McDade in Bastrop County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Rock Front Saloon, 1870

Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2022

1. Rock Front Saloon, 1870 Marker

Inscription. Stagecoach stand, U.S. Post Office, early business house. Scene of revenge gunfight, 1883. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Erected 1965 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 9222.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.

Location. 30° 17.215′ N, 97° 14.398′ W. Marker is in McDade, Texas, in Bastrop County. Marker is at the intersection of Old Highway 20 and Waco Street (Farm to Market Road 223), on the right when traveling south on Old Highway 20. The marker is located on the right side of the front entrance to the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 557 Old Highway 20, Mc Dade TX 78650, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Capt. Jesse Billingsley (within shouting distance of this marker); McDade Baptist Church (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); McDade (approx. 0.4 miles away); Three Oaks (Goerlitz) Cemetery (approx. 1.8 miles away); Siloah Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away); John Herron (approx. 3 miles away); Knobbs Springs Baptist Church

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(approx. 5.7 miles away); Rural Farms and Communities Before Camp Swift (approx. 5.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in McDade.

Also see . . . McDade, TX. Texas State Historical Association

Early in 1876 two men were caught with a skinned cow, and the skin showed the Olive brand. Both men were shot on the spot. Five months later fifteen men, believed to have been led by the son of one of the men shot, attacked the Olive ranch headquarters, killing two men of the ranch and burning the ranch house. On June 26, 1877, vigilantes stopped a dance, took four men out and lynched them. For five years after there was little crime or trouble. However, in November 1883 two men were murdered in Fedor, and in a separate incident another man was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. Shortly afterwards the deputy sheriff investigating these crimes was shot to death in McDade. A vigilante committee hung four of the suspected perpetrators. But the violence continued with the McDade Christmas hangings on Christmas Eve 1883, when three more suspected outlaws were executed. This event led to a gunfight in front of a McDade saloon on Christmas Day that left three more men dead. This ended the vigilante
Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2022

2. The Rock Front Saloon and Marker
"justice," but violence and gunfights continued until 1912.

(Submitted on September 6, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The signs on the Rock Front Saloon image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2022

3. The signs on the Rock Front Saloon

The view of the Rock Front Saloon from across the street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 31, 2022

4. The view of the Rock Front Saloon from across the street

Credits. This page was last revised on September 6, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 167 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 6, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.