DUANE
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Duane's take
The marker here in Fayette County is the one doing the talking today, and I'm just the fellow passing it along. Now, let me tell you about a man who covered some ground in his life, and I mean that in more ways than one. Hamilton Ledbetter was born in North Carolina, back in 1808, and if you think a man like that was going to stay put, well, you didn't know Hamilton Ledbetter.
He and his wife Jane Amanda, born a Peacock, made their way down to Victoria County in 1839. Texas was barely a republic, and these two were already planting roots. Then, six years later, Ledbetter picked up again and moved the family to Fayette County.
That's the kind of man he was. Not restless exactly, more like purposeful. He had a large family to think about, and he went right to work building them a home worthy of the name.
That house is the reason we're stopped here today. Now, the story doesn't stop at four walls and a roof. Ledbetter's plantation became the home of Round Top Academy, which operated from 1854 all the way through 1867.
Think about what that meant to this corner of Texas, a school running on a working plantation, giving young people somewhere to go and something to learn. Ledbetter himself was a prominent citizen by any measure. He served as Round Top marshall, and then as a state senator, from 1872 to 1874.
Jane Amanda passed in 1884. Hamilton followed in 1888. But here's the part that might make you smile just a little.
That house he built for his family, that solid, rooted structure, it got moved. About a mile, in 1959, to the very site where it stands today. Hamilton Ledbetter traveled from North Carolina to Victoria County to Fayette County, and in the end, even his house couldn't quite stay still.
Some legacies are just built to keep moving.
What the marker says
North Carolina native Hamilton Ledbetter (1808-1888) and his wife Jane Amanda ( Peacock) (1813-1884) settled in Victoria County in 1839. Ledbetter moved to Fayette County in 1845. Soon he built this home for his large family. Ledbetter's plantation was the location of Round Top Academy which operated 1854-67. A prominent citizen, he served as Round Top marshall and state senator, 1872-74. The house was moved about one mile to this site in 1959. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1979.