ROCK HOUSE, TEXAS est. 1878

Anderson was granted 320 acres from the State of Texas out of this tract April 21, 1846, for which the Williamson County deed record is dated May 7, 1852. [3] Anderson and his family moved from Bastrop to his property on the North Gabriel (he had also purchased adjoining land from the Bartholemew Manlove and Winslow Turner surveys about the same time) either late in 1847 or early 1848. [4] According to the 1850 census, the Andersons had $1,500 worth of taxable property, two children, and he was listed as a farmer, age 38, born in Tennessee. His wife, Elizabeth E., was born in Alabama, and was 26 in 1850. [5]

Anderson was walking beside the ox-drawn wagon in the roaring wind. When they reached the crest of the ridge, he spotted smoke coming from a chimney and remarked, "Wife, that looks like friendly smoke." They found this to be the home of the Greenleaf Fisk family, who hospitably offered to keep the small children while the Andersons built their house. Fisk was the first County Judge of Williamson County, elected in 1848 when the county was formed. the home was probably built south of the North San Gabriel, as an "old residence" is mentioned in 1880 deeds designating the homestead of U. H. Anderson. By 1880, his home was north of the river, and short distance to the east of the sites of the store, school and tabernacle. [7]

The name Rock House has not been found in the 1850s and 1860s, and sketchy records of that period seem to indicate that it was still simply a rural settlement. There was apparently some casual schooling offered for a handful of children at least by 1857. The Bethel Church, mentioned in 1870 records, had apparently been there for at least a few years. Earliest proof of a school came in January 1858 when U. H. Anderson served on the Grand Jury, at which time he asked to be reimbursed by the Commissioners Court for 756 school days taught (number of pupils times each attended - "school days") at 5 cents a day for each pupil. [8]

The home, gin, and a good river crossing were about mile up river from Rock House. [12] The other gin was put up by Hayden Hunt about 2i miles to the east of Rock House in another community settled in the early 1850s by the Hunt family. [13]

T. C. Sowell bought 12 acres of land east of the Stubblefield-Renick tract and just west of the lots for the school and church from U. H. Anderson Sept. 5, 1885, for $150. He probably built a small store there, for in three years, June 25, 1888, he sold the same tract back to Anderson for $1200. Anderson then sold the plot, now des¬cribed as about 10 acres, to J. W. Perry, on Feb. 18, 1890. on Feb. 6, that same year, a request went to the Postal Department in Washington, D. C., for a post office at Rock House, located "between Austin and Marble Falls." The place was listed as 8 miles from Gabriel Mills, 10 miles from Georgetown, 10 miles from Florence, and 5 miles from Liberty Hill. The name Rock House was not acceptable to the Postal officials. The -name Draco was then submitted, and was approved, the office to open April 11, 1890, with Olio O. Perry, postmaster. The Indian name had not disappeared from the memory of people in the community Dore than 50 years after the Indians had lived there. The post office was closed August 15, 1892 by postal authorities, and mail was then delivered to Rock House out of Liberty Hill. [14]

On Nov. 20, 1914, he bought the 251/2 acre tract, which encompassed the old Anderson homestead and the cemetery. from Anderson heirs. Booth, generally called Charlie Booth, had come to Rock House from Connecticut, married Sephronie Williams and by her had a daughter Margie. The mother died and in 1904 he married Mollie Forbes, a widow who ran a millinery shop in the back of the store. [15]

Charlie Cole, the blacksmith at Rock House, married Margie Booth in 1915. In 1926 and 1927, they purchased the store and 10 acres, plus 251/2 acres to the east from heirs to the Booth estate. They had run the store upon their parents' retirement, Charlie Cole moving his blacksmith shop beside the store. In 1927, Cole added a garage and grist mill to the village business section. The couple's son and daughter, Johnny Cole of Georgetown and Mrs. T. R. Stiles of Florence, and other heirs now own the property where Rock House stood--in the Greenup Christian survey: the store, the sites of the community schools, churches and tabernacle, and the acreage nearby. [16]

Besides school, church and business activity at Rock House, the community had an active Farmers Union which met at the "Rock Schoolhouse" at least by 1878, which, urged in public print that other rural places like Circleville, Brushy and Post Oak Island get out and vote. "If we live we will be at the polls," a spokesman from Rock House said. The group continued to be active well into the present century. Around 1900, Rock House residents formed a string band with Jim Seward, fiddler, Booten Joseph, an organist, and one or two other musicians, who played frequently at school functions and on other programs at Rock House and in other nearby communities. [17]

Rock House voting box listed 77 poll taxes paid in 1904. In 1922, a new two-classroom and storage room Rock House School was built. Seventy-four students were enrolled that fall. It remained a rural school, however, and by the 1940s, all rural schools in the county were phased out. Rock House consolidated with Liberty Hill July 26, 1947. Charlie Cuie continued to operate his store and garage until early in the 1960s when his ill health caused his retirement. The store closed for good. [18]

When U. H. Anderson sold land to the school board in March 1870, he also set aside in that deed "the graveyard on the lower end of the valley" near the river bank for a public "burying ground." It is called Rock House or Anderson Cemetery. When the burials were recorded in 1969, 18 were listed, the earliest in 1871. There are likely others whose graves are unmarked or lost. Family names found in the cemetery are Anderson, Bond, Canady, Cannady, Carter, Dycus, Scott, Tumlinson, Williams, Williamson, and Wood. All are associated with the early community, for in more recent years, the liberty Hill Cemetery, about six miles away, is now used. [19]

A tiny family plot near the Anderson homestead contained three known burials--U. H. Anderson (1810-1893), Mrs. T. L. (Kiddie) Dycus (n. d.), and Gus Dycus (n. D.). The body of Anderson has been moved to Liberty Hill Cemetery by grandsons because of flooding in the family plot by a small creek nearby. [20]

Pioneer settlers came to this area because of the good water and wood available. Locations such as that of Rock House were especially popular because of the North San Gabriel and its good springs.

He and his wife had 7 children mentioned in records: George W., Thomas Hardy, Giles Green, Bessie, Rufie, Maggie and James. In March 1871, Elizabeth E. Anderson was granted a divorce, and she and the three younger children, Rufie, Maggie and James, moved to Tehuanna in Limestone County. Uriah's second wife was Elizabeth "Bettie" M. Renick, who died in 1918, and is believed to be buried at Hopewell near the Renick plot. U. H. Anderson and his won G. G. Anderson were charter members of the Liberty Hill Masonic Lodge, organized in 1875. The G. G. Anderson farm was east of the U. H. Anderson place, and Thomas H. Anderson's farm was to the north of Rock House.21

The economic base of the Rock House area was agricultural from the time it was settled. Farming and cattle raising were generally combined on each farm. With improved roads and methods of transportation in the 1930s and 1940s in such rural areas, the need for rural schools disappeared. As a rule, by this time, churches had also consolidated with larger congregations in the nearby towns. With the closing of the general store, all activity as a community unit ceased. The area remains essentially rural, although the location of Rock House about eight miles above the new Lake Georgetown has enhanced it for some real estate development. Several homes are now located near the village site.

Persons who had significant impact on the community included the Uriah Anderson family and descendants: T. C. and M. Ho Sowell, who added sufficient improvements to the store site from 1885 to 1888 to raise the price of the property from 1150 to 112001 J. W. and Olia Perry, who had the store-post office property from 1890 to 18971 and W. L. "Charlie" Booth and his son-in-law , Charley Cole, who ran the general store and later the blacksmith shop, garage and mill from 897 wild]. after 1960 .