Texas Historical Marker #00486
Bradshaw-Killough House. Built in 1886 for local merchant Amzi T. Bradshaw and his wife Sarah, this house was purchased in 1908 by their daughter Nellie and her husband John Killough. In 1924, the Killoughs extensively altered the Victorian-era wood frame residence by adding the Tudor revival style crenelated arched entry portico and side porte cochere. The 2-story bay window and corbelled chimneys are reminders of the structure's original architectural style. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1991. #486
345 E. Travis St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00876
City Library Building. Erected 1852 as J. C. Stiehl family home; sold to Etairio Club in 1912 and given to city of La Grange in 1938. Architecture is German "fachwerk," using handmade brick and hand-hewn cedar timbers joined with wooden pegs. Restored in 1967-1969. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1970. #876
159 E. Fannin St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01579
Fayette County. Formed from Colorado and Bastrop counties. Created December 14, 1837. Organized January 1, 1838. Named in honor of Marquis de LaFayette. 1757-1834. Nobleman and republican friend of Washington and of the United States. County Seat, La Grange. #1579
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01140
Czech Catholic Union of Texas. On March 24, 1889, a group of Czech immigrants gathered here to form the Katolicka Jednota Texaska (KJT), or Czech Catholic Union of Texas. A fraternal benefit society, the KJT was chartered on July 4, 1889, with six individual lodges. Through programs such as life insurance, financial aid to members, churches, and educational scholarships, the organization has served people throughout the state and has grown to number over one hundred lodges. The KJT continues to uphold the purpose of its founders in the same fraternal spirit. #1140
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01141
The Oldest Czech Settlement. In Texas. Was established at Hostyn when in November 1856 the families of Joseph Janda Valintin Kolibal, Frantisek Koza arrived here from Czechoslovakia. #1141
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01558
The Faison House. Started 1841 as two rooms of local pine wood. Acquired 1855 and enlarged by S. S. Munger. Owned 1866-1961 by estate of N. W. Faison (1817-70), who joined 1842 Dawson expedition resisting Mexican invaders. Captured near San Antonio when many Dawson men were massacred, Faison was later pardoned by Santa Anna. While serving 1843-56 as county clerk, he worked to return bones of his slain comrades for burial on Monument Hill in 1848. #1558
822 S. Jefferson St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02232
Gotcher Trace. Opened about 1828 by James Gotcher from Alabama, a settler on Rabb's Creek in present Lee County, as route from San Felipe, in Stephen F. Austin's original colony, to Bastrop in second or "little" colony. A short, exposed route to the upper settlements, this trace shared with nearby Wilbarger Trace the title of "via Dolorosa" of early Texas, as both were marked by tragedies. Gotcher moved to this area, and in 1836 six people of his family were killed and several captured during an Indian attack. At this point the trace is crossed by a 20th century road. #2232
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02907
Kaulbach Home. Built 1885 by H. B. Kaulbach (1839-1919), insurance agent. The Victorian style exhibits two-story columnar gallery, graceful arches supported by thin, turned columns. This structure includes 5 rooms of house previously on site. Architect was C. Michaelis. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1868. #2907
351 E. Colorado St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03462
John Henry Moore. Noted Indian fighter; commander of the Texians at the Battle of Gonzales, October 2, 1835. Born in Tennessee August 13, 1800; died December 2,1880. His wife Eliza Moore, born April 23, 1809 died February 25, 1877. (Moore Family Cemetery, 8 mi. N La Grange) #3462
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05580
Site of a Twin Blockhouse. Built about 1828; used as a place of defense against the Indians and known as Moore's Fort in honor of its builder and owner, John Henry Moore, 1800-1880, noted Indian fighter and commander of the Texans at the Battle of Gonzales, October 2, 1835. The City of La Grange was established May 17, 1831 on his land. #5580
385 N. Main St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04311
W. S. Robson. Georgia native William Sion Robson migrated to Texas with his parents in 1852. After settling in Round Top (17 miles NE), the family moved to the La Grange area in 1863. After working as a butcher, Robson served in several public offices, including tax assessor and deputy district clerk. In 1880 he and his wife Lucy (Praetorius) (1854-1922) built the original section of this home. Robson became a lawyer and in 1890 was elected Fayette County Judge, a position he held for three terms. A charter member of Texas Bar Association, he was also active in political and fraternal groups. #4311
314 N. Monroe St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05607
The First U. S. Postal Rural Mail Route in Texas. Authorized effective August 1, 1899. La Grange, Fayette County. #5607
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05659
John Vogt Homestead. Originally a one-room house, this structure was built about 1856 by German immigrant John Vogt. He and his wife, Franciska (Willrich), added to the original house as their family grew. The interior walls of the central portion display evidence of the home's fachwerk construction. A significant example of early German architecture in Texas, the homestead remained in the Vogt family for more than 100 years. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983 #5659
from La Grange, take FM 609 west about 5 mile, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #05753
Christian G. Wertzner. A San Jacinto veteran; first permanent German settler of Fayette County. Born in Germany; died, 1852. #5753
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04443
St. James Episcopal Church. St. James was built in 1885 on land donated in 1867 by the Shropshire family. It has been in continous use as.... #4443
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00353
Beer Office and Bottling Company. F. W. Grassmeyer commissioned German-Texan stonemasons to construct this Italianate style commercial building between 1856 and 1859. The structure served as a hotel until 1893, when German immigrant Fritz Presun purchased it as a regional sales office for large American breweries. In 1897 Presun added a bottling operation, The Crown Soda Factory. His son Henry continued the business and also sold oil and gas here. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1983 #353
114 S. Main St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01365
Earthman Farm. Established 1835 with one-room log cabin as settlers' dwelling. In 1841, a party of Indians was alleged to have killed, scalped, and mutilated the body of young Henry Earthman, who was hunting horses (with his brother Fields) near their home. Fields Earthman took the news of the murder to Rutersville College (8 Mi. E), and nearly all boys at school spent the ensuing three weeks hunting fruitlessly for Indians. Present house was built 1877. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1972. #1365
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01581
Fayette County, C.S.A. Although voted 600 against to 580 for secession, began Confederate recruiting in June 1861. La Grange was headquarters for 22nd Brigade, Texas State Troops, Brig. Gen. Wm. G. Webb commanding, of which 18 companies (1,238 men ) and 72 officers were from Fayette. Special county war taxes provided relief for soldiers' families. Funds were also raised by the famous "Cow Order" for seizure of strays. Censors here banned exchanges of mail with the U.S. Confederate cotton gathered in and stored at La Grange and Round Top was freighted to Mexico by local men hauling 5 or more bales on each 3-months-long trip. In 1863 a dozen teamsters lost outfits and barely saved themselves when bandits struck near Roma, on the Mexican border. Gen. Webb and Cols. John C. and Wm.F. Upton were Fayette County men. Local C.S.A. units were commanded by Capts. Ira G. Killough and Ben Shropshire, who fought in the Arizona-New Mexico campaign. Gen. Tom Green, first county surveyor, and Indian fighter and hero of San Jacinto and the Mexican war, had a part in such Confederate victories as the recapture of Galveston and the Battle of Mansfield, La. #1581
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03076
James Seaton Lester. Star and Wreath Delegate to the 1835 Consultation, San Jacinto Veteran, member of four Republic of Texas Congresses. Erected by the State of Texas 1962 #3076
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #11878
Cedar Cemetery. John and William Lewis settled in the LaGrange area in the 1830s and established a family cemetery here. The earliest marked grave is that of Carl Huebner in 1857. John and Ann Lewis donated 1.25 acres of land for the cemetery in 1879. All records were kept in German until 1931 \, and German cultural influences are evident on many tombstones. The site became a community cemetery, and the name was changed three times. Burials include veterans of the war for Texas independence, the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War. (1997) #11878
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13053
Brandt Cemetery. Eilert Gerhard Brandt and his wife, Sophie Friedrich Wilhelmine Westing Brandt, immigrated from Oldenburg, Germany to this area in April 1888. They purchased nearly 400 acres of land near the community of Pecan (Holman). Just months later, in June 1888, they established this cemetery with the burial of Meta Wienken, who had cared for their sons H. Emil and George F. before the couple had arrived with four more of their children. Six others had been stillborn or died young and were buried in Germany. After her husband's death in 1919, Wilhelmine (d. 1924) sold the land to George and his wife, Julia, who built a home nearby. In the 1930s, George and Julia sold the property to their children. In 1952, family members formed the Brandt Cemetery Association, which holds annual decoration days for the burial ground. The cemetery features curbed burial plots and slab grave covers. It remains a link to the Brandt family and the many German immigrants who helped settle Fayette County. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002 #13053
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15434
Kallus House. Built in 1885-86, the house became the residence of the Kallus family in 1916. Moravian native Frank J. Kallus (1872-1951) came to Texas in 1890 and later taught school in nearby Ellinger. He married Elizabeth Weisner, and the couple had four children. Two years after her death in 1902, he moved his family to La Grange, where he was a county official and lawyer. The home transferred to daughter Anna Kallus (d. 1995) upon his death. It reflects Gothic Revival styling in projecting bays and ornate details. Features include a corner entry and a separate cellar house. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004 #15434
451 N. Franklin, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #15655
US Rural Mail Route in Texas, First. #15655
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #02230
William Gorham. Star and Wreath Served in the Texas Army 1835-36. A San Jacinto Veteran. Erected by the State of Texas, 1962 #2230
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03460
Colonel John H. Moore House. This house was built in 1838 as a residence for Colonel John H. Moore and his wife Eliza Cummins Moore. Colonel Moore, a noted Indian fighter commanded the Texians at Gonzales, October 2, 1835 when the first shot of the Texas Revolution was fired. #3460
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12487
Plum Grove Baptist Church and Cemetery. This cemetery is the enduring physical reminder of the Baptist congregation that worshiped at this site from 1870 until about 1904. Plum Grove Baptist Church and the Pleasant Retreat Baptist Church of Christ combined their congregations in 1869 and built a sanctuary the following year. Church services were held once a month with annual revival meetings until the area population and church membership declined about the turn of the 20th century. The first burial in the church's cemetery, that of four-year-old William A. Routh, took place in 1872. Burials ceased in 1945, until a new section opened for interments in 1985. (2001) #12487
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13129
Black Jack Springs Cemetery. The Black Jack Springs Community, now called O'Quinn, was established by a group of Anglo and German families who settled near the headwaters of the Black Jack Branch of Buckner's Creek by 1840. Pioneer Charles Luck provided land for the burial of his brother-in-law, Thomas H. Oeding (d. 1867). Oeding's is the first marked grave in this cemetery, which probably first served the Luck-Oeding family. The second known burial is that of Johann Wilhelm (Wil) Loessin (d. 1869), who volunteered with his three brothers as U.S. cavalrymen in the Civil War. Wil died from an illness contracted while held as a prisoner of war at Camp Groce, Liendo Plantation, near Hempstead. Adjoining the cemetery, residents built Trinitatis Lutheran Church in 1871 on land formally deeded by N.W. Faison. Charles Luck donated tracts of land, including the original graveyard, and heirs of Johanetta Luck Froelich Schwartz gave additional land to what became the Black Jack Springs Cemetery. Buried here are soldiers, homesteaders, carpenter craftsmen, and the renown German-Texas poet Johannes C.N. Romberg. The many names found among the stones in the cemetery chronicle the lives of early county settlers and their descendants. Historic Texas Cemetery - 2002 #13129
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #13237
Hermes House. German native Dr. William A. Hermes moved to La Grange in 1855 to practice medicine. He opened Hermes Drug Store the following year with his partner, Dr. Eck. His two sons, August and William, Jr., earned pharmacy degrees and joined the family business. In October 1892, Dr. Hermes gave this house as a wedding gift to William, Jr. and his bride, Augusta Pauline (Willenberg), also a native of La Grange. Here, William, Jr. and Augusta reared two children, Myrta and Gilbert, who also became a pharmacist at the family store. Since the arrival of Dr. Hermes in 1855, the family has played an active and philanthropic role in church and community organizations, and contributed to La Grange businesses, schools and health services. The two-story residence was built with second-hand lumber and cypress clapboard siding. The asymmetrical Folk Victorian home features a double gallery, ornate fretwork, a decorative vergeboard at the peak of the front gable, bay windows, two-over-two lights, jigsawn porch detailing and vertical massing. The family began constructing additions to the home soon after occupying it in 1892. In effect a city farmstead, the site includes several other vernacular structures, such as a gazebo, an outhouse, buggy house, garage, servant quarters, smokehouse, barns and chickenhouse. Evidence uncovered by family members during restoration work indicates that water from a 1913 flood rose to four feet inside the house. Today, the complex of buildings at this site represents a transition from rural farm life at the turn of the 20th century to city life more than 100 years later. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2004 #13237
541 N Main St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12756
Monument Hill Tomb. Monument Hill Tomb In September 1848, the remains of Texans killed in the 1842 Dawson Massacre and the 1843 "Black Bean Death Lottery" were reburied at this site in a sandstone vault. The Kreische family did its best to care for the grave during their ownership of the property, but it suffered from lack of formal oversight. In 1905, the state authorized acquisition of .36 acres here, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas raised funds for a new cover for the tomb in 1933. During the 1936 Texas Centennial celebration, the 48-foot shellstone shaft with a stylized, Art Deco-influenced mural was erected to mark the mass grave more prominently. Local citizens purchased 3.54 acres as a donation to the state for parkland in 1957. (2002) #12756
414 St. Loop 92, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00417
Birthplace of the SPJST. On December 28, 1896, twenty-five Czech-Texans gathered in the district courtroom of this courthouse to establish a new fraternal benefit insurance society, the Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas, more commonly known a the SPJST. The SPJST held its first convention in the same room on June 20, 1897. I. J. Gallia served as the society's first president and J. R. Kubena was the first secretary. The SPJST officially began its business in Texas on July 1, 1897. SPJST headquarters now is located in Temple. #417
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12755
Kreische Complex. Kreische Complex German immigrant Heinrich Kreische (1821-1882) purchased nearly 175 acres of property in Fayette County in 1849. A stonemason by trade, he built a house, barn and smokehouse here on the high south bluff above the Colorado River. In the 1860s, Kreische began brewing Bluff Beer near his homesite. Situated on the spring-fed creek, the brewery included an elaborate tunnel system to provide temperature control for the brewing process. Bluff Beer was sold throughout Central Texas and was produced until 1884, two years after Kreische died in a work-related accident. The Kreische complex stands as a reminder of German heritage and culture in this region of the state. (2002) #12755
414 St. Loop 92, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #12627
Fayette County Courthouse. About 1890, the structural safety of Fayette County's third courthouse came into question, and plans began for the building of this structure to serve as the seat of justice for the county. The commissioners court hired San Antonio architect James Riely Gordon (1863-1937) to design the new courthouse and oversee the construction. Gordon, who was 27 years old at the time, went on to become a noted architect of public buildings in Texas. Funding for the 1890-91 courthouse came from the sale of $90,000 in bonds. Martin, Byrnes and Johnston of Colorado City served as building contractors. Gordon designed the courthouse in the Romanesque Revival style and specified four types of native Texas stone to detail the exterior: Blue Muldoon sandstone, Belton White limestone, Pecos Red sandstone and Pink Burnet granite. A central open atrium, designed to promote good lighting and natural ventilation, highlighted the interior space. The extensive use of stone, along with the massive arched windows and doorways, exemplify the building's Romanesque Revival influences. The oldest existing J. Riely Gordon courthouse in Texas, the Fayette County courthouse was completed in 1891. It has served as a setting for social events, celebrations, courtroom dramas and political oratory, and continues as a center of politics and government for the county. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2001 #12627
151 N. Washington, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04161
Rabb's Prairie. This portion of Fayette County is named for William Rabb (1770-1831), a prosperous miller from Pennsylvania who came to Texas in 1821 with members of his family. Rabb claimed a site on the east side of the Colorado River he had selected during an exploratory trip in 1819. He was a member of Stephen F. Austin's first colony in Texas, and recipient of one the earliest and largest land grants of more than 22,000 acres, of which 13,285 acres comprised Rabb's Prairie. Part of Rabb's agreement with Austin was to build a grist mill for future settlers of the colony. Two grinding stones for the mill weighing about one ton each were imported from Scotland and unloaded at the mouth of the Colorado River on the Gulf of Mexico. In order to transport the heavy stones to the site of the grist mill, Rabb constructed a wooden axle and attached a round stone on both ends to serve as wheels. He then hitched oxen to the vehicle and pulled it about 100 miles in 1831; Rabb died shortly afterward. Through the years his descendants played significant roles in the development of Texas. The community of Rabb's Prairie was named for this pioneer family. #4161
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04283
First Roadside Park in Texas. Established fall 1933, when a local state highway official built tables and benches (since then replaced ) here to encourage motorists to stop and rest. Texas was one of the first states to sponsor building of roadside parks, which provided work for many of the unemployed during the 1930's depression. Early highway beautification efforts also started here. Today areas along Texas highways are noted for their landscaping and abundance of native wildflowers. Texas roadside parks, many of which have restrooms and cook-out areas, totaled 1,008 in 1967. #4283
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04354
James J. Ross. Born in South Carolina in about 1787, James Jeffres Ross was a member of the "Old Three Hundred." He arrived in Stephen F. Austin's colony in late 1822 or early 1823, moving onto the league granted him near Eagle Lake in Colorado County. In 1828 he moved to the S. A. Anderson League and built a home about one mile southwest of this site. Col. Ross, as he was known, soon assumed a position of leadership as captain of the militia of the Colorado District. He was a delegate to the second convention at San Felipe in 1833 and was one of those appointed in 1834 to help obtain Austin's release from imprisonment in Mexico. He helped establish a stage line and a stop that became the town of Fayetteville. An important figure during the early years of settlement in this part of the state, Ross was a successful farmer, rancher, trader, and merchant. Ross Prairie and Ross Creek, both in this vicinity, bear his name. He was killed by angry neighbors in January 1835 for sheltering Indians at his home and was buried in nearby Ross Cemetery. His home, which came to be known as the Ross/Martinek House, was owned by Czech immigrant Joseph Martinek and his descendants for nearly seventy years. #4354
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #00873
Old City Cemetery. Used for burials by 1840, this site was deeded by J. S. Lester to trustees who conveyed it to La Grange after incorporation of the city on July 3, 1854. Fourteen townswomen on April 17, 1873, formed what was probably the first such organization in Texas when they organized the Ladies' Cemetery Association of La Grange. Mrs. L. W. Moore was the first president. Since that time, this association has maintained and administered city cemetery. Annual decoration day, started in 1874, honors those resting here including many of the pioneers who fought for Texas freedom. #873
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01740
Site of First Methodist Annual Conference in Texas. The Rev. Martin Ruter (1785-1838) came to Texas as a missionary for the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1837. A town called Rutersville and Rutersville College, both located here, were named in his honor. Bishop Beverly Waugh arrived in Galveston in early December 1840. His mission was to visit Texas Methodists and to assemble and organize the first annual conference. Accompanied by Thomas O. Summers, Waugh traveled to Austin, where on December 20 he preached in the Capitol. Bishop Waugh arrived in Rutersville on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day he called the conference into session at Rutersville College. During the four day meeting the delegates elected Thomas O. Summers secretary of the conference, heard reports of the nine preachers present, admitted four new preachers, and ordained two deacons. The Texas Missionary Society also met, and plans were made for the second annual conference to be held in San Augustine in 1841. Following its humble beginnings here in 1840, the Texas conference of the Methodist Church grew steadily, eventually to include additional annual conferences within the state. #1740
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03070
Lenert House. Albert Charles Lenert (1841-1902) and his wife Amelia (1853-1952), both of whom immigrated to Fayette County from Germany as children, moved to La Grange in 1894 and built this home for their family. A fine example of high Victorian Italianate style, the frame structure features symmetrical front massing, an inset central porch, a side porch with Moorish arcade, and fine milled detail.. The home remained in the Lenert family until 1979. RTHL - 1987 #3070
350 N. Madison, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #03319
Meerscheidt House. Tax records indicate this house was built in 1884, the same year the property was purchased by Paul Meerscheidt from his relative, attorney Axel Meercheidt. German immigrants and prominent local farmers John Speckels, Sr., and his wife Marguerite (Imken) acquired the property in 1890. The house is a fine local example of a late Victorian-era dwelling. Especially fine detailing is evident, including the gable end detail, dormer detail, and decorative geometrical balustrade on the porch. The house was moved slightly to the south of its original location about 1970. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1995 #3319
458 N. Monroe St., La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #04006
Philadelphia Evangelical Lutheran Chuch. Second oldest congregation in the Texas-Louisiana Synod, United Lutheran Church in America. The founding occurred on March 24, 1867, under leadership of the Rev. C. C. Rudi, who had just moved to the Swiss Alp area. A ten-acre church site was donated by John and Christina Knippa by deed of March 29, 1869. Cedar was donated by J. F. Melcher and the Knippas, and original log church was built in 1869. In Feb. 1877 the cemetery was established and in Nov. 1877 an adjoining tract of 44.5 acres was added. The present church building was erected in 1889-90. #4006
?, La Grange, TX, United States
Texas Historical Marker #01184
The Dawson Expedition / Historic Oak. It was under this historic oak when the men of Capt. Nicholas Mosby Dawson's company assembled on September 15, 1842 and went to the relief of San Antonio to repel the invasion of Texas by the Mexican Army under Gen. Adrian Woll. In the fight near Salado Creek, September 18, Dawson and 35 of his men were killed, 15 captured and imprisoned in Castle Perote in Mexico, and 3 escaped. Here on the courthouse square, the scarred remains of what was once a mighty oak marks the spot from which La Grange has on every occasion sent its sons to battle. In fights with the Indians, the struggle with Mexico, in the War between the States, the Spanish American War, and in two World Wars, sons of Fayette County were first marshalled under this tree. Wives, mothers, sweethearts here bade farewell and sent their men to battle, each time to win acclaim as true patriots. #1184
?, La Grange, TX, United States