Time Capsule articles from the Round Rock Leader

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

JANUARY IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

TIME CAPSULE - JAN 1861
Struggling with the Secession Question
The winter of 1861 was a time for big decisions.  The Southern states felt disenfranchised by the North, and one by one they were leaving the Union.  In Texas, a Secession Convention met in Austin to decide whether to hold a statewide secession vote.

TIME CAPSULE – JAN 1927
Remembering the Immortal Ten
 In 1927 Round Rock was a quiet town of 1,000 people at the intersection of State Highway 2 and the International and Great Northern Railroad.  But on January 22 of that year, this little community was the scene of a terrible tragedy that received widespread notice.

FEBRUARY IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)
(sorry no stories in February )

MARCH IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

TIME CAPSULE – MAR 1746
Planting the Seeds of Settlement
The Spaniards were impressed with the natural resources they found, and returned to establish missions to educate and convert the native tribes of Central Texas, including the Tonkawa and Apaches.

TIME CAPSULE – MAR 1878
The Temperance Movement
Round Rock pushed such a law through the State Legislature in 1863, making the sale or possession of alcohol within four miles of the schoolhouse punishable by up to $500.

TIME CAPSULE - MARCH 1904
Brooms and White Lime 1904
If you were to ask someone from outside this area what Round Rock is known for, they might come up with computers or baseball, or even donuts. But if you asked the same question a century ago, the answer might be brooms and white lime.

TIME CAPSULE – MAR 1914
Round Rock Colleges and Schools of Old
Round Rock has long been noted for its excellent schools.  The Round Rock Academy, Greenwood Masonic Institute and the Round Rock Institute were pioneer colleges between the Civil War and World War I. In addition, Trinity College operated in Round Rock from 1906 to 1929. 

APRIL IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Life and Times of Three-Legged Willie
This month we celebrate the life of our county namesake.  Robert McAlpin Williamson was born in Georgia in 1806. (AKA Three legged Willie)

Old Settlers Association of Williamson County
The Old Settlers Association of Williamson County is a group that celebrates the lives and sacrifices of our area's pioneer families.  It grew out of annual meetings of Civil War Veterans, as former Confederate and Union soldiers and their families would camp out for several days in the summer, enjoying camaraderie, food and speeches. 

MAY IN ROUND ROCK  (dates in history)

Battle on the San Gabriels
Many historians have called the Battle on the San Gabriels the second-most important strategic battle in Texas after San Jacinto.

JUNE IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Andrew Moses
The Round Rock Institute educated many people who became noted doctors, professors, lawyers, stockmen, and judges throughout the country.  One such student who achieved success on the world stage was Andrew Moses.

Dr. Dick Boling Gregg,
Throughout the years, Round Rock has been fortunate to boast citizens of strong character and longtime devotion to their town.  Such a man was Dr. Dick Boling Gregg, who served as Round Rock’s town doctor for 42 years

JULY IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Round Rock goes Urban
Williamson County in the 1870s was an entirely rural place.  Small farms filled the countryside, growing such crops as corn and cotton.  It was a dependent economy, as cattle were driven northward to markets in Kansas, and raw products were shipped out of the area. 

A Century of Community Service
In 1904 the Augusta Lutheran Synod Conference met in Kansas and approved a proposal to begin a new college in Texas.

Ex-Students commemorate Round Rock schools
From the beginning, the people of Round Rock have put education first.  The first school in the county was held in Matthew Moss' log cabin on Lake Creek in 1848. 

AUGUST IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Round Rock - 10,000 Years of History
A unique sense of place is important for a community.  Round Rock can trace its roots back 10,000 years, when nomads crossed this way.

SEPTEMBER IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Dudley Barker, a Texas Ranger
 Round Rock has a long history of citizens who made names for themselves on the state and national stages.  One such man was Dudley Barker, a Texas Ranger born in Round Rock in 1873.

Black Gold on the Blackland Prairie
In September 1926, when the country's attention was fixed on the Dempsey-Tunney fight, folks in Central Texas were flocking to Round Rock to marvel at a recent discovery.

OCTOBER IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Oatts family are among area pioneers
This month we celebrate the pioneer spirit of one of Round Rock's earliest families.  Thomas C. Oatts was born in October 1815 in Monticello, Kentucky.  He and his brother H. R. were in Central Texas by 1838.

The Round Rock News
We tend to think of history as major events and dates, such as 1492 or 1776, with relatively unimportant things occurring in-between.  But studying an “ordinary” day can tell us quite a lot about our community and the people who lived before us.  Consider what was happening in our town on October 21, 1886, courtesy an issue of the newspaper, The Round Rock News. 

NOVEMBER IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

Williamson County casts its lot with the nation
Texas became the 29th state in the Union in 1845. As settlement moved westward, people coalesced into villages and towns, and once there were enough families, the state would create and organize new counties. Williamson County was created and organized early in 1848, in time to cast votes in the upcoming presidential election.

History on Highway 79
Driving east on Highway 79, you pass through an area that has been significant in the history and development of Texas.

DECEMBER IN ROUND ROCK (dates in history)

The 1926 Flapper Bank Bandit Strikes 
In December 1926, Central Texas and much of the nation was consumed with a small-time criminal act that became an object lesson in social issues, media coverage, and celebrity.

December in Round Rock - 1842 
The struggle between Texas President Sam Houston and the people of the new state capital of Austin over the state archives comes to an end at Kenney’s Fort along Brushy Creek.

Constable John McBride was killed on Christmas Day, 1908
This month we recall the supreme sacrifice of a Round Rock lawman. Constable John McBride was shot and killed on Christmas Day, 1908.

The Honorable Sam Kemp 
This month we celebrate the life of a local boy who became a noted attorney and jurist, serving as a judge in the Territory of Hawaii under Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt.

click here more
Williamson County Texas History