Williamson County, Texas
Taylor is home to 34 official Texas Historical Commission markers — each one telling a piece of the city’s story. Browse the markers below, then find them on the map and discover more nearby with RoadHistorical.
Home built 1854 by David McCurdy Sloan (1827-1912) and wife, Mary Elizabeth Easley (1829-1890), who came to Texas from South Carolina. Finished lumber was hauled from Houston; rest hand-hewn in nearby river bottom, by…
View on map ↗Built in 1860s. Ranch style forerunner. Since 1878 in the family of A. V. Doak, Taylor's first doctor, organizer of mule-drawn streetcar line, civic leader. Son, Dr. Edmond Doak, b. 1878, had spend lifetime in this…
View on map ↗Built 1891 by Dr. A. V. Doak, early settler and civic leader, at end of his street car line, which operated three mule-drawn cars. Used for plays, dances, other amusements. Held crowds of 1,000. In 1900 the pavilion was…
View on map ↗First Episcopal services in Taylor were held 1878 by the Rev. E. Wickens, a missionary. Visitations were also made by the Rt. Rev. Alexander Gregg, first Bishop of Texas. Services were in homes and opera house. This…
View on map ↗Occupied 1915 by early prominent physician, Dr. G. A. Wedemeyer (Aug. 26, 1875 - Jan. 24, 1936), a native of Burton, Washington County, who came to Taylor 1905. Hospital was continuously operated until 1957; then became…
View on map ↗Founded Dec. 9, 1877, with 22 charter members from churches in "old home" states. Gen. R. M. Gano of Dallas preached daily during ensuing week, and 20 others joined the church. The initial meeting was in an Odd Fellows…
View on map ↗"Washington Bower" - built 1853, first frame house in this area. Site, an 1838 Republic of Texas land grant to Simon Miller, was inherited by Lucinda Lawrence, wife of Henry Inlo Layne -- farmer, rancher, mason, builder…
View on map ↗Site of Turkey Creek School (1893-1949) An 8-grade school held in frame building on site given 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Henkes; had 3 or 4 months' terms until 1910; only one teacher for all grades until 1919. After…
View on map ↗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,…
View on map ↗A. O. Watson of Austin designed this red sandstone building for the Taylor National Bank, which was organized in 1888. Completed in 1894, it has also housed the law firm of Mantor and Briggs, an office of the Weather…
View on map ↗(Nov. 6, 1784 - Jan. 26, 1859) Born in Chesterfield, Mass., Luther Stearns lived in the frontier regions of four states before moving to newly formed Williamson Co., Texas, in 1848. In 1850 he bought 650 acres on the…
View on map ↗Albert Eikel (b. 1852) had this building constructed in 1893 to house the Eikel Hardware Company. The three-story, brick commercial structure was designed by prominent Williamson County architect Henry Struve. The…
View on map ↗(1848-1933) Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Howard Bland, Sr., came to Texas in 1878 and began raising sheep on his homestead near this site. An annual sheep shearing contest evolved into a community fair, and Bland donated…
View on map ↗This small family cemetery contains the graves of members of a pioneer Williamson County family. Named for Daniel Kimbro, who was buried here in 1882, the plot remained in family ownership for over one hundred years.…
View on map ↗Located on land originally granted to George Washington Glasscock, the Wilson Spring Cemetery was established by the family of John S. Wilson, who purchased the land in 1854. His brother, Robert W. Wilson, acquired the…
View on map ↗The history of this church can be traced to 1876, when a Presbyterian congregation here was closely associated with the Presbyterian church in Georgetown. The Rev. John McMurray led both congregations, and the earliest…
View on map ↗(ca. December 1870-March 25, 1932) The son of a former slave, Willie M. (Bill) Pickett grew up in Taylor. Working as a cowboy in central Texas, he pioneered the art of "bulldogging," in which a cowboy jumps from his…
View on map ↗Built in 1892 by prominent local lumber man J. E. Tucker, this residence originally reflected the Queen Anne style. Decker Franklin Smith purchased the house in 1905. In 1916 Smith extensively remodeled the house in the…
View on map ↗This house was built about 1880 for Crawford Henry Booth (1843-1937), a prominent local rancher and banker. An unusual local example of the L-plan vernacular form, the house features many Queen Anne details, including…
View on map ↗The first post office established in this community opened in 1876 under the name Taylorsville. In 1882, when the city was incorporated, it was renamed Taylor. The post office was housed in a number of locations until…
View on map ↗A skirmish between Comanche raiders and a local militia near here in mid-winter (1839) led to the last major battle between Anglo settlers and Indians in Williamson County. The Comanche retaliated on February 18, 1839,…
View on map ↗Swiss and German immigrants who settled here in the early 1890s named their settlement for Bern, Switzerland. In 1892 the newly organized St. John Lutheran Church built a sanctuary which also housed the New Bern School…
View on map ↗German immigrants began settling in the new railroad town of Taylor in the 1880s. Lutheran worship services were held as early as 1885, and the Rev. I. J. Glatzle and fourteen families formally organized this…
View on map ↗The early growth of Taylor as a vital cotton and railroad center is reflected in its historic business district. Hugo Hunke built this two-story commercial structure in 1914 to anchor an important block. It provided…
View on map ↗During the 1880s, many Czech Protestant immigrants who settled in the Taylor area were members of the Unity of the Brethren, founded in 1457 by followers of the Czech reformer and martyr Jan Hus. These local Brethren…
View on map ↗Physician, humanitarian, civil rights advocate and concerned citizen Dr. James Lee Dickey (d. 1959) had a profound effect on the quality of life in his adopted hometown of Taylor. Born in McLennan County in 1893, he…
View on map ↗Easley-Sloan Cemetery Established 1852 Historic Texas Cemetery – 2007
View on map ↗Born in Taylor on February 26, 1908, Frederick Bean “Tex” Avery is one of the most important figures in the history of animation. Directing cartoons at Warner Brothers and MGM from 1935 to 1955, he developed such…
View on map ↗In 1883, young black evangelist Dr. L. Benjamin Toliver held a tent revival in a grassy field at this site. In 1886, Dr. Toliver officially organized Mt. Aria Baptist Church. Work on a permanent sanctuary began that…
View on map ↗In the mid-1880s, Lutheran families living at the Wendish settlement, Hochkirk, met in homes for church services. Local Pastor Gotthilf Birkmann began to officiate these meetings. Peter Zieschang, founder of Hochkirk,…
View on map ↗marker pending
View on map ↗A crusader for integrity in public office. Born in Taylor, Williamson County; son of Daniel and Nancy Elizabeth Robertson Moody. At 16 entered University of Texas, where he completed law school. After World War I…
View on map ↗From 1877 until 1880, several private schools served residents of the Taylor area. In 1880 a public institution, the Stock Company School, was built and maintained by a group of private citizens. A school for black…
View on map ↗Services conducted in 1896-98 by the Rev. C. Charnquist in homes of Taylor's early settlers let to the founding (1900) of the Swedish Methodist Church, North. Buying the chapel of a disbanded group, the congregation…
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