BASTROP, TEXAS

We interrupt the cruise down the Rhine River for a quick back road trip in Texas.  We will resume the Rhine trip next time, Jeane. 

On the way to Bastrop...my kind of road.

 

BASTROP, TEXAS!

Bastrop, a sleepy little bedroom community of Austin, home of the Lost Pines, a place to stop on the way to Sandi's if I drink too much coffee before leaving, nothing exciting or particularly interesting about this small Texas town.

WRONG!!!!!!!

Pat and I chose Bastrop as our place to meet for Girl's Day Out in June.  Close to both of us, we figured it would have a place to eat, and a couple antique shops to poke around in and then we would find a place to have a cold drink and talk.  Well, that was a bit of a joke.  We are planning on going back for an overnighter at least so we can see all that we missed.

You may remember hearing of the wildfires that almost destroyed Bastrop State Park and burned many structures.  This is the place.  I am so impressed with the clean up of the devastation.  In true Texas spirit, neighbor helping neighbor, victims and those spared rolling up their shirt sleeves and getting to work; city and county governments making sure their departments are working to the best standards...my hat is off to all the Bastropians.  You make other Texans proud.

After a quick cup of coffee and a scrumptious Orange Cranberry Muffin at the DeliDepot on Main Street, we went to the visitor's center located in the 1889 First National Bank Building.

 Change sorter and counter.

No bar code scanning back in those days.

Cindye, the most amazing woman when it comes to the history and lore of Bastrop told us the story of how back in the '20's (I think) someone broke into the bank and tried to figure out the combination.  They were chased out the back door and shot in the get away attempt.  From reading the sign below, I don't think what was in the safe would be worth the punishment.  This is the bank safe, the customer's safety deposit boxes were on the other side of the teller cages.

 

It reads:  The Texas Bankers Association, a corporation, offers a standing reward for each bank robber legally killed while robbing and holding up a reward subscribing member bank in Texas with firearms during the daytime.  Limits of the place and time of such killing are:  in the banking house or as the robbers and holdups leave the bank, while the robbery and holdup and threats are being committed within the bank; and as they flee from the bank with the property taken, and are resisting legal pursuit and arrest, within five miles of the bank robbed and within one hour after the robbery and holdup.

• The amount of the reward for each dead robber will be the total collected from subscribing member banks at $5 per subscriber, but the total amount in any even shall not exceed $5,000.00.
• This reward does not apply to night attacks on Texas banks.
• The association will not give one cent for live bank robbers.  They are rarely identified, more rarely convicted, and most rarely stay in the penitentiary when sent there---all of which operations are troublesome, burdensome, and costly to our government.
• In order to protect the lives of people in such banks and to protect the property of such banks, the Association is prepared to pay for any number of such robbers and holdups so killed, while they are robbing and holding up its reward subscribing member banks with firearms in the daytime.
• It is expressly provided that only the Texas Bankers Association shall determine whether or not payment of this reward shall be made hereunder, and to whom (if anyone) such payment shall be made, and such determination and judgement shall be final, conclusive and not reviewable.
• This reward is effective January 15th, 1933 and all other rewards, offers and statements are cancelled and superseded hereby.

                                                                                TEXAS BANKERS ASSOCIATION

Cindye showed us to the ladies room before heading out to do the walking tour of homes, so we got to follow the path of that luckless guy that broke in trying to figure out the combination to the safe.  Thank you Cindye for suggesting we use the facilities before heading out, it would have been a long way back!  Armed with information, her stories, and questions of whether we had lost our minds deciding to walk out in the noonday sun in Texas in June, we started walking.

The first stop was across the street Calvary Episcopal Church. The parish was organized May 5, 1869 by the first Episcopal Bishop of Texas, Alexander Gregg who was a personal friend of a townswoman, Mrs. Higgins, and named after her church in North Carolina.  Once a month the Methodist church was used for services and Mrs. Higgins would carry a small organ from her home to be used during the services.  This caused some knickers to get in a wad because many old-timers thought it sinful to use a machine in the church.  The full history of the church can be read by clicking on Calvary Episcopal Church above.

Walking into the building the first thing you see is two beautiful stained glass windows.  And then you walk into the church proper and look toward the altar.  Relying on my awful memory but depending on Pat's good memory...the funeral scene of "Bernie" was shot in front of these windows.

The round window above the altar...can't see it in the wide view because of lighting (and my lack of time or energy to fiddle around to get the lighting right). 

To the right of the altar as you are facing it is this altar, I'm a poor little Methodist girl and we only had one altar, so not sure what this one was for...but it was beautiful.

On the way out the two stained glass windows we saw as we first came in are visible through the clear paned doors at the end of the aisle...again the lighting got me, sorry.

Then it was on to the walking tour (highly suggest driving, instead of walking, this between May and September!).  I can't say it better than they did so most of the descriptions are pretty much verbatim from the brochure.

First on the list was the H. B. Combs House, built in 1912 .   It was built by the Wilbarger Lumber Co. in 1912, the home is an eclectic mixture of architectural styles including Neo-Classical and arts and craft.  The owner, Dr. Henry Burris Combs, was a prominent local physician, his wife the daughter of pioneer Texans.  He served as Vice President of the Citizens State Bank from 1909 to 1945 and was active in community affairs.

 Hall-Sayers-Perkis House Circa1830-1850s

Original home of Dr. David Sayers, who is believed to have moved to Bastrop so that his sons could attend the Bastrop Military Institute. His son, Joseph, became the governor of Texas in 1899, sreving until 1903.  The original home was a two room cottage with a dog trot passage and an outdoor kitchen.  Each room had a fireplace.  The second story was added in 1910, and the house was restored in the 1960s.  It is now recognized for its herb garden.

We didn't see the herb garden but the flower garden was beautiful.  The dinner plate hibiscus on the left was huge and brilliant.  The whole area was perfumed by the blooming crepe myrtle everywhere.

The H. P. Luckett House, Built in 1892.

Located on the site of the famous Bastrop Military Institute, also known as "The Academy", which was razed, the Luckett home is one of Bastrop's grand Victorians.  It was built in Queen Ann style for $14,000, has ornately decorated rooms, a variety of gingerbread and fretwork and a grand staircase.  The Military Institute was active during the Civil War.

Our new best friend, Cindye told the story of the present owner, a widow, who was sitting in one of the front rooms one evening.  These rooms have retained the style and furnishings of the 1800's.  She looked up and there was a scruffy looking man glaring at her with fists on his hips and head pushed forward.  She mimicked his stance and glared right back.  When she did he faded into the wall.  Some time later she was in the attic going through some boxes and found a picture of the man, he was one of the previous owners of the home.

The memorial in front of the home reads:

SITE OF

BASTROP MILITARY 

INSTITUTE

A METHODIST INSTITUTION - CHAR -

TERED JANUARY 24, 1852 AS BASTROP

ACADEMY - RECHARTERED UNDER 

THE AUSPICES OF THE METHODIST

EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH IN 1853 -

IN 1856 BECAME THE BASTROP 

MILITARY ACADEMY

`Erected by the State of Texas 1936

Not on the tour but a beautiful home with gorgeous crepe myrtles, so we put it on our tour.

Well hecky-durn, the one I wanted to have a picture of I didn't get.  We missed it on the walking tour and the driving tour both.  I WILL get a picture next time.  In the meantime, here is the story connected to it.  Fourteen years after it was built it was acquired by James Wilbarger who served in the U.S. - Mexican War.  However, it was his father who is the stuff Texans are made of....

Joshiah Wilbarger was a guide in the early 1830's and led surveyors and such into hostile territory.  On one such occasion the party was attacked by Indians armed with rifles.  Wilbarger was shot in the neck temporarily paralyzing him.  Although fully conscious, he could not move, speak or blink his eyes.  The Indians stripped him, leaving one sock on (could not find a reason or a superstition to warrant this) and proceeded to scalp him.  Contrary to our thoughts, the scalp was only two or three inches in diameter, although I'm sure it is pretty big to the scalpee.  The swelling, or whatever was causing the paralysis, went down and Wilbarger became aware of his predicament.  He took his remaining sock, wet it in a stream and placed it on the scalped portion of his skull.  Although he tried to make it back to the fort where he resided, he finally gave up and settled himself up against a tree, waiting to die.

Two survivors of the attack had made it to the fort and related the tale of the ambush.  Sarah, Joshiah's sister, settled down that night to sleep.  During the night she was awakened by a dream that her brother was alive.  She woke her husband who basically told her she was full of beans.  Twice more she was awakened by dreams, the second saying he was alive but had been scalped; the third time showing his location.  Finally her husband gave up getting any sleep until she was shown the body of her brother and he woke the other men and they went to find him.  Much to Sarah's relief her dreams were true and he was found alive and lived many years happily ever after.

But I digress...back to the home tour.

The Allen-Fowler House, built in 1852

Professor William J. Hancock, headmaster of the new Bastrop Academy, built the home to serve as a residence and a boarding house.  When the Academy was converted into the Bastrop Military Institute the new headmaster, Col. Robert T. P. Allen purchased the house for $5,000 and continued to board students there.  A frequent visitor was Sam Houston, whose sons were Bastrop Military Institute cadets.  In 1876 John Preston Fowler and his wife purchased the home.  Fowler was the mayor of Bastrop in 1874, a county attorney and a State Senator.

B. D. Orgain House, Built in 1881

This double galleried Victorian r4esidence was constructed for Benjamin Darby Orgain, a prominent area banker, attorney and civic leader and hsi wife, Drucilla.  Drucilla was an assistant teacher in the local Colorado Institute.  The exterior of their home features intricate detailing and fish scale shingling.  The interior includes woodwork of pine, cherry , mahogany and walnut.

There were many other homes on the walking tour, but those you will have to experience for yourself, I don't want to ruin it for you (translation - I didn't get good pictures of them for whatever reason).

Back to thank Cyndie again for sending us off on the tour and to ask her for a suggestion for lunch.  She scored again!!!

In sight of the old pedestrian bridge is the Old World Bakery and Cafe, nestled among old weathered buildings it was an excellent suggestion.  Pat had a BLT sandwich that she said was probably the best sandwich she has ever eaten; I chose a black bean burrito.  Expecting it to be a smudge of refried black beans on a standard tortilla with some lettuce and tomatoes, I was pleasantly surprised to find almost a can of whole black beans, held together with just the right amount of cheese, crispy lettuce and juicy flavorful tomatoes all wrapped up in a burrito sized tortilla.  Some chips with Picante that had a bigger kick than our donkeys and a bit of sour cream finished off the plate.  Peach iced tea to wash it down and we were good to go with a couple of sacks to bring home the bakery part of the name - wonderful Scones and gigantic sweet rolls.  We even had live music going on in the corner with a man and his guitar playing and singing.

I love old truss bridges and had heard about the one in Bastrop and that was on my must-do list.  The bridge was built in1923 by the Kansas City Bridge Company to replace an earlier bridge that couldn't take the automobile traffic that was increasing after WW-I.  In 1992 the bridge was turned into pedestrian and bicycles only when a highway bridge was built next to it.

 
Cost - $167,500
Opened - January 1924
Length - 1,285
Steel truss spans - 3 each 192 feet in length
Supported on concrete piers
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
One of the earliest surviving uses of the Parker truss in Texas

 No I did not take this picture, dear brother, mine - besides you are older than me.  Stole this from the net - put out by TxDOT of the bridge under construction

The Colorado River

This is a brewery that is under construction.  The picture is deceptive - there are different levels coming down to the river bank with picnic tables and other seating.  Not sure when it is due to open. I don't think I will apply for a waitress position here.

As you can see from the brewery picture there are more shops behind it, including the Old World Bakery and Cafe (yum).  Neat stuff to run into back there....

Have I mentioned that I love old trucks and I love rust?

Final activity of the day was the driving tour of the homes.  Pictures were taken from the car so not so fantastic - so not so many pictures.  :)

T. A. and Marie Hasler House, Built 1870

T. A. Hasler arrived in Bastrop in 1861 as a penniless teenager.  T. A. Hasler left this earth in 1909 a prominent buisnessman.  He helped to organize the First National Bank in 1889.  After 1926 the Haslers' daughter, Mary Perkins, added extensively to this house.  A movie, "Fireflies in the Garden" starring Julia Roberts and Ryan Reynolds, was filmed here in 2007.

E. S. Orgain House, 1914

Remember the  absolutely to die for gorgeous B. D. Orgain house on the walking tour?  This is the home of their son, Elbert and his wife Louise.  It is two blocks from his parents home, and get this....this house was a wedding present from the parents!!!  Sure beats a crockpot, huh?  The stately columned porch is repeated inside the hosue.  A dramatic staircase rises from the entrance hall to the second floor and is highlighted by a beveled glass oval window.   Another movie, "When Angels Sing" starring Harry Connick Jr. was filmed hier in 2011.

Rufus A. Green House, Built 1888

In 1851, the lot on which this house is located was purchased for $300.  The house was formerly a one-story cottage with high ceilings and floored throughout with wide cedar boards.  The kitchen was in a separate structure.  The upper story and colonial front were added in 1910 by Green's son-in-law.


So this "sleepy little bedroom community with nothing to look at and no history to speak of" fooled us and stole a piece of my heart.  I can't wait to go back to check out the stores, the museums, and all the rest this little piece of Texas has to offer.