DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about Rockne, Bastrop County — and it's a story worth hearing. Now, a lot of Texas towns have one good origin story. Rockne has about five.
It starts — as so many good Texas stories do — with people crossing an ocean and finding a creek. Back in the 1840s, German settlers began making their way into this part of Bastrop County. In November of 1846, the Daniel and Mortiz Lehman families stepped off at Indianola, Texas, having come all the way from Schlesien, Prussia.
They didn't linger on the coast. They pushed inland and settled near Walnut Creek. Not long after, Andreas and Franz Meuth arrived from a place called Wurges, Germany, and they put down roots on Sandy Creek.
Then in 1856, four more men out of Wurges — John Wilhelm, John Wolf, John Hartman, and Philip Goertz — arrived and established farms along Walnut Creek. That's a lot of folks from one town in Germany ending up along one creek in Texas. The land must have called to them.
Now, when a community takes root, it needs something to hold it together. For this one, that something was faith. In 1876, Philip Goertz and Michael Wolf donated land so the settlers could build themselves a church — the first Catholic church in the area, Ascension of Christ Church.
They built it, they worshipped in it, and then in 1891, an arsonist's fire destroyed it. That is not a gentle turn in the story. That is a gut punch.
But here's what these people did: the very next year, on land donated by John T. Lehman, the residents came back together and established Sacred Heart Church and Cemetery. You don't rebuild a community in a year without some serious spine.
And now — the names. This little settlement went through more names than most towns twice its size. First it was simply Walnut Creek, for the stream running nearby.
Then in 1900, when a store and post office were established, it became Lehman — Martin Lehman serving as postmaster. After that, it picked up the name Hilbigville, when William Hilbig and his sons opened a general store. Three names, three chapters, and the community was still writing.
Then comes 1931. The children of Sacred Heart School decided it was time for a new name. And the name they chose had nothing to do with creeks or postmasters or general stores.
Knute Rockne — the renowned coach of Notre Dame University — had died in a plane crash earlier that year. Those children wanted to honor him. So they renamed their town Rockne.
Think about that: a farming community in Bastrop County, Texas, carrying the name of a football coach from Indiana because a group of schoolchildren in 1931 decided that was the right thing to do. There's something quietly wonderful about that. Today, Rockne remains a rural community, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church still sits at its center — same as it has through every name this place has ever worn.
What the marker says
Beginning as a farming community, Rockne traces its roots to German settlers who came to the area in the 1840s. In November 1846, the Daniel and Mortiz Lehman families arrived at Indianola, Texas from Schlesien, Prussia. They soon settled in this vicinity on Walnut Creek. Later, Andreas and Franz Meuth arrived from Wurges, Germany and settled on Sandy Creek. Also from Wurges, John Wilhelm, John Wolf, John Hartman and Philip Goertz arrived in 1856 and established farms along Walnut Creek. In 1876, Philip Goertz and Michael Wolf donated land to area settlers to build the first Catholic church, Ascension of Christ Church. The building was destroyed by an arsonist's fire in 1891. The next year, on land donated by John T. Lehman, local residents established the Sacred Heart Church and Cemetery. During its long history, the community has been known by many names. First called Walnut Creek because of its proximity to the stream, it was known as Lehman when a store and post office was established in 1900 with Martin Lehman as postmaster. The settlement later came to be called Hilbigville after William Hilbig and his sons opened a general store. In 1931, the children of Sacred Heart School renamed the town in honor of Knute Rockne, renowned coach of Notre Dame University, who had died in a plane crash earlier that year. Rockne continues to be a rural community, with Sacred Heart Catholic Church at its center. (2006)