The Palm House Went Home to Palm Valley, and Main Street Kept Building Places to Gather

For close to 50 years, the Palm House stood in downtown Round Rock, where the little frame farmhouse served as a museum and as the Round Rock Chamber's office. That arrangement is over. The house sits back on Palm Valley Boulevard, a few feet from where it was built in 1873. On Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m., the Old Settlers Association opens it to the public again for the first time since the move.

The move worked as a trade. The farmhouse went back to its family's land, and the lot it left behind was cleared for a walkway linking downtown's civic spaces. Main Street has spent this fall filling up with new reasons to stay out after dark. That same Saturday morning, Market Days sets up on Prete Plaza. One morning, two ends of town, and both halves of the trade open at once.

Why the house left Main Street

The Palm House is a two-room, early frontier-style frame house. A son of Anders and Anna Palm built it on Palm Farm in 1873. The Palms were Swedish settlers who left Sweden in 1848, according to the City of Round Rock. The Association's own announcement names the builder as Andrew J. Palm. It adds that the family donated the home to the Round Rock Chamber.

The house was moved downtown in 1976 and received its historic marker in 1979. It closed after the Chamber made plans to relocate its office. The Old Settlers Association agreed to take it back. CBS Austin reported on the 2024 move, which set the house down just northwest of its original site. The station also reported that the downtown lot was being cleared for a walkway connecting downtown civic destinations. The Texas Historical Commission approved the relocation, and the house could keep its historic designation because it was going back to its original property.

What $500,000 bought on Palm Valley Boulevard

The City set aside up to $500,000 from its Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund for the rehabilitation. Visitors on Nov. 7 will see most of the work, because most of it is on the outside.

• Partial structural framing, done so the house could be used again
• A new porch, columns and ADA ramp, plus a rear deck
• Cedar siding and a new shake roof
• The original windows and shutters, refurbished rather than replaced
• Interior door work and a new entry door
• New electrical, lighting, HVAC and insulation

When work began, the City expected to finish in July. The Association later announced that the rehabilitation was completed in September 2026. Members of the Palm House Museum Association have been helping put the furniture and household artifacts back in place. Inside, you'll find objects from the years the family lived there.

One detail matters more than the rest for planning. Going forward, the house will be open during events on the Old Settlers Association grounds, according to the Association's announcement reported by Community Impact. It no longer sits on a street you pass every day, and it does not keep everyday hours. The reopening is free. The open house runs until noon, and it is the clearest chance this fall to walk through the rooms.

The Association owns the building now. It plans a walking path from the front door out to the road, along with new plantings around the house.

The neighbors it rejoined

Out on the grounds, the Palm House is one of several old buildings, not a lone survivor. The Old Settlers Association lists these historic properties.

The Palm name now appears twice on that list. The farmhouse from 1873 and the mansion from 1912 both trace back to Andrew J. Palm, and they stand on the same family land again. The grounds also host the Association's Midsommar festival, which marked its seventh year on June 13, 2026. Those events are the days the Palm House will open its doors from now on.

Saturday, Nov. 7, start to finish

The reopening and Round Rock Market Days fall on the same day. The two schedules fit together if you start early.

1. 9 a.m. Round Rock Market Days opens at Prete Plaza, 221 E. Main St., with local vendors and live music. It runs until 4 p.m.
2. 10 a.m. The Palm House grand reopening begins on the Old Settlers Association grounds at 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd.
3. Until noon The Palm House open house continues.
4. Afternoon Head back downtown for the rest of Market Days, which still has hours left after the open house closes.

You can do it in either order. Market Days lasts all day, and the farmhouse is only open for two hours.

Downtown has been filling its evenings

The lot the Palm House left behind was meant to connect people to places. Main Street has added more places this fall.

At 117 and 119 E. Main St., the bar and restaurant known for a while as Sociedad has gone back to its original name, Alcove. On Sept. 25 it opened The Fair, a country-western-inspired expansion with a stage, a pool table and a full bar, serving Alcove's menu. Michelle Ly and Erik Hall own the business, which is locally owned. Ly told Community Impact that both names come from the building's own history, since businesses called Alcove and The Fair once operated there.

"I think the biggest thing is that we can offer an elevated date night spot, live music on the patio or a country western theme—three separate feels in one location," Ly told Community Impact.

Around the corner at 110 S. Lampasas St., Unit 4, Melissa Moody's Sweet Irene's Boutique started its first week of regular business on Oct. 26. It sells women's and children's clothing, candles, jewelry and home decor, as Community Impact reported.

Then there are Wednesday nights. The City's free Music on Main series runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the Prete Main Street Plaza stage, with face painting, balloon artists and free parking. Three dates remain after this week.

Nov. 11 is also Veterans Day, so you can make a full day of it. The City's Veterans Day Celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Lakeview Stage and Pavilion in Old Settlers Park. It includes a ceremony, then entertainment and food from Juicy Lucee's ATX and VFW Post 9078. That evening, the funk band plays on Main.

The rest of the calendar, starting Friday

Hometown Halloween takes over Main Street on Friday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 7 p.m. Expect trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, plus live music, face painting, balloon art and giveaways. If a costume piece is still missing, the seasonal Spirit Halloween at 2701A Parker Drive was expected to stay open through Nov. 2.

On Saturday, Nov. 14, the City's free Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar fills Clay Madsen Recreation Center with vendors selling handcrafted goods from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Away from downtown, Round Rock is shifting in smaller ways:

• Coming soon: Hutto-based Cottonwood Creek Brewery is planning a taproom at 1201 E. Palm Valley Blvd. for November or December. The brewery, owned by Bobby Delmonico, plans to brew beer at both locations, and a food truck is expected in the spring. That window is an estimate.
• Coming soon: Buckle is expected to open in November at Round Rock Premium Outlets, 4401 N. I-35. An Old Navy is also planned for the outlet center, though no opening date has been given.
• Open: Rush Bowls opened Sept. 5 at 115 Sundance Parkway, Ste. 340, serving smoothie bowls, smoothies and cold-brew coffee.
• Closed: Corner Bakery Cafe at 110 N. I-35 closed Oct. 11 after 14 years. It was the chain's only Central Texas location.

The Cottonwood Creek address is worth a second look. The taproom is also planned for East Palm Valley Boulevard, the same road as the Old Settlers grounds.

I've spent nearly 20 years watching places like the Palm House shape how Round Rock families tell the story of where they live. If you're thinking about what your own next chapter here looks like, I'd love to hear it over coffee after the Nov. 7 open house. Edwin Zamora is glad to talk in English or Spanish. Let's Start With Your Story.