Historic Photos

The Fayette County Jail
ca
82.36.25

In November 1881, the county commissioners selected the Victorian Gothic
design of Andrewarthe & Wahrenberger for a new prison and received the bid
of Fritz Schulte for its construction. Tillman Eaves (colored) was paid $1500 to haul
rock from Buckner's Creek for use in the outer walls. The building was
not completed until mid 1883 at a cost of nearly $30,000. The six foot tall
ornamental fence was erected in May 1884. The county used the facility for
102 years until the new justice center was opened in 1985.
Ten years later, the building was remodeled and currently houses the
offices of the La Grange Chamber of Commerce .

La Grange Casino Hall
ca 1882 - 1890
89.40.5

The building was erected in 1881 by the La Grange Casino Society
at a cost of nearly $13,000. It was constructed to be a theatre and ball room.
By 1884, the building was being used for school purposes and served as the
La Grange High School until 1923. The City of La Grange purchased the building
and had its offices here until 1965 when the present City Hall was built. The
La Grange Volunteer Fire Department also used the building from 1925 until
1993. The building has served as the Senior Citizens Activity Center since from
1993-2007. In 2007 renovation and restoration of the building began.

Cowboys and Indians Gathered at the Historic Oak on Colorado Street
ca 1920
85.36.1

Schuhmacher Bank building currently Prosperity Bank.

Risher & Sawyer Stage
ca 1865
77.36.69

Stopped in front of today's "Historic Oak Tree" on the corner of Washington & Colorado. Forsbarg & Yeager and Family Groceries buildings sit on area now
part of Prosperity Bank.

La Grange Opera House
ca
80.97.2

Located and the corner of Colorado and Franklin
streets currently the La Grange City Hall.

Lester Hotel

Lester Hotel
Winter 1888
94.27.221

Corner of Colorado and Washington Streets currently a parking lot.
The Lester Hotel burned down March 2001.

West Side of Square - Main Street, La Grange, Texas
ca
78.16.5

Fayette County Courthouse
ca 1891
89.40.3

East Colorado Street
ca 1896
89.41.9

South Side of Square
ca 1909-1916
84.4.165

La Grange Railroad Depot
161 West Lafayette
93.8.1

A rail passenger depot was first built on this site between 1885 and 1890.
It was destroyed by fire in March 1897.This building was constructed in 1897 and
served as a passenger depot for the M. K. & T. line until service ceased
sometime in the 1940s. The railroad maintained an office here until the early
1908s. The front portion of the building was leased to a floral business,
The Bloomin' Junction, in 1978. Known businesses: Bloomin' Junction;
Bahnhof Gallery; La Grange Chamber of Commerce; Cutting Edge Beauty Salon;
Trends Hair Salon. It's now the La Grange Railroad Museum.

Funeral of Private H. J. Ehlers at the Presbyterian Church
100 Block of West Travis
September 30, 1921
81.76.8

Hugo J. (Jimmy) Ehlers was killed in action on October 10, 1918 at St. Etienne, France, during World War I. News of his death reached La Grange on November 12, 1918,
just one day after the armistice was signed. He was the only soldier from La Grange
killed in WWI. It took nearly three years for his body to be returned home for burial.

First Load of Turkeys
ca 1904-1911
77.35.37

"First load of turkeys from the von Rosenberg-Heintze Co. to the Jersig Produce Co.
"The building pictured wason the square by the time of the Civil War, painted
blue and Emil Richers conducted a mercantile business here. Thirty years later it
was still referred to as the "Blue Store". In 1899, the building was "thoroughly overhauled" by F. C. Streithoff. The "Zur Gemütlichkeit", a saloon, was operating here by
1906. The building housed many businesses over the years and stood until September 1932.