I Could Wax Nostalgic About Round Rock, Too!

When I first moved here, there were just under 12,000 people here already. It was the late '70's, and there were Federal grants available for civic improvements in towns of under 12,000. Money was acquired for parks, storm drains, curbs, sidewalks and many other things besides.

The only stoplight was at the five-way intersection of Mays, Main, and Round Rock Ave. There was a blinkin' light at Mays and Hwy 79, by the HEB. There was a Winn's next to the HEB, and beyond that, nothing but fields from there to I35. Bank One was called Farmers' State Bank, and was situated down on Main street, across from the library, in the building that houses the Senior Center today. The post office was right next to it. What you know (if you live here) as the old library was City Hall, and the library was in a former car dealership next door. One day, the Library Ladies came to work to find that the floor had sunk and there were huge cracks in the walls. There had been gas tanks under the building that had collapsed. The new library opened in 1980. City Council meetings took place in an upper room in City Hall, and the members sat around on metal folding chairs to formalize the business of running the city. I say "formalize," because the actual business happened in a restaurant in Pflugerville, and later, in a BBQ joint in Frame Switch.

There were two, maybe three elementary schools inside the city limits, and Westwood High opened sometime really close to then. It was difficult to imagine that Westwood was part of the same district--all the way over beyond Hwy 183! Why, that was all the way to Austin (almost)! Round Rock High School was the only game in town.

There was a wonderful old stone house in the middle of what is now Round Rock West Shopping Center (the one on the NW corner of I35 and 79), and they tried to move it intact. It sat where they set it down--I guess they could tell it wasn't going to make it--for several years. Old Settlers' Park was on the SW corner of I35 and 620. There was a covered bandstand there, and the Light Crust Doughboys played there every year for the Old Settlers' Reunion. I guess they died off with the Old Settlers, because I haven't heard about them in years.

There was a feed store in the Nelson Building, and, I don't care what kind of restaurant they put in there, if you go sniffing around the baseboards, you can still smell that yummy feed store aroma of alfalfa, or whatever it was. Of course, the waiters may look at you funny, but, so it goes!