Taylor, Texas History page 2 images

Local-History

 

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Brick Hill West of Taylor, Brick Manufacturing, ca. 1900
First National Bank, Taylor, Texas, Main & 2nd St. l-r: F.A. Allison, C.W. Lundell, Francis H. Welch, Jess Womack, Robert J. Eckherdt, Ruby Lansfor, Thompson Hague, F.L. Welch, ca. 1883
Catholic Daughters of America, ca. 1930's, Taylor, Texas. l-r Lorraine Castro Camacho, Lupe Amezquita Rincon, Pedro Mata, Sabtaba Mata, Mrs. Thomas M. [Catherine] McLaughlin, McLaughlin son, Thomas M. McLaughlin.
Buzan's Cafe, 115 N. Main, Taylor Texas. ca 1940. l-r Daniel Camacho and Mexican national walking from Mexico to World's Fair in New York, city.
Sons of Herman Lodge Group, Mitgleider der Loge No. 3 & No. 67, O.D.H.S., Taylor, Texas, May 9, 1903, middle row, 8th from right in white hat: Carl Grau
Boys First Communion Class, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 405 Sturgis, ca.1936. shown Rafael Martinez, Louis Reyes, Julian Perez, Father Lorenzo Ferraro, Rafael Torres, Panche Mata, Beto Velasques, Ruben Basulto.
Girls First Communion Class, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 405 Sturgis, Taylor, Texas, ca. 1936.
Class Photo ca.1921, Alamo [Mexican Ward] School, south side elementary school, 702 Sturgis St., Taylor, Texas
Christmas Program, West End School, 2nd grade, 13 Dec. 1939
Group Displaying Flag in Front of School
Laying Cornerstone for New Taylor High School, ca. 1923 l-r: John A. Heap, Judge R. Critz, J.W. Sillure, W.H. Anderson, Mike Thomas, E. H. Lawhon, H.G. Carlton, J.H. Guyot, J. N. Gillespie, R.E. Dolan, Joseph Corden
Taylor High School, ca.1900, Taylor, Texas
School Class
Don Hill with cap & sweater
Taylor High School Baseball Team, Taylor, Texas, ca.1917, l-r: Robert Burnett, Patrick O'Donnell, Herschel Gray, Ben Walker, John Spegel, Richard Rush, Albert Braun, Howard Dodd, Walter Schelnik, Bob Spiegel, Joe O'Brien, Libe Fullerton, Earl Duce
Taylor High School Football Team 1915, back l-r: J. Thomas Hutto, Steve Achinson, George Luhn, George Helms, Clarence Ploeger, Robert Briggs, William Goff, middle l-r: Sprowl [mascot], Herbert Patterson, Tommy Slack, Vernon Adams, Lawrence Montor, bottom l-r: Clarence Sitman, Lem Bergstrom, Leonard Johnson [Capt.], Gordon Talley, Vernon McConnell.
Alliance of Hispanic Baseball Team, ca. 1930. back l-r: Angel Amesquita, Paul Castro, Paul Almazan, Petronelio Garcia, Arnulfo Salinas, Front l-r: Frank Contreas, Manuel Cabral, Larry Garcia, and Felipe Amesquita.
Alamo [Mexican] School, 702 Sturgis, Parents & Pupils, segregated school, Taylor, Texas ca. 1939.
Lorraine Castro Camacho & Daughter Lorraine in Snow in 1942
Boys Team-Pet Brown Wrestling Club, Taylor, Texas ca. 1920 Photographer "The Brills",front row l-r: Henry Moehnke, Verner Rydell [age 13], far right Gunnar Rydell [age 16], 2nd row center: Joe Mikolik, Eric Roose [age 20], Mason, Charley Ryan, Wm. Dolan, James Davis, "Cowboy" Brinkmeyer
505 Washburn, Carl Grau, Anna Becker Grau, Fritz Grau, Louise Grau, Willie Grau, 2-cylinder Buick, 2nd automobile owned in Taylor,
Family, Taylor Public Library Collection
Tenant Farm Family, Land Owner was Britt Family, from Camacho Collection
Jose & Dolores Castro Family
Otis Hatch and wife Ora Lee & Children
Helen Fuentes Castro 1889-1977, Taylor, Texas
Helen & Baby Daughter Josefita Series, 1906-1907
Carlota Fuentes/Salazar Family, Mother's Day 1948
Daniel Camacho & Lorraine Castro Wedding Party
Frank Castro 1884
Frank Castro's child, Toby 1910
Frank Castro's children Lucille & Paul
Frank & Helen Castro 50th Wedding Anniversary
Don Hill, Mayor of Taylor, Texas
Schwenker Family who had pharmacy in Taylor, : Lillie Schwenker, Emma Schwenker, Carrie Schwenker, Mrs. Henry Schwenker Sr., Sophie Schwenker, Henry Schwenker Jr. and Henry Schwenker, Taylor, Texas, ca. 1918
Hatch Family l-r: Otis Hatch, Silvie Aldridge. Lucy Haywood, Leslie Washington, Cliffore Hatch, Magarete Hatch, and Ora Lee Aldridge Hatch, ca. 1930, Taylor, Texas
Marie Kohler Krieg in studio portrait, ca. 1896-1898. Photographer imprint: "City Gallery / W.C. Sprout / Taylor, Texas
Kroschewsky Cotton Gin, located north of Taylor, Texas on the Row Valley
"Fosters Steam Laundry", 201 E. Third St. ca. 1913
Moody Home in Taylor, Texas
I & GN Depot, later served as the Union Station, ca. 1876, left background: I&GN; shops where 50 workmen were employed.
Main Street of Taylor looking North, ca. 1880's
Main Street of Taylor, Texas, ca. 1880
Taylor Street Scene about 1906 [looking South], Fair Parade
Bledso House in Taylor, Texas

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Historical Markers and Their History

Taylor's beginnings are rooted in commerce:

The town was laid out by the Texas Land Company in anticipation of the coming of the railroad. It was originally named Taylor Station after a contemporary official of the International & Great Northern Railroad. Taylor Station was situated on a major cattle trail used by Texas ranchers to drive their stock to market. Within 60 days of the railroad reaching Taylor Station in 1876, 146 car loads of cattle were shipped north to market from this fledgling community.

The railroad brought other forms of commerce as well, and the town developed rapidly. Farmers arriving primarily from the Midwest and other southern states, soon discovered that the black land soil would support cotton. With the railroad at hand to ship the cotton to mills in the east, Taylor became the center of a thriving cotton trade.

A disastrous fire in 1879 destroyed most of the frame structures in the three-year-old town. Most of the burned-out buildings were replaced with the fine brick and stone structures that distinguish Taylor's appealing downtown to this day. Brisk trade in cattle and cotton brought stability, and a prosperous town took shape. Churches and private schools were established, and craftsmen and tradesmen set up shop in town to serve the flourishing farms and ranches.

In 1882, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad extended tracks to link it to the great Missouri Pacific system.

Less than ten years after the frontier station on the open range began to attract residents. Taylor established a public school and community water works to pipe fresh water to homes and businesses in town.

The first National Bank was organized in 1883. As testimony to the favorable economic climate of the day, the bank's initial stock offering of $50,000 sold out in less than one hour.

Taylor has always placed a premium on quality of life in the community. In 1884, the city fathers opened a dog pound on the public square to encourage residents to be more responsible with their pets. A small boy was paid 25 cents for each stray dog he rounded up. The enterprising city Marshall then sold the dogs back to owners for $1 with a numbered brass dog tag. The city used revenues from the dog pound to complete a sewer system.

Although Taylor's rate of growth has slowed from its earliest days, the city has shown a steady increase in population, even though the population of the country as a whole declined between 1930 and 1970.

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