Chronology of Significant Historic Events

  • 1835 Milam County is named after Benjamin Rush Milam

  • 1873 Settlers in the area sell 400 acres to the railroad for a townsite

  • 1874 The International & Great Northern railroad company begins operation and helps spur growth around Rockdale

  • February 4, 1874 Mrs. B.F. Ackerman gives the town of Rockdale its name after seeing a large rock on a sandy prairie north of the town

  • 1878 City of Rockdale is incorporated

  • 1883 City bond election provided $10,000 for construction of a city hall and school building. A design by Architect F.E. Ruffini was not built and the project was put on hold.

  • 1884 Rockdale’s population reaches 1,700 residents boasting five churches, two schools, two cotton gins, a 250-seat opera house, a private bank, and a weekly newspaper

  • 1890 Texas’ first coal mine, Black Diamond Coal Company, is opened in Rockdale by Hermann F. Vogel and Gus Lorenz

  • 1891 The San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad begins operation in Rockdale

  • 1894 The city acquired land for a city hall

  • 1895 In February, work begins on Rockdale City Hall from architect A. O. Watson’s plans. By August, work came to a halt as the contractor had trouble acquiring materials. It is not clear when the building was finished.

  • 1897 A boiler exploded at the water and electric light plant. The town was left without water or light for approximately 30 days. The damage to the power plant was $8,000.

  • 1901 Sanborn maps show City Hall completed, newspaper articles note that city council erected a stage in the city hall

  • 1920 Oil is discovered near Rockdale

  • 1923 An Austin Newspaper described planned improvements to the building including a bisecting wall on the first floor and a rebuilt facade.

  • 1939 City Hall is remodeled extensively with the bell tower and auditorium being removed. The bisceting wall on the first floor may have been installed at this time. A remodeled fire station is housed in the rear of the building during this alteration.

  • 1951 Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) held a groundbreaking ceremony in Milam County, 6 miles away from Rockdale including plans for a coal power plant (Sandow Power Plant)

  • 1953 Population reached 2,311

  • 1954 A total of 19,471 people toured the Alcoa facilities as part of the grand opening celebrations

  • 1950s Fire station within the building was remodeled and enlarged

  • 1955 Population reached 6,027

  • 1959 The San Antonio and Aransas Pass railroad closed

  • 1986 The fire department was relocated and the former spaces inside the city hall were remodeled for police function

  • 2002 City Hall functions moved to a new building, the police department moved in

  • 2004 El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail includes multiple sites in Milam County

  • 2008 Alcoa plant closed

  • 2018 Sandow Power Plant shut down due to clean energy growth

  • 2019 The Rockdale Police Department is scheduled to move to a new $4 million dollar building, vacating the old city hall

  • 2020 The City of Rockdale sells the 1895 City Hall to Vision Historic Preservation Foundation to be restored and developed.

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Foundation Receives Keys to 1895 City Hall