Round Mountain in Blanco County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Joseph Bird

(July 15, 1821 - August 15, 1909)

Photographed by James Hulse, June 2, 2024

1. Joseph Bird Marker

Inscription. For more than 50 years after becoming a pioneer settler of this area, North Carolina native Joseph Bird greatly contributed to the development of Blanco County as a distinguished frontier Baptist minister, postmaster, Civil War soldier, county judge, rancher, and prominent community leader.

Bird married Eliza L. Doriss in Arkansas in 1844. About 1854 they and their six children settled on land between Cypress Creek and the Pedernales River. They built a log cabin close to this site about 1858 and eventually their family grew to include 12 children.

The area's pioneer settlement, called Birdtown in Joseph's honor, was renamed Round Mountain by the time a post office was established here in 1857. Bird served as postmaster in 1859-66 and in 1873-74.

For the Baptist churches he helped found in the area Bird served as an itinerant pastor and performed marriages, baptisms, and funeral services. He enlisted in the Confederate Army as a first lieutenant in 1862 and was stationed at Camp Groce, Waller County, Texas.

Bird moved to Johnson City while serving his two terms as Blanco County judge in the early 1890s. Eliza Bird died in 1896 and in 1900 Joseph married Martha A. Gill. Bird was buried in the Round Mountain Cemetery.

Erected 1994 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 411.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 1821.

Location. 30° 25.8′ N, 98° 20.56′ W. Marker is in Round Mountain, Texas, in Blanco County. It is on Bird Lane 0.1 miles south of U.S. 281, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located along the east side of the street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Round Mountain TX 78663, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in the Hill Country.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

and one of the Confederate States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Robert Price (approx. ¾ mile away); Gideon Thorp’s Arrastre (approx. 0.8 miles away); Captain Jesse Burnam (approx. 6.6 miles away); Charles Haynes (approx. 7.3 miles away); Dead Man's Hole (approx. 8.2 miles away); Fuchs Cemetery (approx. 9.1 miles away); Rockvale (approx. 9.9 miles away); Brandt Badger House (approx. 10.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Round Mountain.

Also see . . . Round Mountain, TX (Blanco County). Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)

Round Mountain is at the junction of U.S. Highway 281 and Farm Road 962, on the eastern part of the Edwards Plateau eleven miles north of Johnson City in northern Blanco County. The first settler, Joseph
Photographed by James Hulse, June 2, 2024

2. The view of the Joseph Bird Marker along the street
Bird, arrived in 1854 and built a log house near the creek. The post office was established in 1857, and the town was named after a local landmark. This was the second post office in Blanco County. Round Mountain became a stage stop on the mail route between Austin and Fredericksburg. In 1871 residents obtained a charter from the state of Texas for a school and founded an academy that at one time had 200 students. Round Mountain became known as a health resort due to its elevation. It flourished with churches, doctors' offices, drug and grocery stores, a shoe shop, a blacksmith shop, a livery stable, and, later, a gin. In 1890 the town had a population of 200 and six businesses.

(Submitted on June 11, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 789 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 11, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.