George Washington Glasscock, Sr Historical Marker, Georgetown, Williamson County Texas

Georgetown, the county seat of Williamson County, is on Interstate Highway 35 and the San Gabriel River in the center of the county. It was founded in 1848 and named for George Washington Glasscock, who, with his partner, Thomas B. Huling, donated land for the site. Pioneers were attracted by the abundance of timber and good, clear water, as were the Tonkawa Indians, who had a village there. In addition, the land was inexpensive and extremely fertile. The first wave of settlers was from Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and other states. Swedish settlers came by the 1850s; after 1870 German, Austrian, and Swiss settlers began arriving, and after 1880 Moravian and Czech. A few blacks came with early Anglo families, and migration from Mexico began about 1910.

The establishment of Southwestern University in 1873 and the construction of a railroad in 1878 contributed to the town's growth and importance.

A stable, healthy economy was based largely on agriculture, and a major tributary cattle trail led through the heart of Georgetown to the Western, Chisholm, Dodge City, and Shawnee trails. The Williamson County Sun, founded in 1877, continued publication in the 1990s. Industry prior to 1900 included limestone quarries; grist, flour, planing, and woodworking mills; cotton gins; brick, flue, chair, and mattress factories; tin, pewter, blacksmith, saddlery, and shoe shops; a knitting mill, bakeries, and confectioneries; the Texas Chautauqua Assembly, a bottling works, and an old mill. Between 1891 and 1960 master builder Charles Sanford Belford (1857–1929) and his heirs operated a lumber yard and built many fine homes and other structures that are still in use. Well, known among cattlemen of Texas and the nation were Dudley Hiram Snyder, John Wesley Snyder, and John Sparks, residents of Georgetown in the cattle-drive years.