City of Taylor

In 1878 the new town of Taylorsville held about 1,000 people and thirty-two businesses, and in 1879 a fire destroyed twenty-nine of them. Recovery was rapid, and sturdier buildings replaced them. By 1890 Taylor had two banks and, according to the Handbook, the first savings and loan in Texas. Cotton became the base of the economy, and the town billed itself as the largest inland cotton market in the world. In 1951 the local press said 3,000 more pickers were needed, though mechanical harvesting soon cut the demand for migratory workers.

What the plaque says

City of Taylor When the International & Great Northern Railroad built across Williamson County in 1876, one of the towns created along its route was "Taylorsville", named for railroad executive Moses Taylor. Lots were sold in June, and the post office opened on August 9, 1876. the earliest settlers included railroad officials such as I.&G.N. president John R. Hoxie and agent Henry Dickson, and merchants such as C. p. Vance, who moved his general store from Circleville. John McMurray started a private school, and Moritmer R. Hoxie donated land for a cemetery. Methodist and Presbyterian churches were organized in 1876, and other congregations the following year. Located on a cattle trail, the new community soon became a major shipping point for cattle. A second rail line, the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, was extended to Taylorsville in 1882, spurring further growth. The town was incorporated in 1882 with Daniel Moody, father of Texas governor Dan Moody (1893-1966), as its first mayor. In 1892 the city's name was shortened to "Taylor". By that time, cotton had joined cattle and the railroad as an important element in the local economy. Today light industry and diversified farming contribute to Taylor's prosperity. (1976)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Williamson County Courthouse — 17 mi
  The fifth Williamson County courthouse, a Beaux Arts building by C. H. Page, rises over a Georgetown square of more than 50 Victorian-era buildings.
• Inner Space Cavern — 17 mi
  A Georgetown cave found in 1963 when highway engineers drilled test holes, holding Pleistocene fossils and 72-degree rooms that visitors reach by an artificial tunnel.
• The Round Rock — 17 mi
  A table-shaped stone in Brushy Creek gave Round Rock its name in 1854; the Chisholm Trail crossed the creek near it, and Old Town stayed behind when the railroad pulled the town east.
• LBJ Presidential Library — 27 mi
  A ten-story travertine archive on the University of Texas campus holding 45 million pages from a presidency of civil rights laws, the War on Poverty and Vietnam.

More markers nearby

• Tex Avery — steps away
• Bill Pickett — steps away
• First Presbyterian Church of Taylor — steps away
• Dr. James Lee Dickey — 0.3 mi