Region: Prairies and Lakes
Established in 1822 and chartered in 1870, one of the smallest incorporated cities in Texas; established in 1835 as Jones Post Office. German immigrants arrived in the 1840s. Town is said to have received name from "the house with the round top," an early stagecoach stand. In 1854 Round Top Academy was founded; advertised tuition for the five-month session was $10, with board, laundry, fuel and lights to cost an additional $12 to $15 per semester. School closed in 1861.
Voted one of the Top 100 Samm Art Towns in America and host to the "longest continuously celebrated Fourth of July west of the Mississippi" and the "largest Antique Festival" in the nation as proclaimed by the Wall Street Journal. City is located on Texas Independence Trail, El Camino Real and in the Texas Settlement Region, just south of the Presidential Corridor. Other events/attractions include the Annual International Guitar Festival, seminars, concerts year-round, world-renowned summer program at the International Festival-Institute, polka fests, Henkel Square with tours and regular re-enactments year-round, Shakespeare at Winedale, symposiums and seminars at the Winedale Historic Center, art shows/classes, shopping, 70-plus bed & breakfasts, and unique dining.