Butler, Bastrop County, Texas

The town was established in 1871 with the coming of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad.[1] It was named after Michael Butler, an Irish immigrant bricklayer who founded a brick works on a railway spur.[2]

The small community never expanded sufficiently to establish a post office. Population figures were not reported until the 1930s, when there were 107 residents. This number reached 150 by the late 1940s and remained at this level for the next 20 years. In the mid-1980s, the settlement was still listed as a community.[1] Butler still appears on county highway maps.

Michael Butler founded Elgin-Butler Brick Company in 1873. He had accidentally discovered suitable brickmaking clay while digging holes on land bought for timber. The firm's central operations were located at a 1,000-acre site in Butler; sales headquarters were based in Austin. Butler gradually became a company town with a company store and brick homes for the workers, who farmed on the side.[2]

In 1990, the brick works was automated so that the clay was mixed with water and extruded into molds prior to firing. During the 1990s, Elgin-Butler employed 411 workers. The firm gained a reputation for innovative brick designs with widespread appeal. Michael Butler was succeeded by members of his family, including a son who studied ceramic engineering at Ohio State University.[2] Today, Elgin-Butler Brick produces firebrick and specialty structural glazed tiles. After being passed through five generations of Butlers, the family sold the company in 2005.[3]

A company graveyard, Butler Brick Company Cemetery, is located off Old McDade Road.[4]