A tour of historical markers in Pflugerville and Round Rock

A tour of historical markers in Pflugerville and Round Rock

Written by Pflugerville compiled by Pam Stephenson and Round Rock compiled by Karen Thompson Sunday, 07 October 2007

Round Rock

1. Andrew J. Palm house - Andrew J. Palm, with his mother and brothers immigrated to Texas from Sweden in 1848. Palm and his wife, Caroline, built this residence in 1873 and raised their eight children in it while it was still at their farm. The house was moved to Main Avenue in 1976 and awarded the historical marker in 1978.

2. A. J. & Carolina Anderson House - The house was built in 1908-09 by the Swedish immigrant A. J. Anderson.

3. Baylor University accident - On Jan. 22, 1927, the Baylor University basketball bus had a wreck with a train at this site. Ten students were killed.

4. Brushy Creek baptisms - A marker identifies the site of early baptisms. Reverend W. H. Ross especially enjoyed this site for baptizing his flock.

5. Captain Nelson Merrell’s homes - Built in 1870-71 by Captain Nelson Merrell

6. Council Oak - Washington and Mary Anderson built this home in 1860 for their daughter Chloe and her husband Rev. R. H. Toliafereo. It is called “Council Oak” because Indians met with settlers under the large oak tree.

7. Confederate chaplains, Rev. Edward and John Hudson - A marker honoring brothers Edward and John Hudson, who were Presbyterian ministers and served as chaplains during the Civil War. They are both buried in the Round Rock Cemetery.

8. Caldwell-Palm house - This two-story rock house was built in 1860 by T. J. Caldwell from rock quarried on site. Slaves helped in the construction. Caldwell’s daughter, Mary, and her husband, Sven Palm, lived in the home in 1892. Mr. and Mrs. John H. Nash Jr. restored the home in 1967.

9. The Double File Trail - As the Delaware Indians traveled from East Texas to Mexico, they laid the trail as two horsemen rode side by side. The trail location along Brushy Creek was where Dr. Kenney built his fort.

10. Early commercial building - The John A. Nelson building was built in 1900. It is still the most distinctive downtown building. Nelson operated a private bank, hardware and lumber business. It is considered architecturally important for the façade of cast iron and pressed tin. Nelson was not only a very successful businessman devoted to his family, but under his tutelage many other businessmen prospered. John and Jenny Carlson Nelson raised six children in their three-story mansion at the corner of east Main Avenue and Stone Street. John died at age 56 from Bright’s Disease and the regal home was torn down.

11. Early road marker - The first official roads in Williamson County were laid out in 1850. One of the 19th century limestone road markers is on display at the Helen and Robert Griffin Public Library, 216 E. Main Ave.

12. E. B. Barker House - E. B. and Mary Barker built this home in 1873. Famous Texas Ranger Dudley Barker was born in the house, which is in Old Town and now owned by Jim and Betty Porter.

13. Education in Round Rock - Soon after Williamson County was established in 1848, blacksmith James G. Harrell built a log schoolhouse for the use of the neighborhood.

14. Formation of Williamson County - Williamson County was formed out of Milam District in 1848 and named in honor of noted Judge Robert McAlpin Williamson (1806-1859).

15. Harrell Cemetery - Jacob M. and Mary Harrell came to Texas in 1833. Soon his brother James G. and Catherine Harrell arrived. Jacob was one of the first settlers in Waterloo, and he donated his land grant for the establishment of Austin. Both brothers served in the Texas Army. In addition to Harrell family burials, one of Jacob and Mary’s slaves is interred here.

16. In memory of the pioneer builders - A dedication to early education in Williamson County. Greenwood Masonic Institute was established in 1867-1881 and the Round Rock Institute in 1881-1891, both operated by Presbyterians.

17. The Inn at Brushy Creek - The structure was home to many families through the years and in about 1967 it became The Inn at Brushy Creek restaurant. It was a fine dining establishment until about 1990.

18. Kenney’s Fort - Dr. Thomas Kenney came to Brushy Creek in 1839 and built a fort. This was the first permanent settlement in what would become Williamson County nine years later. Kenney was befriended by the Native Americans, but was later killed by them in 1844.

19. Major Robert McNutt - Major McNutt (1795-1867) commanded the camp at Harrisburg during the Battle of San Jacinto, April 21, 1836. He had also served in the War of 1812.

20. McNabb-Quick house - The house was on part of the land grant of Jacob M. Harrell. The original portion of the home was built in 1853. In the latter part of 1800 it was a retirement home for ministers of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Purchased in 1952 by Colonel and Mrs. Alexander McNabb, they did extensive restoration before it received a medallion in 1963. It has been the home of Don and Jeanne Quick for many years.

21. Nelson-Crier house - Andrew J. and Hedvig Nelson had just started construction on this home in 1895 when Andrew died. Page Brothers Architects of Austin completed the home in 1900. Three generations of Nelsons had lived in the home when it was sold to Jean Crier in 1960. Mrs. Crier renovated the mansion and renamed it Woodbine.

22. Nelson home - Home of A. J. Nelson, a rancher-banker from Sweden. Swedish masons, paying voyage costs, built this house in 1860.

23. Old broom factory building - This Victorian-style building was erected about 1876. It housed the broom factory from 1877 to 1912. The Round Rock broom won a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

24. Olson House - Built for Swedish immigrant and widow, Johanna Olson in 1908.

25. Otto Reinke building - Built in 1877 and used for many purposes through the years including stores, physician office and restaurant. After it was gutted by a fire in 1963, architect Martin Kermacy built a modern interior within the Victorian Italianate walls.

26. Palm Valley Lutheran Church - Swedish immigrant Anna Palm moved here with her family in 1853. The original church was a log structure. The present Gothic Revival style building was erected in 1894 at a cost of $10,000.00. The popular church operates a school and cemetery. All church services were in Swedish until 1928, when English was added. Since 194 all services are in English.

27. The round rock - The round rock for which the city is named marks the low-water crossing that once guided Native Americans and settlers. Quarried rock was used in building the early community. The early post office was named Brushy Creek and renamed Round Rock in 1854.

28. Round Rock Cemetery - The earliest tombstone is that of Angelina Scott who died in 1851. The hundreds of burials include many noted people such as “Barbette,” Deputy Sheriff A. W. Grimes and outlaw Sam Bass. Nearby is the slave burial ground where 40 to 50 former slaves and freedmen were buried.

29. Round Rock Historic Commercial District - Includes the 100 and 200 blocks of east Main Avenue. It is named in the National Register of Historic Places.

30. Round Rock Volunteer Fire Dept. - The first hose and hand pump company was formed in 1884. By 1892, they had built their first fire station. About 1934, they purchased the first motor driven equipment, a Model T Ford chassis.

31. Sam Bass death site - This marker identifies the location of the Hart Hotel where the Texas Rangers brought the outlaw Sam Bass after being shot. He died at this location the next day, July 21, 1878. He is buried at Round Rock Cemetery.

32. Site of Stony Point High School - The original Stony Point School, built in 1891, was important to the Swedish children learning English for the first time. They took the language home and taught parents and grandparents. It closed in 1942.

33. Texas Baptist Children’s Home - In 1950, Louis and Billie Henna donated 112 acres to start this children’s home.

34. Trinity Lutheran College - The Lutheran Church selected Round Rock for the site of a new college in 1904. Dr. Stamline opened the first session in 1906. The college merged with the Lutheran college in Sequin in 1929, and the facility was used as a retirement/nursing home until recent years.

35. Washington Anderson home - The Washington Anderson home is named “El Milagro” and the original portion was built in 1859 under a Swedish foreman. In 1962, this was one of the first homes to receive a medallion recognizing its historical significance. The rock slave quarters are also preserved.

36. William M. Owen house complex - The one-story store and post office was built in 1853. It was most notably known as the G. F. Smothers grocery store. The 1870 two-story building was the St. Charles Hotel, probably operated by Dr. William M. Owen, a prominent businessman and physician. The complex is currently owned by Brenda Rhea and Larry Brown.

Pflugerville

1. Albert Pfluger House - In 1909, the home at Fifth and Walnut Streets was built by Albert Pfluger, son of the city founder, George Pfluger.

2. Banner House - Built in 1915, it was formerly the site of the Banner Hotel, run during the years the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad ran through Pflugerville. The hotel burned, but the residence is still occupied.

3. Bohl’s House (Heritage House) - Gottlieb William Bohls (1878-1961) and wife, Bertha (Timmerman), built the two-story Queen Anne style home in 1913 on land purchased on Austin-Hutto Road. The home remained in the Bohls family until it was donated to the City of Pflugerville in 1992 for a heritage center.

4. Dessau Church/Cemetery - The wood sanctuary was built circa 1876 on 8 acres donated by Christian Nehring. Services were conducted in German until the 1950s. A historical marker was dedicated here Oct. 20,1984.

5. Farmers State Bank - The first bank in Pflugerville. During the Great Depression in 1933, the Farmers State Bank closed one day and reopened as First State Bank the next day. The back room was the site of city council meetings when the city officially incorporated in the 1960s.

6. H. H. Pfluger Home - H.H. Pfluger owned and operated the open air theater, Pflugerville’s first silent theater. The home, built in 1915, is a two-story frame house with columned porch and extremely vertical windows, oddly spaced and gingerbread work on gables.

7. Immanuel Lutheran Church - In 1875, Immanuel Lutheran Evangelical Church was built on 5 acres donated by William and Catherine Elizabeth (Pfluger) Bohls. The small wood building was replaced with a brick facility in 1910. Destroyed by fire in 1928, the present building was erected in 1929. At its 100th anniversary in 1974, the church celebrated with the commemoration of a Texas Centennial Historical Marker.

8. Kuempel House - The Kuempel/Murchison home, built in 1904, has been the site of numerous movies and commercials filmed in the Pflugerville area.

9. Pfluger Cemetery - This small family cemetery of the founding family of Pflugerville is located east of Pflugerville with graves dating to the 19th century.

10. Pflugerville (Chamber of Commerce) - A historical plaque to commemorate the community of Pflugerville, settled in 1853 by Henry Pfluger and family, the platting of the city in 1904 and its subsequent growth.

11. Santa Maria Cemetery - A Hispanic cemetery established in 1924 by the Mexican families who resided in Pflugerville. Camilo Mercado, one of the founders of the cemetery, was the first to be buried in the cemetery. He was the father of current resident, Bertha Mercado Ramos, age 96 years.

12. St. John’s Church Richland - Organized in 1878 by German settlers, the congregation built a small wooden sanctuary in 1884. A larger building, completed in 1891, was replaced in 1925 with the sanctuary still in use today.

13. St. Mary’s Baptist Church - The church is the only existing of the original three Black churches founded in the early 1900s. First services were conducted under a grove of trees on Fritz Pfluger’s farm.

14. William Pfluger Home - Built circa 1879 by the founding family member of Pflugerville, the house is rough corbeled stone covered by plaster on the second story and scored to resemble cut stone. Original lattice woodwork fronts the second story.