Palo Alto College

San Antonio, Texas

Jessica Martinez	Spring 2004
History 1302	Hines

Georgetown, Texas

The city of Georgetown (Williamson County) is about an hour north of Austin, Texas. It is a small, historically preserved town with a population of about 36,000 people. In 1997 this small town received the Great American Main Street Award, for the renewal of their historical downtown square. Georgetown was the first Texas city to receive this award.

Robert McAlpin Williamson

Williamson County was established in 1848. Settlers who lived on the land at the time, made a request to the Legislature that their own county be established. They wanted to have a court house in close proximity so that taking care of their business would be more convenient for them. The closest courthouse was located in Austin and many of the people who lived in present-day Georgetown had a hard time getting there.

The request of the people was granted and the county was named after Robert McAlpin Williamson (left). Williamson had a physical disability, but that didn’t stop him from fulfilling many different roles throughout his lifetime. His physical disability got him the name “three-legged Willie.” Some of the different roles he fulfilled were a lawyer, teacher, preacher, and judge.

Three-legged Willie

The city of Georgetown is the county seat of Williamson County. It was established in 1848 as well and was named after George Washington Glasscock. Glasscock owned large amounts of land, and agreed to donate 173 acres of land for the purpose of building a city and naming it after him.

Most people who first lived here in Georgetown were immigrants. Many of these people were attracted by the abundance of timber and good, clear water, as well as the inexpensive and extremely fertile land. Many of the first settlers were from the states of Kentucky, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and many other states. During the 1850’s many Swedish settlers arrived, and after 1870, German, Austrian, and Swiss settlers began arriving. Moravians and Czechs arrived after 1880. Very few blacks migrated to Georgetown with the early Anglo families, and Mexican immigrants began to arrive in about 1910.

Between 1880 and 1920 Georgetown's economy was very dependent on cotton crops. Other important industries were blacksmithing, shoe shops, bakeries, confectioneries, brick factories, and mining. The economy eventually became more dependent on industry as it slowly grew and developed.

"OLD STORIES"

Annie Lee Purl (right) was born and raised in Georgetown. She was one of three daughters of the Williamson County Sheriff. She attended school there and eventually earned a degree. She then became a teacher at a local elementary school that was named after her. She taught for many years and even became a principal at the school. The school stood for many years but was eventually demolished. A cornerstone of the school was given to Purl and was placed on her front lawn. When Purl passed away she was buried at the IOOF cemetery in Georgetown, and the corner stone was used as her headstone. The headstone is still in place today. Below is a link to a picture of Purl's headstone.

Annie Lee Purl

Dan Moody was the County Attorney for Williamson County and later appointed District Attorney. After running the Ku Klux Klan out of Williamson County,he was later recognized for the prosecution and conviction of the Ku Klux Klan.

HISORICAL LANDMARKS

There are many historical landmarks in the city of Georgetown. These landmarks include the courthouse, houses, churches, entire districts, schools, and businesses. One of the most important historical landmarks is the downtown Williamson Courthouse (right). It is located in the Williamson County Courthouse District which is the center of the town. The surrounding square of businesses have been historically preserved as well. The idea of the Williamson Courthouse was thought of in 1848 and the first courthouse was built about a year later. Since then the courthouse has changed location and rebuilt a total of five times. The final building, which still stands today in the center of downtown was built in 1909 and completed in 1911.

The entire downtown square has been made a historical landmark and has been preserved by the Historical Commission as well. The “downtown square” has been a square since the city of Georgetown was established. The architecture of the buildings on the square changed with the times, but now they are historically preserved and are ordered to stay that way. The present buildings are Victorian-era buildings and are very well preserved. Shown below are two different sides of the "Downtown Square."
DOWNTOWN SQUARE

Charles Belford's gravesite

The Belford Historical District is also very well preserved. It is named after Charles S. Belford, who was a builder and owned a company named “Belford Lumbar Company” in Georgetown. Belford’s lumber company built many homes in Georgetown that still exist today. On the left is a picture of Belford's gravesite.

The University Avenue/Elm Street Historical District used to be part of a ranch that belonged to Thomas P. Hughes before it became what it is now. The Victorian architecture houses were once homes of very wealthy and successful people. Below is a link to a picture of Hughes' gravesite.

Thomas Hughes

Southwestern University

Southwestern University was opened in 1873 after the city of Georgetown petitioned for the university to be relocated into town. To the right is a picture of the Southwestern University sign.

Old Grace Church

Old Grace Church was first built in 1881 and then relocated twice after that. The present building was built in 1992 and is now used as an office for the Georgetown Heritage Society. On the left is a picture of "Old Grace Chuch."

The city of Georgetown is a small yet beautiful place. It is full of cultural history and is very well preserved. Georgetown has grown and developed very well, considering the way it was when it was first established.

You are now leaving Georgetown! Sign

Jessica Martinez

Name: Hazel Day Hood

Date: March 20, 2004

Place: Williamson County Historical Museum

Transcript Mrs. Hood

Q: What is your full name?

Mrs. Hood: My full name is Hazel Day Hood, Day is my maiden name.(Picture on right)

Q: How old are you?

Mrs. Hood: I am 84 years old.

Q: Are you a resident of Georgetown?

Mrs. Hood: Yes, I have been a resident of Georgetown since 1982. Before I became a resident, I would visit Georgetown every summer to come see my family. My mother was born in Corn Hill, just outside of Georgetown. Museum of Georgetown

Q: To my understanding you are a volunteer here at the Williamson County Historical Museum, is that correct?

Mrs. Hood: Yes, I haven’t been doing it very long though. I have been a member of the Williamson County Historical Commission for quite some time now. This museum is fairly new, it opened up on December 6, 2003. A Judge gave the Commission this building, and he wanted it to become a museum. This was an old bank, it used to be Farmers State Bank and was built back in 1910.(Picture of museum on right)

Q: Can you tell me when the town was founded?

Mrs. Hood: I believe it was founded in 1848, I’m not so sure.

Q: Where does the town get its name form?

Mrs. Hood: The county was named after Robert McAlpin Williamson, he was a lawyer , a judge, and many other things. He did all kinds of things, I can’t even remember all of them…and the town was named after George Washington Glasscock.

Q: What is the population here in Georgetown?

Mrs. Hood: The population here in Georgetown is a little over 30,000. Milam County was so large and people needed anther courthouse, so Milam County was split into two…that’s when Williamson County was created, and it has grown since then.

Q; What is life like living in Georgetown?

Mrs. Hood: I love it. I was born and raised in Houston, and Houston was a big city. Now it is even bigger! When I moved here to Georgetown, I fell in love with it…it is a small town, everyone knows each other and it is very comforting.

Q: Do you have any family here in Georgetown?

Mrs. Hood: No, I have no family left. I was an only child and so is my daughter. My daughter has 10 children, but they all moved out to California. So no, I have no family here in Georgetown.

Q: What can you tell me about the downtown square?

Mrs. Hood: Well, the courthouse as built in about 1910. It has always been a square since it has been a town. I believe this courthouse is the third one to be built here in Georgetown. The Historical Commission insist that all the buildings remain as they were. They stand very firm in that they all remain the same on the outside, renovations are only allowed to be made to the inside of the buildings.

San Gabriel River

Q: What can you tell me about other historical landmarks?

Mrs. Hood: Other historical landmarks?…Well we have a park. The park is called San Gabriel Park, it is named after the river that runs through the town (Picture of San Gabriel River on Right). Many famous people have visited that park…Sam Houston used to speak at that park…his daughter did too, along with many other famous people. There is also a house that is a historical landmark…I can’t really remember much about it but, I know an elderly man built it for his young wife. It is a three story home, and you could look out from the third floor.

Q: Are there any old stories that you know about and would like to share with me?

Mrs. Hood: Well there was an old school built a long time ago. It was the first school in Georgetown, and it served the entire town. The name of the school was Annie Pearl School. The women who it was named after always spoke there…the school later served as an elementary school only. …The school was located on University and Austin, it was beautiful. The building was demolished in the 60’s or 70’s. The corner stone of the building was given to the women whom it was named after, it was put on her lawn. When the women died, the cornerstone became her headstone. She is buried at the IOOF cemetery and the headstone is still there today. Oh as a matter of fact, Sam Houston’s daughter is buried at that same cemetery.

WEBSITES:

Georgetown, Texas

Williamson County Museum

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:

City of Georgetown.

Explore Our History 4 Feb. 2004

This online source helped me understand a little about the history of Georgetown. It was an informative source that helped me analyze and organize my thoughts as well as my paper.

Georgetown

Handbook of Texas: Georgetown

I used this online source because it provided me with a list of several historical sites. I used this list on my visit to Georgetown; it gave me a sense of direction in an unfamiliar place.

Courthouses of Williamson. Scarbrough, Clara. 2004.

This pamphlet was very useful in my research of the city of Georgetown. It provided me with historical information about the downtown courthouse. It was very informational and included nice sketches of past courthouses of Williamson County.

Hazel Hood: Resident of Georgetown, Texas.

I interview Mrs. Hood because she is a resident of Georgetown, Texas. She has lived there many years and knows a lot about the town. Mrs. Hood is a volunteer at the Williamson County Museum and plays an active role in her community. She provided me with lots of information regarding the town and its history. She provided information on important historical landmarks as well as a couple interesting stories about the town.

Maryellen Norris: Resident of Georgetown, Texas

I interviewed her because she is a resident of Georgetown, Texas as well. This interview was very interesting. This person told me a lot about present Georgetown as well as about daily life in Georgetown.

Moody Museum. 2000.

This source provided me with some information about Dan Moody. This source was very informational and was very interesting. This source assisted me in adding another interesting story to my paper.

Shopping, Dinning, Lodging, Attractions, Events. 2004 Official Visitors Guide

Georgetown, Texas. Lucas Adams. 2004.

This Visitor’s Guide helped me a lot. It provided some information about the history of the town as well as well as maps and pictures of other important places and attractions in Georgetown.

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