Museums &
Historic Sites

Web Sites for Local Museums & Historic Sites

Monument Hill & Kreische Brewery State Historic Parks

Located on the bluff overlooking La Grange, this picturesque 40.4-acre state park is the site of a tomb containing the remains of members of the Dawson and Mier Expeditions, as well as the picturesque ruins of one of the first commercial breweries in Texas.
414 State Loop 92, La Grange off US 77 on the bluff, phone 979-968-5658. Open every day except Christmas, 8 am - 5 pm. Call for tour information. Be sure to visit the recently remodeled visitors center.

Fayette County Courthouse - A Photographic Essay

A beautiful and interesting look at the 1891 masterpiece in La Grange by James Reily Gordon. Visit the clock tower and get an up-close look at the exterior ornamentation. Restoration efforts will soon bring the courthouse closer to its original appearance. Text and photos by John Troesser for TexasEscapes.com

N. W. Faison House and Museum

Nathaniel W. Faison built this home around the 1840s and it is still filled with many of his family's furnishings. Conserved by the La Grange Garden Club since 1961, this house will soon undergo a full restoration.
822 S. Jefferson, La Grange, TX 78945, call 979-968-5756 to arrange group tours
Hours: Open Saturday of each month from 12 pm to 4 pm and by appointment
Admission: Free

Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center

This complex at La Grange is designed to preserve the history, culture and language of Texans with Czech ethnicity. The new library, museum & archives building is now open. It features a genealogy research library with more than 10,000 Czech and English books. The web site includes history, information, and photographs of the center.
250 W. Fairgrounds Road, La Grange, TX 78945, phone 1 (888) 785-4500. Hours: Monday - Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

Old Fayette County Jail

Home of Texas Heroes Museum
171 S. Main, La Grange, TX 78945
Hours: Fri - Sat 10 am - 4 pm, Sun 1 - 4 pm, excluding holidays

Founders Park

Founders Park is a pocket park located next to the Fayette County Clerk's office and across Colorado Street from the courthouse. The park was built in 2012 and dedicated to the men and women who first settled Fayette County. A series of memorial plaques about key settlers line the park's perimeter and millstones from the Rabb grist mill are on display. Open during regular business hours.

Fayette Heritage Museum and Archives

Located above the Fayette Public Library, the museum is a rotating exhibit space. Currently on display is "The Photography of Louis Melcher," "Rev. Carl Baer: German Missionary to Waldeck," "La Grange Square Through Time" interactive exhibit and "Crayon Portraits."

The archives is a research facility and features an extensive collection of local and Texas history books, historical photographs, newspapers, cemetery and family history files.
855 S. Jefferson Street, La Grange, TX 78945, 979-968-3765
Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-1, closed Sundays and Mondays

La Grange MKT Railroad Depot & Museum

Restored 1897 railroad depot at South Washington and Lafayette Streets, La Grange, TX 78945
Hours: Thursdays and Fridays 10 am - 2 pm, Saturdays 10 am - 4 pm

La Grange Visitors Center

Located in the Historic Casino Hall, the visitors center offers tours, brochures, maps, etc.
254 N. Jefferson Street, La Grange, TX 78945
Hours: Monday - Friday 9 - 5, Saturday 10-5, Sunday 12-5.

The Painted Churches Tour

Tour information and many detailed photographs of the beautiful and historic painted churches at Dubina, High Hill, Praha, and Ammannsville in Fayette County.

Schulenburg Historical Museum

The museum is located at 631 North Main Street in a group of historic buildings in downtown Schulenburg owned by the Wolters family. The museum is open Friday and Saturday from 10 am-2 pm and for special events.

Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum

This Schulenburg museum honors pioneer model aircraft and model airplane toy manufacturers, Victor and Joe Stanzel. It features interactive exhibits as well as over 30 static displays. The 1870 Stanzel family home is also open during regular museum hours.

Texas Polka Music Museum

Located at 625 N Main in historic downtown Schulenburg and includes a gift shop. Regular museum hours are Thurs - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Museum phone is (979) 743-4752.

E. A. Arnim Archives and Museum

Housed in the old Flatonia State Bank building and an adjacent barn, this is one of the largest rural museums in the area. Located at 101 E. North Main, Flatonia, TX 78941, phone (361) 865-3455
Hours: 1:00pm - 4:00pm Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00am - 1:00pm Saturdays

Central Texas Rail History Museum

Among its holdings are artifacts, photos and documents.
104 E. South Main, Flatonia, phone (361) 865-3003. Hours: Satuday 1 - 3 pm or by appointment

Fayetteville Area Heritage Museum

This community museum on the Fayetteville square houses artifacts and photographs from the area's rich history. Of special interest are Teddy Schultz's handmade train replicas, the altar and statues from the first St. John Catholic Church, and an 1890s fire engine pumper.

Winedale

Winedale is a division of The Center for American History, the University of Texas special collections library, archive and museum. Located near Round Top in northern Fayette County, Winedale is a 225-acre complex of nineteenth-century buildings with period furnishings. In addition to history tours and programs for students, Winedale offers popular public programs and continuing education seminars.

The Winedale Story

"The Winedale Story" is a permanent exhibit on display at Hazel's Lone Oak Cottage at Winedale. An online version of this University of Texas Center for American History exhibit includes a history of the Fayette County area with pages entitled "The Land and Early Inhabitants," "The Spanish and Mexican Eras," "The Anglo Americans," "The African Americans," "The Germans," "The Czechs," as well as sections dealing with the development of Winedale. PDF files of this exhibit may also be downloaded.

Round Top Area Historical Society

Memorabilia, historical books, records and genealogy.
397 E. Mill Street, Round Top, phone (979) 249-5058, e-mail rtahs@cvctx.com. Hours: the second Saturday of each month from Noon to 3:00 p.m.

Festival Hill

The campus of The International Festival - Institute at Round Top is renowned for its unique concert hall. The complex includes relocated historic buildings and modern facilities that house practice, teaching, meeting and seminar rooms, as well as guest accomodations, for the Festival.

Carmine Chamber of Commerce Museum & Visitor's Center

Housed in Carmine's old Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, the museum provides a historical review of Carmine dating back to its founding in 1883.
248 Sylvan Street, Carmine, open the second and fourth Fridays and Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special tours may be arranged by calling 979-277-4613.

Texas Quilt Museum

Two 1890s buildings in downtown La Grange were restored to provide a showcase for rotating exhibits of antique and contemporary quilts.

140 W Colorado Street, La Grange, open Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 pm. Admission charged.

Another Local Museum - No Web Site

Please call ahead to confirm hours of operation.

Mt. Olive Museum & Cultural Center

Housed in an old African-American school building, this museum features the history of the Armstrong Colony, an early settlement of freed slaves near Flatonia. Among its holdings are records of slave transactions. Located at 835 Armstrong Derry Rd, Waelder, TX, phone (361) 865-2902. Hours: Friday-Sautrday from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., 1 - 3 p.m. Call for special tours.