Name: Andice, Texas
Address: Andice, TX

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, Texas, has a unique story behind its name. In 1899, Reverend William Isaac Newton wanted to name the new post office after his newborn son, Audice. However, postal officials misread the name as 'Andice' and approved it. The town's name has since been pronounced 'an-dice', although the correct pronunciation, considering its origin, is 'an-diss'. This pronunciation is still used by older, native residents, but it's rare among younger generations and recent transplants to the area.

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice sits nestled in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, a land sculpted by eons of geological activity. Beneath the surface lies the Edwards Aquifer, a vast underground reservoir that bubbles up in springs and feeds the lifeblood of the region: the San Gabriel River. This water, filtered through layers of porous limestone, has carved out the rolling hills and canyons that define the landscape. The soil, thin and rocky, favors hardy grasses and drought-resistant trees like live oak and juniper, painting the hillsides in shades of green and gray. The land here demands resilience. Early settlers, drawn by the promise of fertile bottomlands along the river, quickly learned to adapt to the cyclical droughts and flash floods that shaped their lives. They became ranchers and farmers, skilled at coaxing a living from the unforgiving terrain. The limestone that underpins the area provided building material for homes and fences, a tangible connection to the earth itself. The spirit of Andice is a reflection of this landscape: tough, resourceful, and deeply rooted in the land.

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, Texas, sits nestled in Williamson County, a place where the Blackland Prairie meets the edge of the Hill Country. The soil here, rich and dark, drew farmers early on, folks looking to coax a living from the land. Agriculture has always been the backbone of this community, from cotton in the early days to the cattle ranches that dot the landscape now. You can still see the remnants of that agricultural past in the old barns and weathered fences that stand as silent witnesses to generations of hard work. The area's proximity to larger towns like Georgetown and Liberty Hill has shaped its destiny, too. Andice never quite boomed like those places, remaining a close-knit, rural community. It's seen its share of change, though. The coming of the railroad bypassed Andice, impacting its growth potential, while the development spreading out from Austin has brought new residents and a different pace of life. Yet, despite the encroachment, Andice has managed to hold onto its identity – a place where the stars still shine bright at night and the echoes of its farming heritage linger in the air.

Smart-McCormick Home

1855

Smart-McCormick Home, 1855. Built by Bryce M. Smart (1816-1880), who had a grist mill, tannery, freight line. His children rescued newborn calves abandoned on nearby Chisholm Trail. McCormicks, 5th generation descendants, now own home. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965

Historical Marker → · 4.3 mi away

Rocky Hollow Cemetery

1850

In the 1850s, a group of pioneer Black slaves came to this area from Union County, Arkansas, and founded what is now known as the Rocky Hollow Community. This cemetery soon was established on land given by Thomas P. Chapman. Although it was used before the Civil War began, the first marked grave, that of Confederate veteran William Bacon Tucker, is dated 1865. Known in earlier times as Bullion and as Little Arkansas, Rocky Hollow Cemetery continues to be maintained by descendants of the community's founders and of many ex-slaves. (1984)

Historical Marker → · 4.4 mi away

Williams-Buck Cemetery

1854

Legend surrounds the first years of this burial ground. Local oral history relates that among the earliest graves are those of a slave called Willie Osborne and an unknown Native American. Members of the Stephens family, ambushed by Indians in 1854, are said to have been buried here in their wagon. The oldest marked grave is that of infant Polly Williams, interred in 1854 on land owned by W. W. Williams. A cemetery association was organized in 1960s. Many honored veterans of Confederate and U. S. Armed Forces are interred here. Fifteen graves were moved from the Bullion Cemetery in the 1970s when Lake Georgetown was formed. More than 240 graves were counted in 1997. (1998)

Historical Marker → · 5.0 mi away

Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic

1973

Since the 1970s the Fourth of July and Texas music have been synonymous with Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic. The country music extravaganza began in 1973 and was inspired by a country music festival that took place outdoors on a ranch near Dripping Springs, Hays County, in March 1972. Willie Nelson, one of the performers, and some of his business associates decided to organize a one-day event for July 4, 1973. Eddie Wilson, owner of Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, promoted the concert, which was held at the same ranch in Dripping Springs. Musicians in addition to Nelson included Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings , and Tom T. Hall. Organizers soon realized that their plans were incomplete: the lack of sanitation, electricity, and parking space became obvious as an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 fans jammed two caliche backroads to the site. As understaffed health-care volunteers treated cases of heat exhaustion, security personnel tried to keep the stage clear and contended with intoxicated fans. In spite of the first picnic's shortfalls, Nelson and promoters made plans to stage a bigger and improved Independence Day concert for the next year. In 1974 the picnic was actually a three-day festival that took place outdoors at the Texas World Speedway in College Station. Waylon Jennings, Jimmy Buffett, Leon Russell, Michael Martin Murphey, and Jerry Jeff Walker were among the lineup of musicians that attended. From this time on, Willie's picnic established itself as an annual event. In 1975, 90,000 people descended upon the hamlet of Liberty Hill in Williamson County to hear Nelson and the Charlie Daniels Band, Delbert McClinton, the Pointer Sisters, and Kris Kristofferson. The Texas Senate proclaimed July 4 "Willie Nelson Day." Ironically, the overcrowding problems of the previous picnics had also prompted the Texas legislature to pass the Texas Mass Gathering Act, and Williamson County officials charged Nelson with violating that law. Throughout the 1970s however, the picnics continued at various sites—Gonzales, the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Austin Opry House, and the Pedernales Country Club. Musicians included Doug Sahm , Emmylou Harris, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ernest Tubb , and other semi-regulars such as Leon Russell and Kris Kristofferson. After 1980 and a successful concert at which over 90,000 fans heard Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel , Ray Price , Johnny Paycheck, and others at Nelson's Pedernales Country Club, Nelson and his organizers announced the discontinuation of the event, though an event of sorts took place as a series of shows at Syracuse, New York, Giants Stadium in New Jersey, and Atlanta International Raceway in 1983. In 1984, however, the picnic began anew and in the succeeding years was held at various venues around Austin. The 1986 concert also doubled as Farm Aid, which Nelson orchestrated in the mid-1980s to raise money for America's farmers. John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan , Joe Ely, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds were among the musical acts that played Nelson's picnics. By the 1990s the on again–off again picnic had become more subdued. A modest crowd of 15,000 cheered on performers at Zilker Park, Austin, in 1990. The Highwaymen, which featured Nelson, Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings, headlined the concert. Nelson's next festival—in 1993—was a scaled-down affair at the Backyard in Austin, with about 3,000 people in attendance. From 1995 to 1999 Willie's Fourth of July Picnic took place in the Hill Country town of Luckenbach . Logistical and county permit problems kept the concert from taking place there in the early twenty-first century. The 2000 event occurred at Southpark Meadows in Austin. Even though organizers cancelled the picnic, planned for Luckenbach, in 2001 and 2002, residents of that town sought to host future Fourth of July Picnics. The picnic resumed in 2003 and was held at Two Rivers Canyon Amphitheater in Spicewood

Tsha Handbook → · 8.8 mi away

Mullen, John W.

1842

John Mullen, farmer and Confederate officer, was born in New Castle County, Delaware, on January 20, 1811. On January 21, 1836, Mullen married Mary Hamilton of Butler County, Ohio, in Terre Haute, Indiana. This couple had two sons and three daughters. In 1842 Mullen was a member of the Mier expedition to Mexico and eventually he was among the survivors incarcerated at Perote Prison . Though many died in prison, Mullen endured and was among those released on September 16, 1844, and put on board a ship bound for Galveston. With the onset of the Mexican War in 1846, Mullen volunteered and was mustered at Fort Clark, Indiana, as a second lieutenant in Company H of the Fourth Indiana Volunteer Regiment. This unit participated in several engagements during the course of the war. On July 16, 1848, Mullen was discharged as a colonel at Madison, Indiana. In 1849 Mullen brought his family to Texas and settled at Webberville in Travis County. In February 1853 the Mullens relocated near Florence in Williamson County and began farming. After the start of the Civil War , Mullen enlisted in the Twentieth Texas Infantry Regiment on April 2, 1862. Later, he organized two companies to be added to the Second Texas Cavalry, Arizona Brigade , with which he served as lieutenant colonel. On January 19, 1863, Mullen was discharged on account of disability by order of Gen. John Magruder . On December 15, 1863, Mullen's wife Mary passed away and was buried in the Mullen Cemetery near Florence. Mullen returned to the military in 1865 and was listed on the rolls of the Eighth Texas Cavalry Regiment of Col. Benjamin Terry 's “Terry's Texas Rangers." After the war, Mullen settled in Burnet County, Texas, where he remarried on January 23, 1866. His new wife, Ruth M. Fisher of Arkansas, gave birth to a daughter before she died in 1869. Two years later, on February 9, 1871, Mullen married Nancy A. Mowery (born on September 4, 1836) of Missouri. The couple had one son and two daughters before John W. Mullen died on January 9, 1894. He is buried in the Mullen Cemetery.

Tsha Handbook → · 5.4 mi away

Briggs, TX

1880

Briggs is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 183 and Farm Road 2657 in northeastern Burnet County. The site is part of the Aaron F. Boyce survey patented to Boyce's heirs on September 30, 1850. The Boyce land is on the headwaters of Berry Creek, where a number of permanent springs provided constant water. Settlers first called the area Springs, then Gum Springs. The land on which Briggs stands was purchased by Stephen Taylor from W. T. (Bill) Gann, who came to Texas from Missouri in 1855. Taylor arrived from Tennessee around 1880. Between 1870 and 1890 many new settlers arrived from Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Alabama, and other states to establish homes and farms in this blackland section of Burnet County. Taylor built a cotton gin and sold it in 1882; he then erected the first general store in the area that became known as Taylors Gin. In 1888 a petition was circulated among the citizens and sent to Washington, D.C., requesting a post office for Taylor's Gin; the request was granted on March 27, 1888. William Hazelwood, a physician who set up practice in the community, passed a petition to get the name changed to Briggs, in honor of his mother-in-law, Mrs. Henry D. Briggs. The community was renamed on June 21, 1898. By 1900 a site had been platted into lots and blocks, land had been donated for a new school, and the population had reached 100. Businesses thrived, cotton was king, and two gins operated in Briggs; the town had doctors, a drugstore, and two general stores. Telephones and electricity came in the early 1900s. A bank was chartered in 1909. From 1906 to 1928 business prospered. On April 12, 1906, a tornado demolished the school. A new building was built, and in 1915 a high school was organized. The population reached about 300 in the 1920s. In 1928 devastating fires took their toll of homes and businesses, most of which were never rebuilt. The Great Depression brought on a farming decline; the remaining gin and businesses closed. With the arrival of U.S. Highway 183 many citizens began commuting to shop and to work in nearby communities, including Killeen, Copperas Cove, and Camp Hood (now Fort Cavazos ). Briggs's population reached its height of 520, served by twenty business, in 1936. The population subsequently fluctuated between 250 and 300 until the late 1960s, when it declined to ninety-six. In 1969 the Briggs school was consolidated with the Burnet district. In the late 1980s Briggs had two churches, a post office, two service stations, and scattered residences. The population was ninety-two in 1990 and in 2000.

Tsha Handbook → · 8.5 mi away

Andice, Texas

Music in Andice

Songs About Andice

Artists From Andice

Rivers & Roads in Song near Andice

History of Andice

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Andice, TX RoadyGoat

Smart-McCormick Home

Rocky Hollow Cemetery

Williams-Buck Cemetery

Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic

Mullen, John W.

Briggs, TX

Things to Do in Andice

Everything Near Andice