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Unlike
most "railroad" towns, Smithville's main street (First) doesn't run
parallel to the tracks.
In addition, the railroad hasn't completely
left. Repair facilities still work on cars, although not to the degree of days
past. If you start at the Railroad Historical Park and walk North you'll
pass the commercial district, The Smithville Times, City Hall, the Library, the
Post Office, residences and eventually you’ll come to a rest area overlooking
the Colorado River. |
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Smithville
street scene
Courtesy Cissy CeCe Wong |
Railroad
Theme in Smithville
Riverbend Park out on Highway 71 has a real caboose
on display in addition to the two others in Railroad Park. |
| | Bright
and Early
A ghost sign in Smithville
TE Photo |
| | A
ghost sign of a product that never was - but is.
Smithville, Texas
TE Photo, 2003 |
Movie
Theme in SmithvilleAt
present, Smithville displays artifacts (mostly bogus storefronts) from the movie
Hope Floats. We think it’s worth mentioning that Smithville was called
Smithville in the movie, the only time we can remember that happening. Even Hollywood
couldn’t improve their name.
The restaurant Pockets (Hwy 90 and
First St.) displays many more of the signs used in the picture.
Area
Hotels - Book Here & Save:
Bastrop Hotels
More Hotels |
Smithville
Chronicles
Texas
War Casualties
by John Troesser
Delhi, Smithville and Praha.
Stone markers and chapels quietly reveal where America gets its soldiers.
For the curious: There are at least 28 families with the surname Smith
living in Smithville. That's one out of 143. Bastrop
has a ratio of one Smith out of 86. Not one person named Bastrop lives in either
town. |
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L
- Smithville School TE photo
R - Texas Cuisine Courtesy Valentine Ricé |
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The snake
over the door
Courtesy of The Smithville Times. |
Smithville
Library
We recently called the library on a Monday and said; "Oh, you’re open!"
The response was: "Why? Is it a holiday? Are we missing out on something?"
This is representative of the openness (and the ever-present fear of missing out
on something) of Smithvillians.
A few more words about the Library: They
have a new copier with a "photo" key, which copies a photo better than
you’ve ever seen. They also give you a choice of a regular borrower’s card, or
one of their bar-coded, state-of-the-art, postage stamp-sized cards that fit on
one’s key chain and (wait, there’s more) they’re waterproof! Unlike many current
trendy libraries, these folks aren’t hell-bent on making shelf space. We’ve found
many books other libraries have discarded. If you haven’t read it, it’s news to
you. Our only complaint about the library is that it is underused. The staff is
competent and friendly. It’s rare to find this mixture of "cutting-edge"
technology and practical tradition. They have even been heard saying "thank
you" when books are returned.
And while we’re mentioning
subtlety (the kitten's names-not Geraldo), a visit last year found three of the
hour hands knocked loose from the four-faced clock at the end of
First Street. Less than a week later we returned and all had been reattached and
were in perfect synchronization. These are the same people who put Christmas lights
on their old Fire-truck, and fence the fire station's property with old fire hydrants
as posts. What's not to like about Smithville? | |
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