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

Leah Moncure, P.E.

(June 7, 1904 - January 17, 1972)

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, October 11, 2026

1. Leah Moncure, P.E. Marker

Inscription.
As the Texas Highway Department's first female engineer, Leah Moncure, P.E., broke barriers at a time when the engineering field was dominated by men. Leah was born in Bastrop to Cassius Lee (C.L.) Moncure, a Bastrop County Surveyor and a civil engineer, and Hattie Nuckols Moncure. The family moved into a house on Main Street in 1911. At an early age, Leah showed an interest in the surveying profession and became familiar with tools, materials and methods, often acting as a draftsman for her father. Early on, doctors predicted that Leah would not grow into adulthood as she was born with a congenital heart defect. However, Leah persevered. She graduated in 1925 from Baylor University with high honors and a double major in mathematics and education. As she looked for an engineering opportunity, she found her options limited. Moncure taught in Houston for a year before working for a consulting firm.

Realizing that she needed a degree in civil engineering to pursue the career of her dreams, Leah enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), School of Engineering and graduated in 1937. On April 22, 1938, Leah

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Moncure became Engineer No. 2250, the state's first woman to register as a professional engineer and the only licensed female for a number of years. Moncure also became the first female life member of the National Society of Professional Engineers. Moncure worked for the Texas Highway Department for 32 years, specializing in research, right-of-way, and road design in east Texas and Austin. Leah retired in 1964 and moved back to her childhood home on Main Street. In 1965, a scholarship for female engineering students at UT Austin was established in her name. Moncure died in 1972 and is buried in Bastrop's Fairview Cemetery.

Erected 2020 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 23247.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is April 22, 1938.

Location. 30° 7.03′ N, 97° 19.202′ W. Marker is in Bastrop, Texas, in Bastrop County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Cedar Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1601 Main St, Bastrop TX 78602, United States

Photographed by Jeff Leichsenring, October 11, 2026

2. Leah Moncure, P.E. Marker

of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Texas

and in the Austin Metropolitan Area.

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,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Brooks-Wilbarger House (approx. 0.2 miles away); H. P. Luckett House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Crocheron-McDowall House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Site of Bastrop Military Institute (approx. 0.2 miles away); White-Turner House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Julia Dickinson Allen (approx. 0.2 miles away); Allen-Fowler House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hartford Jenkins Home (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bastrop.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. This page has been viewed 7 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 17, 2026, by Jeff Leichsenring of Garland, Texas. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.