Elgin
Elgin, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Founded 1871 when nearby pioneer Hogeye citizens moved townsite to newly completed Houston & Texas Central Railroad. Named for surveyor R. M. Elgin and known as "Brick Capital of the Southwest." Made handpressed brick as early as 1882. Area noted as agricultural center. (1967)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Elgin was founded in 1871 when residents of the nearby pioneer settlement of Hogeye relocated to the newly completed Houston & Texas Central Railroad, naming their town for surveyor R.M. Elgin. Known as the "Brick Capital of the Southwest," the town was making handpressed brick as early as 1882 and became a noted agricultural center.
Why it matters
Elgin's birth beside the railroad captures how the spread of rail lines redrew the map of Texas, drawing whole communities to the tracks and fueling local industry.
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Related people
- · R.M. Elgin
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
City of Elgin Centennial, 1872-1972
Elgin, TX
Elgin took shape in 1872 after the Houston & Texas Central Railroad crossed the area, and was named for the line's land commissioner, Robert M. Elgin. From 1882, when Thomas O'Connor began making hand-molded, sun-dried brick, the town became famous for its brick and tile. Settlers of six ethnic backgrounds gave the community a lasting cultural richness reflected in its homes, churches, and schools.
Preslar-Hewitt Building
Taylor, TX
Taylor grew as a cotton and railroad center, and in 1914 Hugo Hunke built this two-story commercial block to anchor an important downtown corner, with shop space below and offices above. Early tenants included tailors and a grocery, but the building is best remembered as the home of Preslar-Hewitt Pharmacy from 1929 to 1954. Its pilasters, capitals, transoms, decorative tilework, and dentiled entablature typify the era's proud main-street architecture.
Town of Thrall
Thrall, TX
Thrall began in 1876 as an International & Great Northern Railroad siding called Stiles Switch, growing into a shipping point for the Swiss and German farmers who settled the area. Its 1901 post office honored Methodist minister and historian Homer S. Thrall, and nearby oil discoveries spurred incorporation in 1915. In September 1921 a two-day cloudburst dumped 38.21 inches of rain here, setting a world record, and since 1961 Texas A&M has run an agricultural research center in this still-farming town.
Miller - Gillum House
Elgin, TX
Built in 1910 by local contractor James Clinton Miller, this Elgin residence passed in 1923 to Wallace R. Gillum, a rancher and merchant who went on to serve the town as school board member, alderman, and mayor. The house is an exuberant late-Victorian design, blending Queen Anne and Colonial Revival touches — an octagonal corner turret crowned with metal cresting, oval and art-glass windows, and multi-light transoms. It was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1987.