APRIL IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

A special thanks the Round Rock Leader for letting the museum  
post these wonderful articles.
The Time Capsules stories are prepared by Bob Brinkman
Texas Historical Commission

1746:   Father Francisco Mariano founds San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas, the first of three Spanish missions to bring education, religion and agriculture to Central Texas Indians.  Over the next ten years this community peaked at about 500 people, third biggest in Texas province behind San Antonio de Bexar and the East Texas missions.

 1836:   Several Round Rock area men fight at San Jacinto, including Washington Anderson, Bartlett Sims, Robert McNutt, John James Tumlinson, Thomas H. Mays, James Standefer and Matthew Mark Moss; others in the Texas Revolutionary forces include Dr. Thomas Kenney, James O. Rice and Robert McAlpin Williamson.

 1878:   The Round Rock Odd Fellows club celebrates 50 years of the order in America with a picnic dinner, grand ball, and an address by Governor Richard Hubbard.

 1883:   Round Rock College, founded in 1867 as Greenwood Masonic Institute, burns to the ground.

 1891:   Williamson County commissioners approve the construction of 12 iron bridges. Most are destroyed in the floods of 1913 and 1921, while the metal in the bridge over the round rock is donated to the World War II scrap drives (the stone pillars remain).

 1895:   A fire downtown destroys Canova Brothers' confectionery store and W. H. Triggs' general merchandise on the south side of Main Street between Mays and Lampasas.  A sudden downpour kept the whole block from going up in flames, as the Round Rock Fire Department was not equipped to fight the blaze. In the same month, enthusiasts form a Bicycle Club at Georgetown.

 1900:   Flooding on Brushy Creek destroys an old mill, parts of the foundations of the railroad bridge, and almost half of the wagon road bridge.

 1902:   A traveling art show at the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown lets residents view works by noted artists West, Trumbull, Copley, Bierstadt, Whistler and others.

 1914:   Baseball’s Central Texas League is formed, including teams in Austin and Bartlett.

 1920:   Southwestern University welcomes Irish poet and author William Butler Yeats, who speaks on “A Theater of the People” Yeats was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature.

 1923:   Old Settlers Association moved its permanent headquarters and reunion site to Harrell Park in Round Rock.  In 1986 the Old Settlers moved their meeting ground to Palm Valley.

 1946:   Palm Valley Lutheran Church honors its veterans, including one Gold Star boy (killed in action) from World War II, John Chester Jacobson.

 1951:   At Hopewell High School, Joe Lee Johnson coaches the girls’ track team to the first of 4 state championships over the next 5 years in the Prairie View league.  At the Georgetown track meet, Round Rock High School noses out Granger to win the meet and sets three new records in the 440-yard relay (Don Hester, Alvin Cox, Frank Myrick and Lee Cordova), 880-yard run (John Paul Hester) and 440-yard run (Cox).

 1963:   Walter Henna resigns from the Williamson County School Board after 33 years, and following an additional ten years on the school board in Round Rock.

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