephenville Faith fifty-eight to thirty-five to win the Texas 6-Man TAIAO III state football championship. They wear that…

  • Chalk, Whitfield · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, maybe near Georgetown, and you're passing through the story of Whitfield Chalk. He arrived in Texas in 1839, and right away, he was in the thick of it. Chalk fought in the…

  • Hughes, Thomas Proctor · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, Texas, and right here is a place where a pivotal moment in Texas history unfolded. In <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1861</say-as>, Thomas Proctor Hughes, a lawyer who had just…

  • Chambers, Iola Bowden · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Iola Bowden Chambers, music teacher and director of the Negro Fine Arts School, was born at Holder, Texas, on October 18, 1904. She was the daughter of Andrew Mack and Amanda (Heflin) Bowden. Her father was a doctor,…

  • Cody, Claude Carr · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University. Right here, Claude Carr Cody, a math professor and administrator, fought a major battle to keep the school from moving to Dallas. In 1910, a proposal…

  • Dalrymple, William Cornelius · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, maybe near Georgetown. Right here, in the late 1860s, William Cornelius Dalrymple, a veteran soldier and politician, led two expeditions into the rugged Rio Grande country. What…

  • Glasscock, George Washington · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, and right here is Georgetown, a town named for George Washington Glasscock. He was an early settler who helped organize this county back in 1846. But Glasscock wasn't just a…

  • Graves, Harry N. · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, and right here in Georgetown, a pivotal moment in Texas law enforcement history unfolded. In 1930, a local lawyer and politician named Harry N. Graves, who served in the Texas…

  • Hyer, Robert Stewart · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown right now, a place that was home to a scientific pioneer. Robert Stewart Hyer, a professor at Southwestern University, was experimenting with wireless communication. In 1894, he…

  • Meyer, Henry Edwin · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University, where Henry Edwin Meyer left an indelible mark on music education. Arriving in 1926, Meyer became a professor of piano, organ, and sacred music,…

  • Mood, Francis Asbury · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University. Right here, Francis Asbury Mood, a Methodist preacher, took charge of a struggling school in Chappell Hill in 1868. He saw its potential, but knew it…

  • Reeves, George Robertson · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Grayson County, Texas, and the town of Georgetown right here owes its name to George Robertson Reeves. He was a legislator, a soldier, and a prominent figure in this area. Reeves fought in major…

  • Southwestern University · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University. It all started back in 1870 when five Methodist conferences decided to merge four existing colleges into one new institution. They named it Texas…

  • Vontress, Edward Hughes · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, not far from Georgetown. Right here, in the mid-1800s, lived Edward Hughes Vontress. He was a lawyer, a judge, and a state representative. But when the Civil War broke out,…

  • Stone, Robert James · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, Texas, a town with a rich visual history thanks to photographer Robert James Stone. Stone made a name for himself right here as 'Southwestern's Photographer.' Though he never attended…

  • Georgetown, TX (Williamson County) · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, the county seat of Williamson County. This town got its start back in 1848, named for George Washington Glasscock, who donated the land. Pioneers were drawn here by the timber and…

  • Fort Johnston · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through northern Grayson County, not far from Lake Texoma. Right here, in November of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1840</say-as>, a temporary Republic of Texas fort called Fort Johnston was…

  • Granbery, John Cowper, Jr. · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, Texas, a town that was once home to John Cowper Granbery Jr. A Methodist minister by training, Granbery became a sociology professor influenced by Jane Addams and earned a doctorate…

  • Makemson, William K. · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, where William K. Makemson's family settled way back in 1847. He grew up here, working as a farmer, drover, and shoemaker to support his family after his father died. He even…

  • Springer, Roland Angus · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University, where Roland Angus Springer spent over three decades shaping the drama department. <break time="400ms"/> Arriving in 1943, he transformed a small stage…

  • Bertram School · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Bertram, a town that got its start in 1882 with the Austin & Northwestern Railroad. One of the very first buildings here wasn't just a school, but a combined Sunday School and Masonic Lodge hall!…

  • South Gabriel · 12.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Burnet County, passing the site of what used to be South Gabriel. It started in 1871 as a mercantile store that also served as the post office, named for the nearby South San Gabriel River. The…

  • Critz, Richard · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    Richard Critz, lawyer and judge, was born in Starkville, Mississippi, on October 16, 1877, the son of George Edward and Ella (Richards) Critz. When he was fourteen the family moved to Williamson County, Texas, where…

  • Snyder, John Wesley · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    John Wesley Snyder, rancher and Civil War veteran, the second of four children of Charles W. and Susan (Hale) Snyder, was born on June 21, 1837, in Yazoo County, Mississippi. After his father's death in 1840, John moved…

  • Georgetown Railroad · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving near Georgetown, Texas, a town that owes its start to a railroad that almost didn't make it. The Georgetown Railroad was chartered in 1878, aiming to connect this city to Round Rock. They laid ten miles…

  • Glasscock, George Washington, Jr. · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, maybe even passing Georgetown itself. Right here, in the late 1800s, George Washington Glasscock Jr. was making his mark. After serving in the Civil War and surviving a yellow…

  • McLean, John Howell · 12.1 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Georgetown, home to Southwestern University. Right here, John Howell McLean served as the university's regent from 1890 to 1897. He was unique – the only head of Southwestern to have actually…

  • The Festival That Started as a Joke · 12.2 mi

    Every fall, Bertram throws a party for a town that barely exists. It’s the Oatmeal Festival, and it started in 1978 as a complete joke. Ken Odiorne and a few locals decided to spoof the endless chili cook-offs in Texas…

  • The Railroad Engineered for a Capitol · 12.2 mi

    The railroad tracks running through Bertram carried one of the heaviest hauling jobs in Texas history. The Austin and North Western was chartered in 1881, and its narrow-gauge line from Austin through Bertram to Burnet…

  • The Bertram Flyer · 12.2 mi

    On many weekends you can hear a sound that echoes Bertram's very beginning: a train horn coming up the old Austin and Northwestern line. The Austin Steam Train Association runs excursions out of Cedar Park to Bertram on…

  • The Fire That Reshaped Downtown · 12.2 mi

    Bertram is here because a town picked itself up and walked. In 1882 the Austin and Northwestern Railroad came through Burnet County, and the community of San Gabriel moved over to meet it. The new townsite took the name…

  • Bertram, TX · 12.2 mi

    In 1928, Bertram set a record by ginning 11,624 bales of cotton, a testament to the town's agricultural heritage. This achievement stands out in the history of the town, reflecting the economic importance of cotton…

  • The Line That Carried a Capitol, Stone by Stone · 12.3 mi

    The same railroad that built Bertram did something monumental. The Austin and Northwestern started as a three-foot narrow gauge line, a track only thirty-six inches wide, which is cheaper to build through rough hill…

  • The Town That Walked to the Railroad · 12.3 mi

    In 1882 the Austin and Northwestern Railroad laid its tracks about two miles past the little village of San Gabriel. Rather than be left behind, the residents picked up the whole town and carried it to the rails. They…

  • The Town Oatmeal Put Back on the Map · 12.3 mi

    Just southwest of Bertram sits the tiny community of Oatmeal. In the 1970s the makers of the official Texas state map left Oatmeal off entirely, because no major highways crossed there. A former resident named Ken…

  • Joppa Iron Truss Bridge · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Joppa Iron Truss Bridge, the only one still standing of three built in Burnet County in the early 1900s. Funded by a bond election in 1906, this 136-foot Pratt Truss bridge was completed in 1907.…

  • Stewart Pioneer Home · 12.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Stewart Pioneer Home, built in 1905 by Benjamin Hansford Stewart for his son. Stewart himself came to Texas in 1851, farmed and ranched, and even served as Burnet County sheriff. This Texas-style…

  • James B. Williams · 12.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the area where James B. Williams settled, a true pioneer of this region. Born in Kentucky in 1821, he arrived in Texas with his bride, Sarah Coffey, and his father's wagon train on Christmas Eve,…

  • Bertram · 12.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're cruising through Bertram, a town that owes its very existence to the railroad. Back in 1882, the Austin and Northwestern Railroad laid down tracks right here, and boom – a town was born. It was named for Rudolph…

  • Texas HS Baseball Leaders 2026: Glenn (Leander) · 12.7 mi

    Glenn (Leander, TX) placed on the 5A Texas high school baseball stat leaderboards for the 2026 season: Shane McHenry (0.594 avg); Jordan Owens (0.478 avg).

  • Pioneers' House · 12.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the oldest house in Leander, built even before the town itself existed! Imagine, this rock-and-cedar home was a three-day wagon trip from Austin back in 1872. J.C. and Nancy Bryson built the first…

  • Barton, D. Wilborn [Doc] · 12.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Burnet County, and right here is Bertram, the birthplace of D. Wilborn Barton, better known as Doc. Born in 1850, Doc learned the cattle business early, driving thousands of head north to Kansas…

  • McFarlin, John Green · 12.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Central Texas, maybe near Llano or Bertram, and you're passing through the homeland of John Green McFarlin. He was a Texas Ranger, born in Georgia but brought to Texas as a baby in 1825. By 1841,…

  • Bertram, TX · 12.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Bertram, a town that owes its existence to a railroad and a bit of irony. Back in 1882, the community of San Gabriel, just two miles east, packed up and moved lock, stock, and barrel to be closer…

  • South Gabriel, TX · 12.8 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Burnet County, and right here, you're passing the site of what used to be South Gabriel. It started in 1871, first called Lewiston, but renamed South Gabriel because of its spot on the South Fork…

  • Gillum Cemetery · 12.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Oakalla, near the Gillum Cemetery. Absolom Barton Gillum and his wife Hannah arrived from Alabama in 1872, and he bought this land in 1880. Their four-year-old son Willie was the first to be…

  • Sharp Cemetery and Rock Creek Baptist Church of Christ · 13.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Sharp Cemetery and Rock Creek Baptist Church, a place born from heartbreak. Emily LeSeur Haynes Sharp, who arrived in Texas with her first husband and a cotton gin, lost him in 1849.…

  • Trooper Billy Dan Howry Memorial Highway · 13.1 mi · Historical Marker

    Interstate Thirty Five in Williamson County, from mile marker two sixty eight to two seventy two just north of Georgetown, is named for Patrolman Billy Dan Howry of the Texas Department of Public Safety. At a quarter to…

  • McBryde Cemetery · 13.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the McBryde Cemetery, a quiet resting place with roots going back to the 1800s. Mancel T. McBryde, who moved his family from Georgia in the early 1860s, established this cemetery in 1885. It was for…

  • Hopewell Cemetery · 13.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the last remnant of the Hopewell community. Pioneers settled here in the 1840s, facing down hardships and Indian raids. In 1863, tragedy struck the Johnson family; Wofford, Mary, and their daughter…

  • First Baptist Church Georgetown · 13.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Georgetown's First Baptist Church. Established in 1866 with thirteen members, the congregation initially met in a shared Union building. The church later moved and built new facilities…

  • Land Cemetery · 13.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Land Cemetery, a final resting place with a story that stretches from early settlement to a devastating natural disaster. It started in 1863 when Nicholas and Elizabeth Land buried their son John…

  • The Packers' All-Time Scorer Kicked First in Georgetown · 13.9 mi

    Before he became the all-time leading scorer in Green Bay Packers history, Mason Crosby was a do-everything athlete at Georgetown High School. He did not just kick; as a senior he earned all-district honors at three…

  • Webster Massacre, Victims of the · 13.9 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the resting place of victims of the Webster Massacre. On August 27, 1839, about thirty homeseekers, led by John Webster, were heading to Burnet County when a band of Comanche Indians attacked. They…

  • Site of Marshall-Carver High School · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of a landmark school in Georgetown's African American history. It started as 'The Colored School' in the early 1900s, offering the only local education for Black students. Principal S. C.…

  • Pickle-Mason House · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Pickle-Mason House, built in 1871 by master carpenter Andrew Porter Pickle. He built this home for his family, and it stayed in the Pickle family for over forty years. Imagine this place bustling…

  • Old Georgetown Cemetery · 14.0 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Old Georgetown Cemetery, a burial ground used from 1840 to 1902. This land was part of the original donation for the county seat in 1848. Many early citizens rest here, some with unknown names and…

  • The Leanderthal Lady · 14.1 mi

    In 1982, a construction crew was doing routine core sampling for a new road when they unearthed something extraordinary: the ancient skeleton of a woman. This was no ordinary discovery. Archaeologists determined the…

  • Bagdad's Big Move · 14.1 mi

    Imagine a town so determined to survive that it packs up and follows the tracks. That's the story of Bagdad, the community that stood a mile west of here before Leander existed. In 1882 the Austin and Northwestern…

  • The End of the Line: An Infrastructure Story · 14.1 mi

    You’re at the northernmost point of a major modern engineering project: the Capital MetroRail Red Line. When Leander began its explosive growth, the main highway connecting it to Austin, US 183, became hopelessly…

  • Leander, TX · 14.1 mi

    Leander's story is really about the railroad. It wasn’t some grand plan to build a city, but rather a convenient spot along the Austin and Northwestern Railroad in the late 1800s where they decided to put a station.…

  • The Webster Massacre · 14.1 mi

    The history of this land began long before Leander was a town, and some of it is tragic. In 1839, a settlement party of thirteen led by John Webster was moving through this country, then the far edge of the Texas…

  • Leander Presbyterian Church · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Leander Presbyterian Church. This congregation started way back in 1857 as Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church, meeting in the town of Bagdad. But when the railroad arrived in 1882 and…

  • Bagdad Cemetery · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Bagdad Cemetery, opened in 1857 with the burial of a three-year-old boy named John Babcock. His father later gave the land to the community. Early burials here included Civil War veteran John Haile…

  • Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Wesley Chapel A.M.E. Church, a testament to Georgetown's African American history. Organized in 1869 by missionary Rev. Richard Robert Haywood, the congregation bought land here in 1881. They…

  • Macedonia Baptist Church · 14.1 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Macedonia Baptist Church, organized in 1881 by nine families. Their first worship services were held under a backyard arbor. The congregation built its first sanctuary on this site, later…

  • Leanderthal Lady · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Williamson County, not far from where history was literally unearthed. Back on December 29th, 1982, Texas Highway Department archaeologists made an incredible discovery at the Wilson-Leonard…

  • Jarrell, TX · 14.2 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving north on I-35, just past the Bell County line, and you're rolling through Jarrell. This town might seem quiet now, but on May 27th, <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1997</say-as>, Jarrell made…

  • The Church That Mules Hauled In from Bagdad · 14.2 mi

    When Bagdad's people followed the railroad to Leander, they brought their church with them, literally. The congregation that became Leander United Methodist Church was organized around 1860 out in Bagdad, first meeting…

  • Webster Massacre · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Webster Massacre, a brutal frontier encounter that happened August 27th, 1839. John Webster and about thirty others were headed for a land grant in Burnet County when Comanche…

  • San Gabriel Park · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past San Gabriel Park, a place that’s seen it all. Long before settlers arrived, local tribes camped here by the springs. The Spanish tried to settle, but raids and drought drove them out in <say-as…

  • Old Dimmitt Home · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Dimmitt Home, built way back in 1866. Imagine hauling native limestone by ox-drawn wagon to construct this place! John Jones Dimmitt, a true Renaissance man – surveyor, lawyer, mathematician,…

  • Black's Fort · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Black's Fort, built in 1851 by William Black. This stockade, made of sturdy cedar logs, was a crucial defense against Native Americans for settlers in Burnet County. Sentries were posted…

  • Leander · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Leander, a town born from a railroad's decision. Just a mile west of here, the town of Bagdad was thriving back in 1854. But when the Austin & Northwestern Railroad came through in 1882, they…

  • Corn Hill Community · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Corn Hill, one of Williamson County's earliest settlements. It all started in 1852 when John E. King, the county judge, built his home and planted a cornfield on this hill, naming it Corn…

  • Maxdale Cemetery · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Maxdale Cemetery, one of Bell County's oldest burial grounds. Established in the 1860s for the Pleasant Grove community, the land was donated by Frank McBryde, Sr. His 1883 post office application…

  • Leander United Methodist Church · 14.2 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Leander United Methodist Church, a spiritual anchor for this community for over a century and a half. Organized around 1860 in the nearby settlement of Bagdad, early services were held in humble…

  • A 1940s Roadside Cafe Reborn by the Square · 14.3 mi

    Just a block off the courthouse square, at 500 South Austin Avenue, the Monument Cafe was built to feel like the kind of Texas roadside diner that lined the highways from the 1920s through the 1940s, all chrome, counter…

  • Railroad Produce Warehouse · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're passing the old Railroad Produce Warehouse, built way back in 1904. This wasn't just any old storage building; it was part of a whole industrial hub that sprung up around the railroad lines here in Georgetown.…

  • Williamson County Jail · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Williamson County Jail in Georgetown. This imposing native limestone structure has been in continuous use since 1888, making it one of the oldest functioning jails in Texas. Built for just…

  • San Gabriel Lodge No. 89, A. F. & A. M. · 14.3 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, where the San Gabriel Lodge No. 89 of Freemasons was organized way back in 1851. Chartered in 1852 with a Methodist minister as its master, this lodge grew with the county and even…

  • The Leanderthal Lady, Buried Here Before the Pyramids · 14.4 mi

    On December 29, 1982, highway archeologists digging ahead of road construction near Brushy Creek hit something staggering: the nearly complete skeleton of a young woman who had been deliberately buried roughly 10,000 to…

  • The Town That Said No to the Railroad · 14.4 mi

    A mile west of modern Leander once stood Bagdad, named in the 1850s after the Tennessee hometown of an early settler. By the early 1880s it was a real town, with two blacksmith shops, a hotel, two schools, a Masonic…

  • The Graveyard from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre · 14.4 mi

    The historic Bagdad Cemetery, a mile west of downtown Leander, is the last real piece of the vanished town of Bagdad, established in 1857 with the burial of three-year-old John Babcock. It holds Texas Revolution and…

  • First burial, three-year-old John Babcock · 14.4 mi

    Bagdad Cemetery lies on North Bagdad Road about a mile west of downtown Leander, and is the last surviving trace of the vanished town of Bagdad. It was established in 1857 with the burial of three-year-old John Babcock…

  • How Science Read 13,000 Years Off a Skeleton · 14.4 mi

    What makes the Leanderthal Lady world-class isn't just her age, it's how scientists proved it. To date a skeleton this old you can't guess; you measure. Researchers used radiocarbon dating, which tracks the steady decay…

  • John Berry, Frontiersman · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Williamson County, passing the spot where John Berry settled in 1846. Born in Kentucky, this frontiersman fought in the War of 1812 before bringing his family to Texas in 1827. His sons, Joseph…

  • Named for a Railroad Man, but Which One? · 14.4 mi

    The town you're rolling through got its name from the railroad in 1882, the year the Austin and Northwestern began selling lots at the new townsite on July 17. The trouble is, historians still argue over exactly whose…

  • Kyle Park Got His Start in Leander · 14.4 mi

    Before he was filling Texas dance halls, country singer-songwriter Kyle Park was just a kid in Leander learning guitar. Born in Austin and raised here, Park picked up the instrument at 14 and wrote his first song and…

  • The Pink Granite for the Capitol Rolled Through Here · 14.4 mi

    If you'd stood beside these tracks in the mid-1880s, you'd have watched the Texas State Capitol roll past one flatcar at a time. When builders needed stone for the grand new Capitol in Austin, they turned to the…

  • From Lime Kilns to Limestone Street Signs · 14.4 mi

    Long before Leander was Austin's fastest-growing suburb, it was a quarry town. George Allen opened a small limestone quarry here in 1894, hauling rock to the railroad by tractor to ship out. The real industrial leap…

  • The Cemetery on Bagdad Road · 14.4 mi

    The opening sequence of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre — a radio bulletin describing grave robbing in rural Texas, over images of a desecrated cemetery — was filmed in a real, active historic burial ground in Williamson…

  • Georgetown Light and Water Works · 14.4 mi · Scraped Hmdb

    This unassuming brick building was once the lifeblood of Georgetown, Texas. In 1911, the Georgetown Light and Water Works was constructed to provide electricity and a reliable water source to the growing community. It…

  • Maxdale Bridge · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of the Maxdale Bridge, and believe it or not, this bridge has a dramatic backstory. Back in July 1913, Bell County Commissioners approved a bridge here to connect the Maxdale Community to…

  • Magill, James P. · 14.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, not far from Leander, where James P. Magill spent his final years. Magill was a farmer, a legislator, and a Texas Ranger who patrolled the frontier. In 1861, he represented…

  • Chief Justice John Edward Hickman · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Williamson County birthplace of John Edward Hickman, a giant of the Texas legal system. He rose from a local lawyer to become Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, serving in that top role…

  • Judge Greenleaf Fisk · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Judge Greenleaf Fisk. (May 19, 1807 - Jan. 26, 1888) Born in Albany, New York, Greenleaf Fisk was the son of a Presbyterian minister. He began preparation for the ministry himself but left his…

  • The County's Memory in an Old Bank · 14.4 mi

    On the historic square at 716 South Austin Avenue, the Williamson Museum keeps the county's memory inside an old bank. The building went up around 1910 to 1912 as the Farmers State Bank, a handsome piece of the square's…

  • Southside Market: 1882 Barbecue Comes to Leander · 14.4 mi

    There's a nice coincidence baked into the smoke at Southside Market & Barbeque in Leander: the barbecue brand and the town were both founded in 1882. Southside started that year in Elgin, about an hour southeast, where…

  • Heinatz Homestead · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Heinatz Homestead, built in the fall of 1850 by John Frederick Heinatz, a settler who came all the way from Germany. He built this home, along with a store and post office, all from native stone.…

  • Faubion, James Henry · 14.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Williamson County, near Leander, where James Henry Faubion built his life. He was a Confederate veteran who fought through the Civil War, even captured and held as a POW. After the war, he came to…

  • Farmers State Bank Building · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, and right here is the Farmers State Bank Building. This beauty, built in 1912, was the heart of local commerce. The bank itself started way back in 1898, becoming the Farmers State…

  • David Love Store · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, and right here is the David Love Store, a building that tells a story of Victorian ambition. Built in the mid-1880s for David M. Love, a South Carolina native who found his fortune in…

  • Taylor-Cooper House · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Taylor-Cooper House, a testament to Georgetown's early success. Josiah Taylor opened one of the town's first stores right on the courthouse square. His son, Emzy, returned from the Civil War and…

  • H.C. Craig Building · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the H.C. Craig Building in Georgetown, a real Victorian gem built in 1903. It started as Hugh Clifford Craig's furniture store. Though Craig sold the business just three years later, he held onto the…

  • In Memory of Robert Jones Rivers · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Georgetown, where Robert Jones Rivers died in 1854. Born in Virginia in 1806, Rivers was a pioneer, a lawyer, and an orator. His eloquence was said to protect the helpless, and his wit charmed…

  • M.B. Lockett Building · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past M.B. Lockett Building. Located on the site of an 1840s store, this structure was built after the Civil War. In the 1880s it housed the mercantile firm of Rucker & Montgomery. Ohio native Melville…

  • Leander, TX · 14.4 mi · Tsha Handbook

    You're driving through Leander, a town born from a railroad's arrival. Back in 1882, the Austin and Northwestern Railroad bypassed the older community of Bagdad, just a mile west. Merchants quickly packed up their…

  • Leander Schools · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Leander's first public school, which opened its doors in 1893. But the roots of education here go back even further, to 1855, with a school held in Bagdad, a town that vanished when…

  • Smith Cemetery · 14.4 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Burnet County, near Oakalla. James Gibson Smith Jr. and his wife Sarah settled here in 1850, raising eight children. They set aside this plot for a family cemetery, with their granddaughter Anita…

  • Drilled Into by Accident, Lit Up for the World · 14.5 mi

    In 1963 a Texas Highway Department crew was doing routine core testing along the route of the new Interstate 35, drilling deep holes to check whether the ground could carry a bridge. Eight of their twenty test bores…

  • The Fifth Courthouse and the Square It Crowns · 14.5 mi

    The courthouse rising over downtown is the fifth one Williamson County has built on this square. The first were wood and brick frontier buildings; a grand Second Empire courthouse stood here too, until it was torn down…

  • The Night the San Gabriel Came Up · 14.5 mi

    On September 8, 1921, the remnants of a Gulf hurricane stalled over Williamson County and let go. Rain fell for roughly a day and a half, and a gauge near Thrall, just east of Georgetown, recorded more than 38 inches in…

  • The Ice-Age Graveyard Under the Highway · 14.5 mi

    When explorers and scientists pushed into Inner Space Cavern in the 1960s, they found more than rock. Sealed in the cave sediments was one of the richest Ice-Age fossil deposits in Texas, the bones of animals that…

  • In Memory of George Washington Glasscock, Sr. · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, a city named for George Washington Glasscock, Sr. He was born in Kentucky in 1810, fought in the Black Hawk War and then for Texas independence. Glasscock helped organize this county,…

  • Emzy Taylor · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the heart of early Georgetown, a town shaped by men like Emzy Taylor. After fighting as a Confederate captain in the Civil War, Taylor returned to lead the family business. But he did more than just…

  • The Town Named for the Man Who Gave It Away · 14.5 mi

    When Williamson County was carved out in 1848, its first commissioners reportedly met under a live oak to decide where to plant the county seat. The man who settled the question was George Washington Glasscock, a…

  • Idle Town Was This Town · 14.5 mi

    The singer-songwriter Conan Gray grew up right here in Georgetown, and his hometown is not a footnote to his music, it is the music. As a high-school kid he filmed shaky vlogs about life in small-town Texas, a place he…

  • The Castle Jail and Its Last Condemned Man · 14.5 mi

    At 312 S Main Street stands a squat limestone building with crenellated battlements that make it look like a small medieval fortress dropped into downtown Georgetown. This is the Old Williamson County Jail, built in…

  • Shafer Saddlery · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, where this building has a frontier past. Back in 1848, the cabin on this site served as the very first county courthouse. Then, in 1870, John H. Shafer built this limestone saddlery,…

  • Old Dimmitt Building · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Old Dimmitt Building, a Georgetown landmark that's worn many hats since 1901. Originally a hotel, it later housed mercantile stores, Georgetown's very first movie house, an auto agency, a drug…

  • Williamson County · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past Williamson County. Created March 13, 1848, and organized by a special committee approved by Gov. George T. Wood and the 2nd Legislature of the State of Texas, with Georgetown designated as county…

  • First Presbyterian Church · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the site of Georgetown's First Presbyterian Church, a congregation with a story as divided as the nation once was. Organized in 1854, they first met in a private home, then moved to Georgetown by…

  • Steele Store-Makemson Hotel Building · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, and just ahead is one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing here. Built around 1870 by M.E. Steele, this place started life as a log hotel. Steele himself ran a mercantile…

  • Youngsport · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through what used to be Youngsport, a community that started in January of <say-as interpret-as="date" format="y">1846</say-as>. Francis L. Mudd first claimed land here along the Lampasas River. Just a…

  • Georgetown Fire House and Old City Hall · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the old Georgetown Fire House and City Hall, built way back in 1892. This building was the heart of the town, housing everything from the mayor's office and city jail to the fire department and even…

  • Lesesne-Stone Building · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the KGTN Building, a limestone commercial structure built right here in 1884. It first housed the Sanders & Lesesne Drugstore, which stayed in business for an incredible 76 years. For over 50 of…

  • Williamson County Courthouse · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown. Completed in 1911, this is the fifth courthouse for the county. Designed by Charles H. Page & Bro., it's a fine Classical Revival structure, still…

  • Williamson County Sun · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the home of the Williamson County Sun, Georgetown's oldest newspaper. Founded way back in 1877 by Jessie E. Cooper, this weekly paper was a real engine for progress. Over its first century, the Sun…

  • C.A.D. Clamp · 14.5 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past C.A.D. Clamp. (1827-1915) Christian Augustus Daniel Clamp was born in Thorn, Prussia (now Torun, Poland). He came to Texas in 1846 and moved to Georgetown in 1851, a year after his marriage to…

  • Two Bells and a Punchline · 14.6 mi

    Ding Dong, Texas earned its name the best way a town can: with a joke that stuck. Back in the early nineteen thirties, two cousins, Zulis Bell and Isaac Bertram Bell, who everybody called Bert, bought a little country…

  • A Tale of Two Different Bells · 14.6 mi

    Here is a fact that trips up almost everyone who hears it. Ding Dong sits in Bell County, and the town is named for a family named Bell, so surely those two Bells are one and the same, right? They are not. It is a…

  • What Actually Happens When a Bell Goes Ding · 14.6 mi

    A town named Ding Dong practically dares you to ask how a bell makes that sound in the first place, so let us open it up. When a clapper strikes the thick lower rim of a bell, the spot ringers call the sound bow, it…

  • The English Sport of Ringing Bells by the Numbers · 14.6 mi

    Here is a corner of the bell world that sounds made up but is very real. In England there is an art called change ringing, and it is closer to solving a puzzle than to playing a tune. A team of ringers, each one pulling…

  • A Town of Twenty-Two on Highway 195 · 14.6 mi

    For a place with a name that has traveled the whole world, Ding Dong itself is tiny. It sits along Texas State Highway one ninety-five, on the Lampasas River, about eight miles south of Killeen in the southwest corner…

  • The Most Famous Bell Cracked on Its First Ring · 14.6 mi

    Since the name Ding Dong has bells on the brain, let us talk about the most famous bell in the country, and a fact most people get wrong. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia was ordered from a foundry in London back in…

  • How a Soldier's Souvenir Made a Poppy Capital · 14.6 mi

    Every April, Georgetown's Old Town glows red with poppies, and the whole spectacle traces back to one homesick soldier. During World War I, a young Georgetown man named Henry Purl Compton, nicknamed Okra, served…

  • Page-Decrow-Weir House · 14.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Page-Decrow-Weir House in Georgetown, a stunning example of Queen Anne architecture. Built in 1903 for rancher J.M. Page, it quickly changed hands, first to his brother-in-law Thomas Decrow, and…

  • Founding of Georgetown · 14.6 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving through Georgetown, a town named for a man who helped found it. Back in May of 1848, county commissioners met under a big oak tree to pick a site for the new county seat. George Washington Glasscock, Sr.…

  • Smith, Marsh F., House · 14.7 mi · Historical Marker

    You're driving past the Marsh F. Smith House in Georgetown, a beautiful example of Foursquare architecture built back in 1908. Marsh Smith himself was a man of local importance, running a cottonseed oil mill and later…

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