The Rock - How Rockdale Got Its Name - Rockdale, TX USA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

The new City Hall of Rockdale, TX has the rock that inspired the naming of the town! Rockdale City Hall is located at 505 W, Cameron Avenue, Rockdale, TX 76567 USA. It is on the edge of the patio area in front of the main City Hall entrance and close to the parking lot.The history on the plaque next to the inspirational rock reads as follows:

"An early description of Milam County reads, 'No place like the original County and Land District, once pristine and beautiful, will ever appear again.'

First, there was the land, rich and varied, breathtaking in its beauty and in its great expanses of forest, streams, and fertile soils, and its 'black gold', erupting spontaneously from the earth. From this land in 1874 sprang the city of Rockdale, emerging from the silver rails left by the railroad as they tried to unite this nation.

First came the people. Native American, some 25 to 30 tribes of them, gathered in Rancheria Grandes in the vicinity of present-day Apache Pass and Sugar Loaf Mountain, making their homes and working put an existence on this fertile land. Much later, they were joined by Europeans, primarily French and Spanish who were liking for a land with cities of gold. Then came those seeking a new land in which to own property and begin a new life. Among the many important things that they brought with them were their memories and dreams, the two of which combined to transform the pristine land into communities of homes and families.

People came like the Lowensteines who were the first merchants in Rockdale, and the Ackermans were attracted here by the railroads. It was, in fact, from Mrs. Ackerman that the town received its name for a large rock that she discovered north of the present-day Rockville. Other people came from Central Europe attracted by the fertile lands and the appealing climate. They came from all over the nation to mold their futures with the expanding railroads. The identification of the 'black gold' brought people from Mexico, the ancestors of those who still live in Milam County. Farming and ranching continued to dominate the economy until 2008 when the last smelter closed.

From the beginning, Rockdale has emerged as a vibrant, attractive community exemplifying the ideals which have made America the great nation that it is today.

This symbolic rock sits outside our current city hall (the old Community Trust then Citizens Bank). The City government moved here in 2002 leaving the Police Department in the Old City Hall built in 1897."

Displayed on this sign of history (along with the above text) are three photos etched into the metal plaque. The two photos etched an the left edge of the plaque are of the original City Hall and of an early-era street scene of Rockdale. On the right side of the plaque is a large etching of the photo of a young lady standing next to the round rock that overlooks the dale below. It was the rock in this photot that inspired the name of Rockdale as the city's name!

This namesake rock is not only the inspiration for the town's name, it is displayed in a manner which literally gives a warm welcome to the visitors and travelers who pass through Rockdale along W. Cameron Avenue/ US 79. Across the round, but flat, surface of the rock are bands of metal with the text on them that reads, "Welcome To Rockdale."

Group that erected the marker: City of Rockdale URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 505 W. Cameron Avenue Rockdale, TX Milam 76567

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Date Logged Log   08/22/2021 WalksfarTX visited it 07/30/2021 WayBetterFinder visited it

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