According to the folks at Round Top, their Independence Day celebration is the longest-running one west of the Mississippi. In fact, it’s the 173rd one they’ve had, which means they got started a mere five years after Texas became part of the United States, and also about five years after folks really started to settle in the area.
Interestingly, this would mean that they continued to celebrate Independence Day even after Texas voted to secede from the United States in the days leading up to the Civil War. However, that’s also not surprising since the early settlers of the area were overwhelmingly German, and many Germans were Union sympathizers during the war. Also, Round Top is in Fayette County, where a little over 51% of the citizens voted against secession.
Surrounding communities were well-represented in the parade. I saw floats/vehicles from Burton, Carmine, Colorado County, Columbus, Ledbetter, Lee County, Shelby, and Weimar. I’m sure there were more that I missed!
We sure enjoyed celebrating our nation’s independence with the folks in Round Top!
