Bellville is centrally located for travel from anywhere near the Houston, Austin, and Waco triangle. Find food, fun, and fabulous antiques.
Grab the keys, if you are bored and eager to visit a cool town in hot weather. Where could you go that you’d spend time in an old jail and a castle in Texas? Bellville, Texas, population 4200, is full of surprises. You will need to visit more than once, depending on how long you remain at each venue.
We began our site-seeing at the nearby Austin County Jail Museum off the square. Located at 36 S. Bell Street in Bellville, it is only open on Saturdays from 11:00 to 3:00 p.m.
A tourist greeted us from the second story iron-barred window asking us to save her, as she vocalized her plight. The docent explained the museum’s fascinating history during our traipse through the rooms of historic adventures. The sheriff and his family lived in part of the jail. All the rooms are nicely restored and documented.
Bellville’s Courthouse on Main Street is surrounded with little shops and eateries. The beautiful old courthouse structure is long gone, but the new structure remains the center of action. The architecture around the courthouse gives pause for photography with its unique structures. Find coffee shops, a nail salon, vintage clothing, and other retail establishments.
Visit Phenix Knives with the possibility of making a horseshoe knife at this blacksmith shop, established in 1891, located at 305 E. Main Street in Bellville, Tuesdays through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The owner, “Cowboy” Szymanski, said, “I’ll talk your ear off about the history and fun we have in this business.” His rhetoric reflects the flavor of former times.
Bellville dates back to 1822 when brothers Thomas and Jim Bell purchased the area where cotton began the local economy. When the farmers discovered oil, cotton became less important. Based on old stories, the town had saloons, a drug store, and a dry goods store when a different courthouse structure stood in the center of town. Someone brought a monkey from Galveston to one of the old saloons. The little fellow gave Bellville personality for visiting ranchers. When the railroad arrived, trade increased.
Newman’s Bakery is across from the Meat Market, located at the crossroads of Highway 71 and Route 159, in Austin County, two hours from Austin, an hour from Houston and with less than an hour and a half from Huntsville.
The name Newman is popular in Bellville. A big surprise in town is Newman’s Castle on west side of town. A tour Monday through Saturday at 10:30 includes lunch. Call a couple of days or weeks in advance for summer reservations. Visit Newman’s Bakery as you enter the town to pick up or reserve tickets, which cost $20 for a tour and lunch at the castle outside of town. Reservations for children under six cost $10. Or you can call the number on the website for reservations.
People arrive at the bakery from surrounding farms and towns for their kolaches, biscuits, bread, cookies, and breakfast turnovers, plus the lunch menu offers humongous sandwiches and special soups. The BLT made my eyes bulge with its size and possible new pounds around my waist. Best bacon, maybe ever.
Other restaurants include The Bellville Meat Market (more meat market than restaurant) which sells an assortment of meats to take home. The Hill offers traditional hamburgers, and I recall a few Mexican restaurants.
Wear good walking shoes, although the town is small. The Bellville Chamber of Commerce, located on Main Street, is a good source for information about a Farmers Market or upcoming celebrations.
Just around the corner from the square, I discovered “Nothing Ordinary” a giant shop of antiques and oddities. Antique jewelry caught my eye inside the door. The immense selection of dishes, pottery, glass, and unusual items such as an old fur coat, and women’s dancing shoes from the late 1800s. The place is jam-packed with little space to spare in its 7700 square feet in an old car dealership. Since I love antiques, I bet I’ll return to Bellville repeatedly and so will you.
Photos by R & T Glover