Western Trips

Monday, December 2, 2013

Central Texas History Tour / Bastrop Texas

Located thirty miles east of Austin Texas, Bastrop is the county seat of Bastrop County. The areas settlement goes all the way back to 1804 when a fort was established along the Colorado River. This settlement was along the old San Antonio Road and was first given the name Puesta del Colorado. In 1804 the area was comprised of mostly Spanish soldiers.

bastrop texas buildings
Bastrop Texas
During the early 1820's a group of families migrated to the area of the fort as part of Stephen F. Austin's second colony. 

Bastrop Texas is a fun place to visit and it's filled with history. Stroll around the historic district and take in many of the historic buildings located all around it's downtown area. Explore the unique shops, landmarks and restaurants and you'll feel that you've stepped back in time. We've featured some of these historic sites below and hope you have a chance to visit Bastrop Texas.

Mexican Roots

The year 1804 would have been a period during the last years of Spanish colonization of North America and also prior to the revolution which expelled the Spaniards. Bastrop was laid out in the typical Mexican or Spanish style with a central plaza.

In 1832 after the Mexican government took control of the region, the settlement was renamed Bastrop in honor of Baron de Bastrop who originally obtained a Spanish land grant for the area.. A mere two years later the town was renamed yet again to Mina in honor of Francisco Xavier Mina, a Mexican hero and martyr during the revolution.

historic texas churches
One of Bastrop's historic old churches
Bastrop was incorporated as a town in 1837, shortly after the Texas Revolution which freed it from Mexican rule.This was also the time that slavery and the cotton industry arrived in Bastrop. Between 1850 and 1860 the population of Bastrop tripled and by 1860 (about one-third of the population were slaves) and the start of the Civil War the town had six churches.

Bastrop During the Civil War

It's interesting to note that the community of Bastrop voted against secession prior to the Civil War although Texas was aligned with the Confederacy.

The Fowler House in Bastrop which is now on the National Register of Historic Places was used as a military academy before the Civil War. This academy, known as the Bastrop Military Institute, opened in 1857 and trained men to fight for the Confederacy during the war. This house is also referred to as the Allen-Fowler House. When you visit Bastrop Texas the house is located at 1404 Wilson Street.

The Bastrop Opera House

Another interesting stop to make on your tour of Bastrop is the Bastrop Opera House. This historic theater in downtown Bastrop was built during the late 1800's. Essentially all of downtown Bastrop  today is an historic district.


opera house bastrop texas
Bastrop Opera House

Two Bastrop merchants, P. Otto Elzner and S.D. Green, joined together in 1889 to build the opera house for a cost said to be about $15,000. The design of the opera house was taken directly from the existing opera house in Taylor Texas, about thirty-five miles north of Bastrop. The first public event at the Bastrop Opera House took place on October 1, 1889.

At one point during the early 1900's, after Elzner lost the property, the building was converted into a motion picture theater. This lasted for decades until a non profit took over the structure due to unpaid taxes. After fundraising a plenty of volunteer labor the old building was restored into it's original splendor. The Bastrop Opera House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized by the Texas Historical Commission. The Bastrop Opera House is located at 711 Spring Street.

The Bastrop County Courthouse

If you've explored Texas before you most likely know that the state has some of the finest old courthouses found anywhere and in a variety of architectural styles.

The Bastrop County Courthouse located at 803 Pine Street was constructed over the period 1883 and 1884. It's architecture is Renaissance Revival and it's architects were Jasper N. Preston and F.E. Ruffini.

confederate memorial bastrop texas
Confederate Memorial on courthouse grounds
The county's first courthouse was erected in 1851 but burned down in 1883. Fire destroyed a good number of the very first Texas courthouses which were mostly wooden structures. In 1892 a brick building was built adjacent to the courthouse to serve as a jail. This building functioned as a jail all the way until 1974 when it was converted to office space. The courthouse itself went through an extensive remodeling and electrical and plumbing updating in 1924.

Confederate Monument in Courthouse Square

The area of the Bastrop County Courthouse and it's adjacent buildings is referred to as Courthouse Square.

On the lawn in front of the courthouse you'll view a Confederate memorial. The Bastrop County Confederate Memorial is on the northeast section of Courthouse Square. The memorial is a white marble obelisk that rises on a square base. On the base are carved flags of the Confederacy. Confederate Memorial monuments were erected by the United Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy after the Civil War. Texas has more than fifty Confederate memorials and statues erected.


old bastrop jail
Old Bastrop County Jail Building
Bastrop's Historic First Baptist Church

According to the Texas Historical Association, until 1834 Catholicism was the official religion in Texas. This of course was due to the Spanish occupation of the region.

It is a fact however that Baptism was preached in Texas as early as 1820. This particular preacher from Kentucky was ultimately arrested by the government but escaped before being tried in San Antonio. In 1834, not long before the Texas Revolution, the Mexican government did give Texans religious freedom.

The First Baptist Church in Bastrop was organized in 1850 by an elder from the Austin Texas church. Members at first met once a month. During the Civil War years the church suffered and membership was scattered. By the 1880's after the Reconstruction years, church membership was growing quite a bit.A frame structure was then built at the corner of Pecan and Chestnut Streets. In 1929 a new structure was built at the corner of Water and Farm Streets. It is on this property that the present church was constructed.

Additional Western Trips articles of Texas you'll find interesting are on the links below...

The Historic Driskill Hotel in Austin

Missions in San Antonio

The Nimitz National Museum / Fredericksburg

The West Texas Town and the White Buffalo


bastrop texas county courthouse
Bastrop County Courthouse clock tower
Visiting Bastrop Texas

A visit to Bastrop Texas is a trip into history. It's a step back to the early days of Texas. In addition to this, Bastrop is near to so many other historic sites and towns that it makes a great companion trip to other interesting areas. Bastrop is only thirty miles east of Austin Texas with such historic landmarks as the Driskill Hotel and the Texas State Capitol Building.

San Antonio and it's beautiful missions plus the popular Riverwalk is only about 80 miles south of Austin along Interstate 35. West of Austin and northwest of San Antonio is the heart of the Texas Hill Country with such attractions as Fredericksburg and it's Nimitz Museum of the Pacific. All of these towns and landmarks are a big part of early Texas history and make fine additions to any Texas trip planner.

(Article and photos copyright 2013 Western Trips)



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