McDade, TX

McDade is a Bastrop County CDP along U.S. 290, nine miles east of Elgin and a few blocks north of the highway. The town took shape around the Houston and Texas Central Railroad after James W. McDade, a major railroad stockholder, gave it his name in 1869; the first train arrived in 1871. Cotton, freight, and McDade Pottery filled out the early working map, with pottery production continuing in the area until around World War II. The old Main Street grid still sits close to the rail line and Loop 223, giving the place a visible railroad-town shape.

McDade ISD gives the community a school-centered institution, with football, band, and parade events bringing the school into the town calendar. The McDade Watermelon Festival returns each July with a parade, vendors, food, music, and other activities. U.S. 290 connects McDade to Elgin, Giddings, and Austin, while the older streets hold onto the town's railroad layout. The downtown, the school grounds, and the festival route keep McDade's agricultural and rail history in circulation from one season to the next.