Editing Round Top, Texas (section)

==History==
As a part of the [[Stephen F. Austin]] colony, James Winn acquired {{convert|4428|acre|km2 sqmi|1|abbr=on}} in 1831; the present townsite was included in this tract. The community was originally known as "Townsend", after early settler Nathaniel Townsend (whose original house still exists as the Texana Lodge). Later the town was renamed "Round Top", since the postmaster lived in a house with a round tower.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.tx0462 | title=Bethlehem Lutheran Church, White Street, Round Top, Fayette County, TX | work=[[Historic American Buildings Survey]] | publisher=[[National Park Service]] | first=Melvin | last=Rotsch | date=June 1972 | format=data pages | access-date=July 7, 2008}}</ref> Portions of [[Nassau Plantation (Texas)|Nassau Plantation]] were purchased by the ''[[Adelsverein]]'', and settlement by [[German Texan|German immigrants]] began 1845 to 1847; these settlers began buying up the local farms and the town lots.

The [[Bethlehem Lutheran Church (Round Top, Texas)|Bethlehem Lutheran Church]] in Round Top is the oldest active [[Lutheran church]] in Fayette County, and the oldest Lutheran church sanctuary in Texas.<ref name="blcws">{{cite web |title=Bethlehem Lutheran Church |url=http://www.rtis.com/reg/roundtop/bethchur.htm |url-status=dead |website=rtis.com |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201110843/http://www.rtis.com/reg/roundtop/bethchur.htm |archivedate=December 1, 2009}}</ref>