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By Greg Morago
As Round Top evolves in ways even a generation ago couldn’t imagine, its rich past remains a welcome constant – a solid anchor to appreciate as the complexities and unknowns of the future unfold.
Each of the some 100 Round Top Area Historical Society members collectively have one foot firmly planted in the past, and they’d have it no other way. Founded in 1993, the volunteer society exists for a straightforward purpose: “In simple terms, to restore and preserve the history of Round Top,” said current president David L. Collins Sr.
But even the simplest propositions are often larded with complications. The burden the society carries – some may see it as a responsibility, a duty, even an honor – is to collect, document, preserve and accurately maintain the history of a beautiful and storied slice of rural America. That history is as vast and grand as Texas (and pre-republic Texas, for that matter) centering on the area first settled in the 1820s and then known as the Townsend Settlement (Round Top was incorporated in 1870). It’s a story of whites, Blacks, Mexicans and Indians; immigrants and pioneers; free and enslaved people.
“We share a love of history and a dedication to preserving history,” said past president Neale Rabensburg, adding, emphatically, “everyone’s history.”
So many diverse threads form the majestic fabric that is the history of the Round Top area. And those threads are alive in every corner of the buildings on the society’s two-acre campus just east of Henkel Square. It is the foundational center for the work that society members revel in. Six buildings – most are historic structures, including the former Connersville Primitive Baptist Church – comprise the museum complex. Most are filled with all manner of historical objects including furniture, tools, household items, photographs and musical instruments, as well as public records and history books.
Collins, who developed the master plan for the museum complex, said the membership is currently working on improving the buildings, organizing its many artifacts, and creating a digital archive for historical photographs. An ongoing effort is local engagement, specifically attracting younger people as members, said Collins, who has contributed greatly to the documenting area history as the author of “African Americans of Round Top.”
“Our goal is to get all residents more involved in Round Top history,” said Collins, a Missouri City resident who like many society members can trace a personal history to some of the area’s original pioneers and residents.
If you feel like contributing to the future of the area by understanding its past, the Round Top Area Historical Society is accepting memberships ($30 a year). See the society’s engaging website (rtahs.com) for details.
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Round Top Area Historical Society, 397 E. Mill St., Round Top; 979-249-5058. The campus is open to the public; free admission every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m. Private home tours can be arranged.
By Greg Morago
As Round Top evolves in ways even a generation ago couldn’t imagine, its rich past remains a welcome constant – a solid anchor to appreciate as the complexities and unknowns of the future unfold.
Each of the some 100 Round Top Area Historical Society members collectively have one foot firmly planted in the past, and they’d have it no other way. Founded in 1993, the volunteer society exists for a straightforward purpose: “In simple terms, to restore and preserve the history of Round Top,” said current president David L. Collins Sr.
But even the simplest propositions are often larded with complications. The burden the society carries – some may see it as a responsibility, a duty, even an honor – is to collect, document, preserve and accurately maintain the history of a beautiful and storied slice of rural America. That history is as vast and grand as Texas (and pre-republic Texas, for that matter) centering on the area first settled in the 1820s and then known as the Townsend Settlement (Round Top was incorporated in 1870). It’s a story of whites, Blacks, Mexicans and Indians; immigrants and pioneers; free and enslaved people.
“We share a love of history and a dedication to preserving history,” said past president Neale Rabensburg, adding, emphatically, “everyone’s history.”
So many diverse threads form the majestic fabric that is the history of the Round Top area. And those threads are alive in every corner of the buildings on the society’s two-acre campus just east of Henkel Square. It is the foundational center for the work that society members revel in. Six buildings – most are historic structures, including the former Connersville Primitive Baptist Church – comprise the museum complex. Most are filled with all manner of historical objects including furniture, tools, household items, photographs and musical instruments, as well as public records and history books.
Collins, who developed the master plan for the museum complex, said the membership is currently working on improving the buildings, organizing its many artifacts, and creating a digital archive for historical photographs. An ongoing effort is local engagement, specifically attracting younger people as members, said Collins, who has contributed greatly to the documenting area history as the author of “African Americans of Round Top.”
“Our goal is to get all residents more involved in Round Top history,” said Collins, a Missouri City resident who like many society members can trace a personal history to some of the area’s original pioneers and residents.
If you feel like contributing to the future of the area by understanding its past, the Round Top Area Historical Society is accepting memberships ($30 a year). See the society’s engaging website (rtahs.com) for details.
*
Round Top Area Historical Society, 397 E. Mill St., Round Top; 979-249-5058. The campus is open to the public; free admission every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 4 p.m. Private home tours can be arranged.
