INTRODUCTION
HISTORY
Bastrop's name has a slightly infamous origin. It came from an alias of Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop. His real name was Philip Hendrik Nering Bogel and he was wanted for embezzlement in his native country of the Netherlands. In the early 19th century, he assisted Moses and Stephen F. Austin in obtaining land grants in Texas and he also served as Stephen F. Austin's land commissioner.
In 1827, Austin located 100 families in the area and arranged for Mexican officials to name the new town after the baron who died that same year.
On June 8, 1832, the town was officially named Bastrop. But, two years later the Coahuila y Texas legislature renamed it Mina in honor of Francisco Javier Mina, a Mexican martyr and hero. This only lasted a short while and the town was incorporated under the laws of Texas on December 18, 1837, with the name changed back to Bastrop.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
ATTRACTIONS
In 1979, the National Register of Historic Places admitted 131 Bastrop buildings and sites to its listings. This earned Bastrop the title of the "Most Historic Small Town in Texas."
Overlooking the center of the town is the Lost Pines Forest. Composed of loblolly pine, the forest is the center of the westernmost stand of the southern pine forest. As the only timber available in the area, the forest contributed to the local economy. Bastrop began supplying Austin with lumber in 1839 and then San Antonio, the western Texas frontier, and into Mexico.
RESTAURANTS
LODGING