Back Road Whispers: ROUND TOP continued

Next on our list of sights was Shakespheare at Winedale and the Historical Center. There was a geocache (GC1VOTO) listed so we stopped at the visitors center first to pick it up. While we were in getting literature and a map of the historical center, Jezebel lost her signal and threw a temper tantrum. The lady, Beth, working the front desk sort of jumped and asked what that was!?! I told her it was my GPS and asked if she was familiar with geocaching. Oh my yes she was, had done some with her daughter, and thought it great fun. She was surprised when I told her there was one right out the front door and immediately she jumped into action heading out with us to find it. Beth was a wealth of information before we drove through the grounds, a good ambassador to Winedale, and fun to be around...a new best friend!

Shakespeare at Winedale is actually a part of The University of Texas founded by a professor to study Sakespeare by actually performing in his plays. Students spend two months in the summer studying and performing in the 19th century barn that is used as an open air theater. The whole complex is part of UT. More information can be found at:

http://www.shakespeare-winedale.org/events/
http://www.cab.utexas.edu/museums/winedale_intro.php

The barn where the plays are performed is actually an example of a barndominium (which is a whole lot easier to type than to say) although there is no proof it was used as such. When settlers would come to the area the first priority was to protect their investments, their livestock, so they would first build a barn to shelter the animals but have a living area attached. It's proper name is a traverse crib barn because of the corn cribs across from each other. It is constructed of oak logs, hand hewn with some long cedar beams. It is one of the few barns of this type left in Texas.


The Wagner House

The Wagner house was actually built by Samuel K. Lewis but was bought by the Wagner family in 1882 and they held the property until 1961 when it was sold, and then resold to Ima Hogg (daughter of Governor Jim Hogg and a patron and collector of the arts and Texas heritage was known as a philantrophist). Ms. Hogg restored the house and filled it with furniture and period pieces. It is available for tours by appointment. As a matter of note, Ms Ima did NOT have a sister by the name of Ura. Ima's name came from a poem her daddy liked.

Entering the grounds there are smokestacks on the left stand alone on a piece of land. The building they were attached to was a dormitory and burned to the ground as a result of an electrical fire. No one was hurt or lost their life, but this is all that is left of the building today.

Further down the road is the McGregor House, built by Dr. Gregor McGregor on land owned by his wife but adjacent to his property several miles away from its present location. When Dr. McGregor retired and moved to Waco the house was sold and then turned into a tenant house. Again Ms. Ima Hogg came to the rescue and bought the McGregor house and had it moved to the present location. She had it placed at the back of the property so it would not compete with the Wagner house and leave them both with majesty and grandeur. It is made entirely of local wood such as ash, cedar and walnut. When furnishing the home, Ms. Hogg made the decision to use only furniture made by Texas craftsmen, contributing many of the pieces from her own collections. Again this home is available for tour by reservation.

The McGregor House

We startled this little (hah!) guy on the drive back to the McGregor house. Sure was a beauty but sure didn't like us invading his territory.

The sightseeing over with we headed back to town for some serious retail therapy starting with The Copper Shade Tree in Henkel Square in downtown Round Top. Oh my what wonderful wonderful works of art are displayed here. I wish my pocket book was a little heavier, I would be a proud owner of a fountain for the deck if so. Donations can be made, call for the address. Check them out at www.coppershadetree.com

Henkel Square is a beautiful little shopping area, operated by the Texas PioneerArts Foundation. There are plans to put a community center in the middle in time for Octoberfest. Very ambitious. The church had an artist inside stenciling the ceilings. I can't wait to see it when they are through. All in all a wonderful time looking, touching, and thinking about its. Pat even startled a little lizard while we were walking around. OK OK so it wasn't so little but the important thing is it did have legs!!!

Finally the day was drawing to an end, and we headed back to break out the wine and cheese and crackers on the porch of the Farmhouse at Round Top Inn.

We were forced to sit in those rockers with our wine staring at this.....

As long as I have known Pat, I never knew she was a lizard magnet...there we sat drinking our Kool Aid and here came Lawrence Elmer Lizard. First he stopped and stared at us, then he threatened us, then he really got ticked off, and finally he gave up and went back to napping.