Felipe Enrique Neri, Baron de Bastrop, a prominent Dutch nobleman, was one of Stephen F. Austin’s primary negotiators with the government of Mexico for the original Angelo American colony.  Because of this Mina was renamed Bastrop in the Baron’s honor.  The only problem was the Baron was a fraud.  He was born in Dutch Guiana to ordinary Dutch parents.  None the less, the name remained and Bastrop is a thriving community with
more than 130 historic structures listed on the National register of Historic Places.  Bastrop is also home to The Bastrop Advertiser, the oldest weekly newspaper in Texas which has been in operation since 1853. Continue reading →