Like many Texas communities, McNeil owes its existence to the railroad. The community grew up around the intersection of the International and Great Northern Railroad and the Northwestern Railroad near the Travis-Williamson county line in the early 1880s. By the end of the decade, however, and for more than a century, the community served as the base of operations for the Austin White Lime Company.
Initially established as Martin and Walker, the Austin White Lime Company quarried limestone and manufactured various products used in the construction industry. Al Robinson, Sr., joined the company as secretary in 1909, and the Robinson family purchased it in the early 1940s. The company and the large Robinson Ranch remain in the family today.
The 1920 census recorded a predominantly Mexican-born population living in the McNeil area. Though some worked seasonal farm jobs, most worked for Austin White Lime Company in one way or another. Most employees lived in houses provided by the company and shopped at the company’s general store, which was the only one for miles. The company also provided a building for use as a school and church. In this oral history interview, Lorenzo Rubio, former councilman for the City of Round Rock, recounts his childhood experience living in the company town. His father worked as an explosives expert for the company.
Many of the people who lived in McNeil and worked for the company are buried in the McNeil Cemetery, located on the grounds of the Austin White Lime Company and the Robinson Ranch. The vast majority of the approximately 138 marked and known graves bear Spanish surnames. The Robinson family, long-time owner of the lime company and the surrounding ranch land, also has a plot within the cemetery. The cemetery is often referred to as the Robinson Cemetery or Robinson Ranch Cemetery. The Robinson family, along with descendants of the other families interred here, collaborate on the upkeep of the cemetery.
Near the center of the 1-acre cemetery sits a monument with a limestone base supporting a large concrete cross. Four graves circle this monument: Augustin Dominguez, Nicolas Hernandez, Benito Alvarado, and Feliz Beltran, Sr. The inscription above Beltran’s grave, written in Spanish, explains that he began working in McNeil in 1905 [at age 18] and was responsible for the founding of the McNeil Cemetery on land provided by Alfred Martin and Alfred Robinson. It is unclear exactly when the cemetery was established, but the first known grave dates from 1909.
The Williamson County Historical Commission’s Cemetery Restoration Volunteers prepared the Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC) application for the cemetery this summer.