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SHELBY,
TEXAS Austin County,
Central Texas S
FM 1457 & 389
11 miles SW of Brenham
8 miles E of Round
Top
Population 175 (est.)
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History
in a Pecan Shell
Shelby was a settlement in Austin County that did not undergo a German
name-change. A David Shelby was said to have been an original settler,
however the founder of the town was one Otto von Roder (complete with
umlaut). Otto had a mill for processing grain and the town was also
known among the Germans as Rodersmuhl (Roder's Mill).
The mill was bought from Roder by August Vogelsang (Birdsong) and
a tombstone of the Vogelsang family is visible in the top photo.
The post office was opened in 1846 under the name Shelby and
by 1884 the 75 residents had three saloons, three stores, and a variety
of essential businesses.
1904 was
when Shelby's population peaked, and although the post office closed
in 1912, the population remained at about 200 until after WWII. Today
Shelby remains one of the more picturesque crossroads in the area
and is not to be left out of driving tours. |
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Most
of the early headstones are in German
TE photo |
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Shelby
Texas Forum
I am interested
in volunteering at Shelby Cemetery, in Shelby, Texas, Austin County.
I need to find out how and whom I need to be in contact with. My relation
to the site is several German ancestors are buried there. I visited
this past weekend, and noticed that the place needs some TLC and I
want to help. - Thanks, Travis Brown,
June 21, 2004
Anyone wishing to share stories, memories or historic photos of Shelby,
Texas, please contact
us.
This page for Shelby, Texas sponsored by: Robert Castillo
9/01
© John Troesser |
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