Hogs were apparently a common sight on the streets of Flatonia in 1879. They were running loose and becoming so troublesome that one resident complained they were so determined to invade his property that they would root the gate of his front yard off its hinges and enter. It was said that there were fewer dogs and cats in Flatonia than any place of its size, but none could compete in the number of hogs. Now you might not know that hogs can’t hold their liquor worth a darn, but it seems they can’t. With all the hogs roaming the streets of Flatonia and a brewery in town, one could almost predict there would be an incident sooner or later. The Flato Amsler Brewery is said to have been located at the southwest corner of Penn and Second Streets, near what is today a gigantic oak tree. One of its competitors, Rocky Creek Brewery, operated just a few miles south of Flatonia. The trouble began to brew when, to quote the Flatonia Argus of June 5, 1879: “Mr. Richter, proprietor of a brewery on rocky [sic], a few miles from this place, was in town last week and while here, bought some sausages and went to the brewery of Mr. L. P. Amsler and threw them into a vat of beer, thereby spoiling all the beer in the vat. He was arrested last Monday morning, tried, found guilty of malicious mischief and fined twenty-five dollars and costs.”

Gustav Adolph von Rosenberg, who was the third child of Johannes Carl von Rosenberg and Julie Wilhelmine Groos, was born on January 15, 1855 on a farm in the Evergreen community of Washington County, Texas. Shortly after the end of the American Civil War, he moved with his family at the age of eleven years to Round Top on Cummins Creek located in adjacent Fayette County about 21 miles to the south southwest. He attended school both in Evergreen and Round Top and probably studied under the direction of his uncle and teacher Hermann Hellmuth. He was christened in 1857 at the age of two years during Easter Day services held in the Fayette County home of his Grandfather Carl Wilhelm Apollo Groos. Pastor Otto Haun, a traveling Lutheran minister, performed the services.

On Palm Sunday, March 29, Stray Gathering Cowboy Church will be hosting Sunday Vittles after the morning service. SG2C start Sunday morning services every Sunday starting at 9:30 a.m.

The Hostyn/Plum Scholarship Fund fish fry will be held Friday, March 20 from 4-6 p.m. at the La Grange Knights of Columbus Hall, drive-thru only. The meal includes fried fish, buttered potatoes, pinto beans, hush puppies and coleslaw. Plates are $15 on a first come, first served basis. All funds benefit the Hostyn/ Plum Scholarship Fund. This will be the last Lenten Fish Fry.

Local and regional fire services spent the better part of two days containing the Whirling Pines fire near Warda this week. The fire started early Monday morning, March 16, when strong winds that night caused a large tree to fall on a power line.

Quite a few bats have taken up residence in multiple buildings around La Grange in the past week. La Grange Animal Control Officer Leslie Yezak said she’s responded to two calls recently about bats.

The Fayette County Commissioners Court held an emergency meeting Monday morning, March 16, to re-instate the burn ban. The ban expired on March 8, and the Court met last Friday, March 13, to consider putting it back in place, which they ultimately decided against.

On March 16, 2026, the Fayette County Historical Commission met to dedicate this historical marker as a reminder of the efforts made by the county to care for the indigent population of the area. Many elder, or physically and/ or mentally disabled without families to care for them went to the poor farm to live out their lives and were then buried in the cemetery that was part of the farm. The 24 acres where the poor farm was located is where the AMEN Food Pantry and Second Chance Emporium sit today. The last remaining building which was the dormitory for the county indigent population, sat between these two buildings and was razed at the time the Second Chance Emporium was built. At that time, we lost not just a building but a reminder of the time when the county strived to allow its indigent population to continue to feel they were contributing to their own welfare, by working a farm, helping to produce the food they ate and providing care for each other. While the county provided medical care, housing, supervision and care givers. At its closing the poor farm was sold to the city, but the Paupers cemetery remains in use today for the burial of Fayette County citizens who have no funds for their burial.

The phrase “Global Supply Chain” entered our public discourse several decades ago, but it’s gaining significance now, as the US military pursues a new war in the Middle East, an area much more fully engaged now than ever before in world trade and economics.

A hundred and sixty years ago, someone sat at a wooden desk somewhere in Europe and carefully wrote names into a census ledger. Before the time of ball point pens, the transcriber used a formulation called iron gall ink. When first applied to paper, the ink often looked gray or pale brown, but as it reacted with oxygen it would darken to deep brown or almost black. Today those pages are still with us, but time has made them difficult to read. The handwriting is faded, the script unfamiliar, and the meaning sometimes hard to interpret. But something unexpected is happening. A new tool, artificial intelligence, is beginning to help historians unlock those old pages and bring forgotten stories back to life.