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Salado, Texas Home of the Presbyterian Church of Salado Salado is a small village that is located in Central Texas in Bell County. It is approximately 15 minutes south of Temple and 45 minutes north of Austin. Following I-35 either north or south depending upon your starting point will take you directly to Salado. About Salado Salado boasts over 130 businesses and recently incorporated in order to preserve its history, character and charm. These businesses includes but is not limited to; retail shops, antique dealers, collectibles, restaurants, fine dining establishments, Bed & Breakfasts, and a Country Club. The village is charming to visit and everyone can find ways to enjoy themselves whether they are shopping, golfing, bike riding, or just looking for serenity. Annual events like Christmas in October, the Christmas Stroll, and the Art Fair are hosted by the community. Visitors arrive to enjoy the serenity, the quaintness and the charm that is Salado. The Village of Salado was founded on October 8, 1859 at the Old Military Road crossing at Salado Creek. At approximately the same time, Salado College was founded to serve local Central Texans as a fine school. Salado quickly became an established settlement. With a local college attracting people with education and the Chisholm Trail running straight into Salado (where todays Main Street is located), Salado experienced a growth in population and developed as both an industrial and agriculture center. Stagecoach lines that served Central Texas included Salado as one of its stops and Salado quickly grew to have 8 grist mills in town. One grist mill was located right in town and 7 others were located within 10 miles of Salado Creek. The first Grange in Texas was organized here in 1873. Furthermore, a wire cable suspension bridge, the first bridge built in the county, was built in 1869 in Salado and remained until the great flood of 1900. Salado enjoyed being ranked second in size and importance in the county up to the early 1880's. In the early 1880's, Salado boasted of 14 stores, 2 hotels, 2 blacksmiths, 7 churches and 3 cotton gins. A few years later, Salado saw a reversal of fortune when the railroads were built north and east of the village. At the time, railroads meant trade and new towns developed off the railroads path. The lack of railroads meant a lack of trade which had a direct impact on the growth of the village. In 1885, Salado College closed its doors and the village population slowly declined from 900 in 1882 to 400 in 1914. By 1950, the village population was down to 200. In 1890, an area private school named Thomas Arnold High School occupied the vacant college building and remained operational until 1913. Salado remained a struggling town until the 1940's when the Stagecoach Restaurant became popular and people drove great distances to eat there. In 1959, Salado opened the Central Texas Area museum and in 1960, Mill Creek Golf and Country Club opened. Salado has continued to experience a growth in population as families move to a small, quite and peaceful community either to retire or provide a quality of living more agreeable with their lifestyle. Salado's proximity to Waco and Austin makes it ideal for those who prefer a country home life but prefer to work in larger cities. Salado is a historic place. Eighteen of the old buildings located here are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Salado has 23 Texas Historical Markers. Salado Creek was designated the first recorded Natural Landmark in Texas in 1966. Furthermore, Salado boasts having provided 2 Grand Masters of Masons in Texas in the late 1800's and having a Rhodes Scholar amongst its graduates of Thomas Arnold High School. - Patricia Lawshe Barton
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