Tag Archives: Antiques

Most Historic Small Town in Texas

Bastrop is situated right outside of Austin however one shouldn’t let the appeal of a small Texas town deceive you as being “just a small town”. Bastrop holds a huge part of Texas history, history that the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa displays proudly.

Walking the halls of the Hyatt, what you will find on the walls documents the history of Bastrop in the state of Texas. It even led me to do a little research and find out a little bit more…

Back around 1804, a fort / colony was established alongsidethe Colorado River and was named after Felipe EnriqueNeri Baron de Bastrop. (He was actually a wanted man from the Netherlandsnamed Philip Hendrik Nering Bogel who was embezzler.) In Texas,he became a land commissioner for Moses and Stephen F. Austin. Around 1827,Stephen F. Austin moved about 100 hundred families into an area and named thetown after Baron de Bastrop, who had passed a short time earlier. Consideringthe town was located next to (or what was at the time) the Mexican boundaries,the name was later changed to Mina however on December 18, 1837, the town became officially known, forgood, as Bastrop.

In 1839, Bastrop applied to be the capital of Texas.It was later decided that the name “Austin”would be used as the state capital name, no matter where it happened to be established. Theory says, Austin was established right outside of Bastrop because it was not established. In doing so, they prompted growth in the area,bringing business, jobs and creating a community in an undeveloped area.Although Bastrop was defeated that they could not claim the title of being the capital of Texas,they knew that this would bring great benefits to their area.

Bastrop also has some famous citizens that held their place throughout history:

Three Bastropians signed the Texas Declaration of Independence
Several gave their lives at the Alamo
60 Men fought in the battle of San Jacinto

A huge importance of this area was the Lost Pine Forest which sat around the center of town. This was some of the only lumber available in the area which was supplied to Austin and San Antonio and later even sent off to Mexico.Later on, a pecan-shelling plant, cedar chest factory, cedar oil factory and coal production would bring even more business to the area.

1862 brought destruction to Bastrop.A fire destroyed most of the downtown area, including the county courthouse and many commercial buildings. The majority of buildings in the “old downtown” area are dated post Civil War due to the fire. 1869 brought even more disaster with the highest flood in the towns history, forcing everyone to evacuate.Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there with the most destructive fire in Texas history in 2011. Over 36,000 acres and 1,700 homes were lost in the fire,however the historic downtown remained untouched.

Bastrop joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 which added 131 buildings tothe site list. This helped to earn Bastrop the title of “ Most Historic Small Town in Texas”. In 2010, it was named one of America’s Most Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Now, this is a really quick hit on the information that I found on Bastrop. Walking the halls of the resort, you will see pictures and information on the history of this historic town (as shown above). About 10-15 minutes down the road, you can also drive into historic Bastrop and view some of the historic buildings in the area (below).

(Above) This house stopped me dead in my tracks. It was gorgeous, on a quiet street with large trees out front. I’m pretty sure I would be sitting on this front porch with a cool drink and a good book year round. Some of the historical homes in this area were beautiful!

Views of some of the downtown shops.

How small is the world. I happened to venture into one of the downtown shops. Here sat a butter churn made in Bellows Falls, Vermont.
A little piece of Vermont found in Texas by this Vermonter = one proud Vermonter.

Bastrop is super cute. If you happen to be at the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort (or going thru the area), I highly recommend taking a little detour and enjoying some of this historic town.

Texas Tuesday link up with Amanda from Princess of the Panhandle and Crystal from Masons Mama. This is a chance for any blogger to participate in a post on the greatness of Texas! There’s so much to explore!

Historical Information: Visit Bastrop TX, Bastrop Texas Network, Wikipedia

Disclaimer: I was not compensated but did receive one night’s stay at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in return for this post. All photos and opinions are 100% my own.

Good Guys Car Show, Texas Motor Speedway

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Saturday afternoon, we headed over to Texas Motor Speedway to check out the Good Guys car show. I was pretty excited about going (if you have seen my previous posts, this would be apparent). I have this infatuation with old trucks. I love them. I love them. I want one. Oh pretty please! Yes, this was Diana envy.

The air had cooled down the night before. I think the high on Saturday was in the 50’s (this is cold for Texas) and the wind was blowing (hence my hair). The wind makes it feel a little chilly but it’s just a good reason to wear vests and hats! It’s also a whole lot nicer than sweating in the sun.

Neither one of us had been to TMS in the past, let alone been inside the track. It was pretty neat being able to walk down to where the trucks / cars drive down and then walk underneath the race track. When we first got there, they had this extended race car that was giving rides around the track. It even stopped at the top of the track (see the pic below) to give the riders a glimpse of the angle the track sits on. Looked pretty fun but I’d rather be in a real race car going around. Wheeeee!

Our first view when walking inside the track. I can only imagine what it’s like on an actual race day with 40,000+ fans in the seats and the sound of the cars going around the track. I didn’t realize it but when the race cars go around, the sound doesn’t catch up to them until they’re on the other side of the track.

Speaking of sounds. The Fort Worth Alliance Air Show was going on just down the road. We got the best of both worlds. A few planes kept flying over (pretty low) and giving us all a show (or maybe they just wanted to check out the cars)!

Speaking of checking out cars, here are a few that we saw…

If this guy didn’t have his hat and eye wear, I don’t think I would’ve loved it as much (although the bell does win him extra points).

Then, there were some particularly unique vehicles…

Then a American favorite…

Then our favorites…

This was Sy’s…

This was mine.

It was the perfect shade of green! Matched my shoes!

Oh wait, a few more that we could race down the street in.

A few alternate methods of getting around the car show. Yes, these people definitely just looked like they were having fun on these before they got off for their pit stop.

This ride, actually looked like a whole lotta fun!

If only I was rich, could I travel across North America checking everything out and sharing it with all of you! (Maybe someday, here’s to hoping!)

Overall, the event was a lot of fun. We went in the late afternoon and actually got a cut on the price of admission (which was super because it was $18/person). There is also a flea market section and business area. Lots of cars, autographing opportunity and the cars even drive around the track twice a day. If you love car shows or hot rods, this is an event that I would recommend checking out at least once!

Do you have a favorite?

Antique Alley, Texas

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Every year in April and September, rain or shine, you can travel along Farm Road 4 between Maypearl, Grandview and Cleburne you can expect nothing but sales. That’s right – its a 25 mile stretch full of steals and deals!

If you love pondering through items, what some may consider junk you consider gold, this is going to be the trip for you. This area is full of Texans who have been living in this area for generations, including many farmers and ranchers. Coming across some great antiques would not be a surprise so be sure to get out there bright and early!

I would suggest starting off in either Cleburne or Maypearl and head towards the other. Last year we decided to give this much talked about event a try. Half the fun is checking out the scenery along Farm Road 4 – its gorgeous! (Be sure to bring your camera!) You will want to park and walk around in each town. There’s lots to see!

We started off in Maypearl, a tiny little Texas town that I fell in love with the minute we got there. Love, love, love! The “Main Street” was lined with individuals, families and businesses with miscellaneous items to sell from antiques, to dishware, to yard items. We also ran into a few fund raising groups selling baked items and of course Girl Scout cookies (makes it hard to say no).

Soon enough you will find yourself heading west towards Grandview. Another small town, however slightly larger than Maypearl. Here we found a few shops open, typical “Texas” and antique shops. Again, the street lined with small tents. We found some baked goods – pies, breads, cookies and cakes.

The last stop is Cleburne, the largest of the three towns. There will be a ton to look thru. Don’t be surprised that along the way you will run into tons of other stops. Families will be having lawn sales. Between Grandview and Cleburne there will be a large and very busy flea market area. You’ll know you are getting close when the traffic starts to pile up. Don’t be alarmed, you can either park and check it out or keep on trucking thru. The area is pretty large so if you are after treasure hunting, I’d suggest stopping. We didn’t stop to check this out but if you do – let me know how it is! I’m sure there is gold to be found in this area.

Don’t be surprised to run into some traffic along the way – you aren’t the only one out there looking for items or just perusing. It’s almost like a treasure hunt! The culture you come across along the way in incredible – straight up Texas! If you find your stomach growling from hunger – no worries there is everything from BBQ (we are in Texas afterall) to sausage on a stick. You won’t go hungry around these parts!

Antique Alley is known for growing larger each year so if you attend one event, its expected that you will find something new the next time. Driving around and checking out the scenery is half the fun of the trip. During April, you will see the wildflowers out in the fields, which you can’t help but admire. Antique Alley it makes for a great day.

I apologize for not having more pictures of the actual sales. Feel free to post comments / pictures if you attend!

For More Info: http://www.antiquealleytexas.com/