There also appear to have been small numbers of Kiowa, Yojuane, Tawakoni, and Mayeye Indians living in the county at the time of the earliest Anglo settlements. Even after most Native Americans were crowded out by white settlement, the Comanches continued to raid settlements in the county until the s.
Georgetown was named for George Washington Glasscock who donated the land for the new town. Early American and Swedish pioneers were attracted to the area's abundance of timber and good, clear water. In addition, the land was inexpensive and extremely fertile. Georgetown, Texas, is the county seat of Williamson County, which was formed on March 13, after the early settlers petitioned the State Legislature to create it out of Milam County.
Three-Legged Willie , a Texas statesman and judge at the time. Georgetown was an agrarian community for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Shawnee Trail , a cattle trail that led from Texas to the railcenters in Kansas and Missouri, crossed through the heart of Georgetown. The establishment of Southwestern University in and construction of a railroad in contributed to the town's growth and importance.
A stable economy developed, based largely on agricultural activity. Cotton was the dominant crop in the area between the s and the s. Williamson County was the top producer of cotton in the State of Texas. Primarily to transport cattle and bales of cotton, at one time Georgetown was served by two national railroads, the International-Great Northern Railroad, which eventually was merged into the Missouri Pacific, and the Missouri—Kansas—Texas Railroad.
Extensive damage and loss of life throughout the county from a flood led Georgetown to seek flood control. A low pressure system from a hurricane settled in over Williamson County and brought more than 23 inches of rain in Taylor and 18 plus inches of rain in Georgetown. An estimated persons perished in the flood, many of them farm laborers.
The flood and its horrific destruction culminated in the building of a dam on the north fork of the San Gabriel River to create and impound Lake Georgetown , which opened officially on October 5, Population growth and industrial expansion continued modestly in the twentieth century until about when residential, commercial, and industrial development, due to major growth and urban expansion of nearby Austin, greatly accelerated.
A densely overgrown — Victorian house was found in Round Rock, Texas , where the La Frontera project now sits. It was cut into pieces and moved to Georgetown and restored. It is known locally as the Burkland-Frisk House as it was built by an early settler in Williamson County, Leonard Frisk, and was later owned by Tony Burkland, a relative of the Frisk family. The house originally set across the street from an identical twin house which was used in a movie and which was also cut into seven pieces and was moved to Kingsland, Texas , to become part of the Antlers Hotel Kingsland, Texas.
The house was a "pattern book" house, ordered from a catalog and assembled on site from a package of materials brought by wagon from a local lumber company. Research indicates it was likely built between and and is now used as an office. In the s, Georgetown's downtown was bleak and featureless. The Texas-Victorian streetscape was plastered with stucco, aluminum covers, brick, and multiple layers of white paint.
But community leaders had begun putting new stock back into their architectural heritage. Georgetown's resurrected interest in its historic resources came at a time when the cost of borrowing money was soaring. Interest rates near 20 percent might have been a deterrent elsewhere. In Georgetown, every bank offered significantly lower interest loans for the renewal of the town's grand Victorian buildings and facades.
And rehabilitation tax credit programs in the s made investing in historic property an even more lucrative enterprise. By , 40 rehabilitations were complete. Residents enjoy over days of sunshine annually, while rainfall averages about 35 inches per year.
The city is now ranked th largest in the nation. Much of this growth has come from retirees and those relocating for the combination of amenities, activities and hospitable climate. Huling, donated the land for the town in around the same time that Williamson County was formed. Georgetown became its county seat.
In , Southwestern University was founded here, followed almost immediately by the establishment of a rail hub to serve the agricultural-based economy of the time. Georgetown grew modestly throughout much of the twentieth century until the sixties, when major expansion in nearby Austin accelerated growth.
Davis in , but retained ownership of the building. Henderson, who ran a variety store here for many years. Elaborately designed, the building features iron columns and pressed metal ornamentation. He came to Texas in and moved to Georgetown in , a year after his marriage to Asenath C. Davis d. His work included residences as well as commercial, religious, and governmental buildings.
He also owned a furniture business in this block for many years. An active Presbyterian and civic leader, Clamp served as mayor of the city from to He is buried in the I. Cooper Editors of the paper included Frank T. Roche, John R. Allen, John M. Sharpe, and Robert W. Cooper, son of the founder. Donald and Clara Scarbrough became the second full owners of the enterprise in On site of cabin used as first county courthouse.
This frontier saddlery, erected of hand-cut limestone by John H. Shafer, had living quarters upstairs. Since occupants have been attorneys, a newspaper, and many other tenants. Associated with Texas pioneers, businessmen, statesmen, writers. Erected as a hotel by P. Later occupied by mercantile stores — meeting place for families and friends from Williamson County communities.
It remained in use as a pharmacy for the next 76 years. William D. Nichols operated the drugstore from until In that year, Dr. Thomas B. The Georgetown landmark, which exhibits Italianate influences, features arched windows and a pressed metal cornice. Designed by C. Belford and constructed in by C. Over the years, it also has served as a meeting place for the Second Baptist Church and as chamber of commerce offices. The building, which features some Italianate detailing, is one of few remaining examples of 19th-century city hall-fire stations in Texas.
He married Margaret Henderson in while on furlough and after the war returned to Georgetown and took over the family business. Prominent local landowner George Washington Glasscock, Sr. The landmark oak tree was felled by a storm in Built about by M. Emma Dickman Makemson later operated a hotel here from the early s until Exhibiting influences of the Italianate style, the building features a truncated roof, corner entry, ornate frieze below the roofline, and finely crafted stonework.
In , bank officers contracted for the building of a new bank onto existing commercial property at this site. Construction was finished in In the s, the bank moved and the building changed owners several times before Williamson County purchased it in , using it for a variety of offices in the following decades.
Detailing on the pronounced central pediment includes dentils and egg and dart molding. South Carolina native David M.
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