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Unlike
most "railroad" towns, Smithville's main street (First) doesn't run
parallel to the tracks.
In addition, the railroad hasn't completely
left. Repair facilities still work on cars, although not to the degree of days
past. If you start at the Railroad Historical Park and walk North you'll
pass the commercial district, The Smithville Times, City Hall, the Library, the
Post Office, residences and eventually you’ll come to a rest area overlooking
the Colorado River. |
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Smithville
street scene
Courtesy Cissy CeCe Wong |
| | Smithville's
Dexter - From Underdog to Best of (Picture) Show
by Ted R. Krueger
"Adena
Lewis called asking us to bring our dogs to a casting call for the movie "The
Tree of Life" that was soon to be filmed in Smithville. The director, Terrence
Malick, wanted the "hero dog" (to be called "Shep" in the movie) to be an untrained
dog..." |
Movie
Theme in SmithvilleAt
present, Smithville displays artifacts (mostly bogus storefronts) from the movie
Hope Floats. We think it’s worth mentioning that Smithville was called
Smithville in the movie, the only time we can remember that happening. Even Hollywood
couldn’t improve their name.
The restaurant Pockets (Hwy 90 and
First St.) displays many more of the signs used in the picture.
Area
Hotels - Book Here & Save:
Bastrop Hotels
More Hotels |
| | A
ghost sign of a product that never was - but is.
Smithville, Texas
TE Photo, 2003 |
| | Bright
and Early
A ghost sign in Smithville
TE Photo |
Railroad
Theme in Smithville
Riverbend Park out on Highway 71 has a real caboose on display
in addition to the two others in Railroad Park.
Smithville Blast of
1911:
Locomotive
Boiler Explosion
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Smithville
Chronicles Texas
War Casualties
Delhi, Smithville
and Praha. Stone markers and chapels quietly reveal where America gets its soldiers.
For the curious: There are at least 28 families with the surname
Smith living in Smithville. That's one out of 143. Bastrop
has a ratio of one Smith out of 86. Not one person named Bastrop lives in either
town. |
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L
- Smithville School TE photo
R - Texas Cuisine Courtesy Valentine Ricé |
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The snake over the door
Courtesy of The Smithville Times. |
Smithville
Library
We recently called the library on a Monday and said; "Oh, you’re
open!" The response was: "Why? Is it a holiday? Are we missing out on
something?" This is representative of the openness (and the ever-present
fear of missing out on something) of Smithvillians.
A few more words
about the Library: They have a new copier with a "photo" key, which
copies a photo better than you’ve ever seen. They also give you a choice of a
regular borrower’s card, or one of their bar-coded, state-of-the-art, postage
stamp-sized cards that fit on one’s key chain and (wait, there’s more) they’re
waterproof! Unlike many current trendy libraries, these folks aren’t hell-bent
on making shelf space. We’ve found many books other libraries have discarded.
If you haven’t read it, it’s news to you. Our only complaint about the library
is that it is underused. The staff is competent and friendly. It’s rare to find
this mixture of "cutting-edge" technology and practical tradition. They
have even been heard saying "thank you" when books are returned.
And while we’re mentioning subtlety (the kitten's names-not Geraldo),
a visit last year found three of the hour hands knocked loose from the four-faced
clock at the end of First Street. Less than a week later we returned and
all had been reattached and were in perfect synchronization. These are the same
people who put Christmas lights on their old Fire-truck, and fence the fire station's
property with old fire hydrants as posts. What's not to like about Smithville?
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