DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official Williamson County marker has to say — straight from the record, with a little room to breathe. Now, every county in Texas has got a name, and most of those names belong to somebody worth remembering. But I'd argue Williamson County got one of the better deals — because the man it honors went by a nickname that pretty much tells you everything you need to know about him.
They called him Three-Legged Willie. His real name was Robert McAlpin Williamson, and the nickname came from the pegleg he wore. He was a veteran of the Battle of San Jacinto, and if that weren't enough to put a man in the history books, he was also one of the original members of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas.
Not a bad résumé for a fellow with three legs. The county bearing his name was created on March 13, 1848 — organized by a special committee approved by Governor George T. Wood and the 2nd Legislature of the State of Texas, with Georgetown set as the county seat from the start.
Before all that was official, settlers had already been planting roots out here — at Tumlinson's Fort, at Kenney's Fort, and other spots scattered across the landscape. People were already finding ways to make a life. And what a landscape to make it in.
Williamson County sits in the Brazos River watershed, in the basin of the San Gabriel River, and the ground underfoot doesn't make up its mind easily — you've got blackland, limestone, and prairie soils all sharing the same county lines. Early mills got to work turning out lumber, flour, and cloth, and the communities started filling in around them. The settlers who came were a wide mix — Anglo-American, Czech, German, Mexican, and Swedish, among others.
And then there's what the supplemental plaque makes plain: African Americans were the largest ethnic group among the pioneer settlers. They made up ten percent of the county's population in 1850, and by 1860 that share had grown to more than nineteen percent. That part of the story belongs right here in the telling, not tucked away as an afterthought.
Education took root early too. Southwestern University was established right there in Georgetown in 1877 — but its lineage goes back even further than that. It's the heir to a charter granted by the Republic of Texas itself, back in 1840, to Rutersville College.
That's a long institutional memory. By 1970, the county had grown to a population of 38,000, with 15,000 registered voters, eight incorporated towns, and plenty of smaller communities besides. And that courthouse standing at the center of Georgetown?
That's the third courthouse the county has built. It went up in 1910 at a cost of ninety-six thousand dollars, designed by architect C.H. Page.
Third time, it seems, was the one they decided to keep. Three-legged Willie would've gotten a kick out of all of it.
What the marker says
Created March 13, 1848, and organized by a special committee approved by Gov. George T. Wood and the 2nd Legislature of the State of Texas, with Georgetown designated as county seat. The county was named for Robert McAlpin Williamson (nicknamed "Three-Legged Willie", because of his pegleg), a veteran of Battle of San Jacinto, and one of the original members of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas. Lying in the Brazos River watershed and in basin of San Gabriel River, county has widely varied soils of blackland, limestone, and prairie types. Before the creation of Williamson County, settlements were situated at Tumlinson's Fort, Kenney's Fort, and other locations. Early mills made lumber, flour, and cloth. Southwestern University, heir to charter granted by the Republic of Texas in 1840 to Rutersville College, was established in Georgetown in 1877. Settlers were mainly of Anglo-American, Czech, German, Mexican, and Swedish ethnic groups. Eight incorporated towns and many smaller communities have developed. Population increased to 38,000 (with 15,000 registered voters) by 1970. This courthouse -- built in 1910 at cost of $96,000 -- is the third for the county. C.H. Page was architect. (1970) Supplemental plaque: African Americans, the largest ethnic group among pioneer settlers, comprised ten percent of the county's population in 1850 and more than nineteen percent by 1860.