Museum & Visitor Center of the Bastrop County Historical Society
904 Main Street, Bastrop, Texas 78602
Museum (512) 303-0057
Visitor Center (512) 303-0904
Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm
Toads in Town
A Bronze Sculpture Series
Have you noticed the toads in town? This sculpture series was created by a 5th generation Texan, Clint Howard. Clint grew up in San Marcos, Texas, where he attended Texas State University and studied sculpture and jewelry while also serving as a teaching assistant for the sculpture department and running the university foundry. In 1999, he left school to purchase Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop and has since grown the business to one of the largest in the nation. The business was rebranded to Pyrology in 2022.
Over the years, Clint has also built a large body of personal work, including a life-size moose for the Columbus Ohio Zoo, a heroic-scale firefighter entitles “In Moments of Valor” for the Bastrop Fire Department, and the iconic Buc-ee’s beaver found outside Buc-ee’s locations. In addition, he was a contributing sculptor for the Texas Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial on the Texas State Capitol Grounds and was recently selected to design and sculpt the memorial for the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin, TX.
The Houston Toad - a Lost Pines Region Endangered Species
The Houston Toad is 2 to 3.5 inches long and varies in color from light brown to gray or purplish gray, sometimes with green patches. It is a terrestrial amphibian associated with deep sandy soils within the Post Oak Savannah vegetational area of east central Texas. Habitat loss and alteration are the most serious threats facing the Houston Toad.
Bastrop County and the Lost Pines Habitat Conservation Plan work for the long-term conservation of the Houston Toad in a manner consistent with the needs, values, and resources of the local community.
The City of Bastrop Art in Public Places, now known as the Cultural Arts Commission, is offering a fun way to celebrate this local celebrity with a scavenger hunt. There are eight whimsical, small bronze sculptures located at various destinations within downtown Bastrop—an entirely walkable tour with a prize to be claimed at the Visitor Center upon completion.