Uncover Smithville Heritage Society's Fascinating Past
1978
Frank Loughridge, a local railroad man, donated a metal building to the society to be used for cataloging and storing archives and other artifacts not kept on display in the house. All items are catalogued and the information is entered into the computer database. There are over 25,000 entries at this time. Some of the various items you can find at the museum are listed below.
ARCHIVES
CEMETARY RECORDS
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
- Cemetery surveys done in the 1980's and early 1990's of Bastrop County data has been entered into our computer database
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
- Clippings from newspapers are filed in alphabetical folders. Notices are filed alphabetically in small notebooks.
SANBORN MAPS
FUNERAL NOTICES/OBITS
SANBORN MAPS
- We have copies of the 1900, 1905, 1915, 1925, and 1925 updated to 1951 maps. They are official maps used by insurance companies. We have other maps of the city from various time periods.
PHOTOGRAPHS
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
SANBORN MAPS
- Includes houses, businesses, clubs, organizations, churches, school, individuals, social events, parades, etc. from the late 1800's to the present.
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
- Dating from the early 1900's to the present.
FAMILY HISTORY
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
NEWSPAPER COLLECTIONS
- We have a small inventory of local family histories and are asking all families to contribute their stories. We also have books on these families: Wilkes, McGee, Bunte, Haynie, News-Hoskin.
GENERAL ARCHIVES
GENERAL ARCHIVES
GENERAL ARCHIVES
- These include records on our local history, clubs, organizations, churches, businesses, surrounding area, the county, MKT RR records, military, individuals, social events, entertainment and assorted other miscellaneous files.
BOOKS
GENERAL ARCHIVES
GENERAL ARCHIVES
- An assortment of local Texana, including Bill Moore's Bastrop County; Ken Kessleus' Bastrop County Before Statehood and Bastrop County 1846-1865: Valerie Johnson's Smithville Then & Now; Silky Crockett's Early Smithville; Czech Immigration Passenger Lists; Indian Depredations In Texas by Wilbarger; Texas Tears and Texas Sunshine - Voices of Frontier Women; Evolution of a State by Smithwick, Rockne; History of Paige by Laake, etc. Books cannot be checked out, but are available for in-house research.
SCHOOLS
GENERAL ARCHIVES
SCHOOLS
- Includes annuals from 1919, 1945-on: histories and memorabilia from individual classes, reunion histories, graduation notices, etc.