Taylor

Taylor is at the intersections of the Missouri Pacific and the Missouri, Kansas and Texas lines and State Highway 95 and U.S. Highway 79, in southeastern Williamson County. In 1876 the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipation of the arrival of the International-Great Northern Railroad. Taylorsville (which officially became Taylor in 1892) was named after Edward Moses Taylor, a railroad official. An influx of settlers from Czechoslovakia and other Slavic states, as well as from Germany and Austria, helped establish the town. It soon became a busy shipping point for cattle, grain, and cotton. By 1878 the town had 1,000 residents and thirty-two businesses, twenty-nine of which were destroyed by fire in 1879. Recovery was rapid, however, and more substantial buildings were constructed. In 1882 the Taylor, Bastrop and Houston Railway reached the community, and machine shops and a roundhouse serviced both rail lines. In 1882 the town was incorporated with a mayor-council form of city government, and in 1883 a public school system replaced a number of private schools. By 1890 Taylor had two banks and the first savings and loan institution in Texas. An electric company, a cotton compress, and several newspapers were among the new enterprises. A water line from the San Gabriel River, a 100-man volunteer fire department, imported and local entertainment, and a yearly fair made noteworthy news items by 1900.

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.