Road Trip: Bastrop

Aug. 8

It seems 'the creek' (home base for the camper for the south and west road trips) has been semi officially named 'Goat Creek' during this trip in honor of the goat that visits the property from time to time. Our oldest son, Matt, has seen it once as it napped in the storage building. Welcome Mr. Goat!


This was one of the best trips yet. To our good fortune, but Matt and Mel's misfortune, 2 or their cars had broken down. Saturday morning we took a side trip to their house in Elgin and while hubby and son bonded over gears and engines, Mel and I got to spend leisurely time visiting. Any day spent with our kids is a GOOD day.

While driving to Elgin we stopped at the Hopewell Rosenwald school. The school is not being used except for storage. It stands neighbor to the Hopewell Baptist Church on Hwy. 21. close to Cedar Creek and only a few miles from the school/community center at St. Mary's Colony. This was a one-teacher school built in 1921-22.

Rosenwald Schools, Fisk database

"The smallest design was for a one-teacher school, but it was not a one-room school. Throughout the rest of its existence the Rosenwald program would continue to classify its buildings by the number of teachers, rather than the number of rooms, to emphasize that its schools provided work rooms, cloak rooms, and, in larger schools, auditoriums and offices as well. Thus the one-teacher school included a classroom for academic instruction, a smaller industrial classroom, a kitchen, a library, and cloakrooms."

"Sliding doors and removable blackboards to open up interior space was a signature element of the Rosenwald schools."

Detailed information about the exterior and interior of the schools can be found HERE.

We spent the late morning and early afternoon with Matt and Mel, unfortunately two cars were still not running when we left.

The kids met us later in the evening for supper at Cedar's Mediterranean Grill in Bastrop. This restaurant offers Mediterranean and Italian delights. Between the four of us we polished off a chipotle hummus with pita bread for an appetizers, entrees of chicken parmesan, chicken rollitini, lasagna, and salmon. We topped it off with cheese cake and baklava and took lots of leftovers home. I can personally recommend the chicken rollitini - it was fabulous! Cedar's Mediterranean Grill Well worth the stop, excellent food.



Aug. 9

We drove to Bastrop and made our first stop at the Fishermen's Park. This park is at one end of a very nice, paved, lighted river walk. Ferry Park is found at the other end of the walk.

Fishermen's Park has vehicle access, as well as, access to a boat ramp. Nice shaded playground equipment, picnic tables and benches. Being Sunday morning, or the fact that it was already in the high 90's, just a few folks were out and about, running or walking their dogs, otherwise it was quiet and very nice.

The river walk is about 3/4 mile long and meanders along the Colorado river. We decided it was much too hot to walk the entire length, but did wander for a short distance and caught glimpses of turtles sunning on logs, ducks and geese, and a couple of kayaks. Earlier we had read there would be Christmas lights displayed on the entire walk from the week-end after Thanksgiving until New Years. We decided we would come back at that time and walk the entire length.


We then drove to Main St. and with a walking tour guide in hand walked up one side and back down the other side soaking in the information and history about this very old town. Here is the Bastrop Opera House located on a side street. Built in 1889 and restored in the 1970's, you can enjoy a variety of live performances.








The 1890 Old Iron Front Saloon with second story raised parapet of pressed tin.








Lock Drug store built
in 1905, complete with
soda fountain still
in operation.





The 1883 Haynie Building boasts an ornate parapet.

We again found that so many of the smaller Texas towns have so much to offer and Bastrop is no different. We will visit their museum on another trip through this lovely, old town.