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History
La Grange is the county seat of
Fayette County and is located on State Highway 71 and U.S.
Highway 77 on an old Indian camp. La Grange is rich in scenic
beauty, lies below the Bluff on the Colorado River, and the J.
Eblin League which was selected as the location for the
Capitol of Texas until vetoed by Sam Houston who wanted the
capitol to bear his name.
La Grange was first settled in
the 1820's on land granted to John H. Moore. The town is named
after General La Fayette's county home in France near the
Swiss border. The county seat is the largest town in Fayette
County and provides the county citizens with governmental,
commercial, medical, civic, and cultural facilities.
The town is laid out around a
public square on which is located the Fayette County
Courthouse built in 1891. Postal service officially came to
rural Texas communities on August 1, 1899 with the opening of
the first Texas Rural Mail Route Station in La Grange. La
Grange was also the site of the organization of the S. P. J.
S. T. in Texas.
La Grange has a vibrant and
diversified economy. It offers an excellent school system and
a public library and museum. The town was small in 1836 with
only two stores, but in 1850 it was large enough to be
incorporated. La Grange is typical of small town county seats
in southeast central Texas. The Monument Hill and Kreische
Brewery State Historical Park is not only the site of the
burial of remains of the Dawson and Mier expedition of 1842
and 1843 but also the remains of the first brewery in the
State of Texas. La Grange is also the site of the Texas Czech
Heritage and Cultural Center located at the Fayette County
Fairgrounds.
There are over 250 historical
cemeteries in the Fayette County area; however many are on
private property and as a result, are not listed in this
brochure. For further information, you may wish to contact the
Fayette Heritage Museum & Archives at 855 S. Jefferson (979)
968-6418. This library also houses archives and genealogy
information dated back to the early 1800's.
Further tourist
information may be obtained at the La Grange Area Chamber of
Commerce, 171 S. Main, La Grange, TX 78945,1-800-LaGrang,
e-mail
chamber@lagrangetx.org. The Chamber office is housed in the
historical Old Jail and receives visitors Monday through
Friday. |
