A Visit To Round Rock
Round Rock, Texas is located in Williamson County in central Texas about 15 miles north of Austin. For many years the population of Round Rock remained at about 3000, but in the past few decades the city has mushroomed to a current population of over 90,000. My daughter relocated to Round Rock several years ago, and I became familiar with the city through visiting her. I took a long train trip from Washington D.C. to Chicago and on through to Texas on the Texas Eagle, which until recently stopped at Round Rock.

I had the opportunity to remember Round Rock in this new pictorial history of the city in the Images of America Series from Arcadia Publishing. The Images of America series celebrates local American life through photographic histories of communities, towns and cities throughout our country. Each volume consists of 128 pages and about 200 photographs together with introductory textual material and annotations on the photos. Bob Brinkman, a historian on the Texas Historical Commission, prepared this excellent volume on Round Rock. Many things in the book brought back memories of my visits to Round Rock.

Round Rock was essentially created by the railroads. Although settlers moved to the area as early as the 1830s, the most important event in establishing Round Rock was the arrival of the International and Great Northern Railroad in 1876, making the area a boomtown. It was appropriate for me to travel to Round Rock by train, and, when I got to know the city, to see the railroad activity still prevalent in the area. Brinkman offers many photographs of trains, crossings, stations, and bridges showing the past and continued importance of railroading to Round Rock.

The City of Round Rock is named for a large limestone rock - the round rock - in the middle of a stream called Brushy Creek. In 1854, the then-village of Brushy Creek changed its name to Round Rock after, of course, the round rock. The round rock is a community gathering place, a local landmark, and a Texas historical site. I saw the round rock many times during my visits to the city. There are many photos of the round rock and of people enjoying the surrounding environs in Brinkman's book.

Downtown Round Rock includes several blocks of large old buildings that were used as general stores, broom factories, cheese factories, and other manufacturing or commercial ventures during the city's history. These buildings are still in use and have been designated a national historical area. When I was in Round Rock, the corner building on Main Street was in use as a restaurant with live musical entertainment during the evenings. The current Round Rock Public Library is located adjacent to this historic main street. Brinkman's book brought back memories of this delightful small town Main Street and of my walks through the area.

Finally, Round Rock is famous for its doughnuts. A small business called the Lone Star Bakery established in Round Rock in 1926 makes doughnuts that put the current large chains to shame. The doughnuts are made with a unique yellowish-orangy dough that is not found anywhere else. The shop has had several owners and locations since 1926. Between two of my visits to Round Rock, the Bakery burned down and thus was forced to move from one part of downtown to another. The mere fact of knowing of this new book on Round Rock made me crave a Round Rock Doughnut. It is probably fortunate for me that doughnuts do not ship well.

Brinkman has written a fine book about a distinctive American community. Readers who know Round Rock, Texas or who are interested in Americana will enjoy this pictorial history of Round Rock.

A Visit To Round Rock.
Round Rock, Texas is located in Williamson County in central Texas about 15 miles north of Austin. For many years the population of Round Rock remained at about 3000, but in the past few decades the city has mushroomed to a current population of over 90,000. My daughter relocated to Round Rock several years ago, and I became familiar with the city through visiting her. I took a long train trip from Washington D.C. to Chicago and on through to Texas on the Texas Eagle, which until recently stopped at Round Rock.

I had the opportunity to remember Round Rock in this new pictorial history of the city in the Images of America Series from Arcadia Publishing. The Images of America series celebrates local American life through photographic histories of communities, towns and cities throughout our country. Each volume consists of 128 pages and about 200 photographs together with introductory textual material and annotations on the photos. Bob Brinkman, a historian on the Texas Historical Commission, prepared this excellent volume on Round Rock. Many things in the book brought back memories of my visits to Round Rock.

Round Rock was essentially created by the railroads. Although settlers moved to the area as early as the 1830s, the most important event in establishing Round Rock was the arrival of the International and Great Northern Railroad in 1876, making the area a boomtown. It was appropriate for me to travel to Round Rock by train, and, when I got to know the city, to see the railroad activity still prevalent in the area. Brinkman offers many photographs of trains, crossings, stations, and bridges showing the past and continued importance of railroading to Round Rock.

The City of Round Rock is named for a large limestone rock - the round rock - in the middle of a stream called Brushy Creek. In 1854, the then-village of Brushy Creek changed its name to Round Rock after, of course, the round rock. The round rock is a community gathering place, a local landmark, and a Texas historical site. I saw the round rock many times during my visits to the city. There are many photos of the round rock and of people enjoying the surrounding environs in Brinkman's book.

Downtown Round Rock includes several blocks of large old buildings that were used as general stores, broom factories, cheese factories, and other manufacturing or commercial ventures during the city's history. These buildings are still in use and have been designated a national historical area. When I was in Round Rock, the corner building on Main Street was in use as a restaurant with live musical entertainment during the evenings. The current Round Rock Public Library is located adjacent to this historic main street. Brinkman's book brought back memories of this delightful small town Main Street and of my walks through the area.

Finally, Round Rock is famous for its doughnuts. A small business called the Lone Star Bakery established in Round Rock in 1926 makes doughnuts that put the current large chains to shame. The doughnuts are made with a unique yellowish-orangy dough that is not found anywhere else. The shop has had several owners and locations since 1926. Between two of my visits to Round Rock, the Bakery burned down and thus was forced to move from one part of downtown to another. The mere fact of knowing of this new book on Round Rock made me crave a Round Rock Doughnut. It is probably fortunate for me that doughnuts do not ship well.

Brinkman has written a fine book about a distinctive American community. Readers who know Round Rock, Texas or who are interested in Americana will enjoy this pictorial history of Round Rock.