Round Top is a town in Fayette County,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. The population was 87 at the 2020 census.

History

As a part of the Stephen F. Austin colony, James Winn acquired in 1831; the present townsite was included in this tract. The community was originally known as "Townsend", after early settler Nathaniel Townsend (whose original house still exists as the Texana Lodge). Later the town was renamed "Round Top", since the postmaster lived in a house with a round tower. Portions of Nassau Plantation were purchased by the ''

Adelsverein The ''Mainzer Adelsverein at Biebrich am Rhein'' (''Verein zum Schutze Deutscher Einwanderer in Texas''; "Society for the Protection of German Immigrants in Texas"), better known as the ''Mainzer Adelsverein'' (; "Nobility Society of Mainz"), orga ...

'', and settlement by German immigrants began 1845 to 1847; these settlers began buying up the local farms and the town lots. The Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Round Top is the oldest active

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

in Fayette County, and the oldest Lutheran church sanctuary in Texas.

Geography

Round Top is located in northeastern Fayette County. It sits on a hill between Cummins Creek to the southwest and Rocky Creek to the east, tributaries of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. The elevation in the center of Round Top is above sea level.

Texas State Highway 237 State Highway 237 (SH 237) is a List of state highways in Texas, state highway in the U.S. state of Texas that runs from near La Grange, Texas, La Grange northeast to U.S. Highway 290 (Texas), US 290 near Carmine, TX, Carmine. Route descr ...

passes through the center of town, leading northeast to Brenham and southwest to La Grange, the Fayette County seat. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town of Round Top has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 90 people, 43 households, and 22 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 58 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.70%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.30% from other races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.19% of the population. There were 43 households, out of which 9.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.8% were non-families. 44.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 37.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.79 and the average family size was 2.41. In the town, the population was spread out, with 10.4% under the age of 18, 11.7% from 25 to 44, 37.7% from 45 to 64, and 40.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 58 years. For every 100 females, there were 57.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 68.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $43,125, and the median income for a family was $50,625. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $41,875 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $25,488. There were no families and 4.8% of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including no under eighteens and 6.1% of those over 64.

Arts and culture

Round Top is the home of three visitor-drawing programs: * Round Top Antiques Fair, outdoor gathering of

antiques An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

dealers drawing enormous crowds each spring and fall * Round Top Festival Institute, music institute for young musicians and faculty * Shakespeare at Winedale, Shakespeare-in-Performance study program administered by the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

English Department Round Top is the home of the oldest building in Fayette County, Moore's Fort, which was moved there from nearby La Grange.

Education

The town is served by the Round Top-Carmine Independent School District.

Gallery

File:Royers -- Round Top, Texas.jpg, Royers Cafe File:Round Top Historic Library -- Round Top, Texas.jpg, Round Top Historic Library

References

External links

Round Top Area Chamber of Commerce

''Round Top Register''

Round Top Family Library

"Round Top, TX" article
Texas State Historical Association {{authority control Towns in Fayette County, Texas Towns in Texas