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Founded in 1848, interim county commissioners chose Georgetown, Texas, as the seat of Williamson County. Soon after, the Taylor family moved to Georgetown. Josiah Taylor opened one of the earliest businesses in the new city, a store on the courthouse square. Taylor's son, Emzy Taylor (1841-1895), worked at his father's store until he enlisted in the Confederate army around 1861. After the war, Emzy Taylor settled in Georgetown with his wife, Margaret Corinna (Henderson) Taylor (1842-1922). In May 1869, Taylor purchased eight empty lots at this location to construct a new home for his growing family. Built with ashlar limestone, the original construction was a single-story, central-passage house. Common in the National Folk style, this design contained a central hall that divided the rooms in the house. An upstairs addition was added around 1880. Taylor and his son-in-law, R.T. Cooper (1862-1950), enlisted the services of the Belford Lumber Company, which built many of the historic houses in Georgetown. After Taylor's death, Cooper primarily oversaw these updates. Construction began in 1889 and added many elements of the Greek Revival style. The construction company added a portico that wrapped around the south and east sides of the house, columns, a formal dining room and many other elements typical of the Greek Revival style. While different from the limestone of the original construction, the 1900 additions to the house have a white wood exterior, characteristic of Greek Revival. The Taylor-Cooper House not only represents the success of one of the earliest Georgetown families, but also the city's early economic development. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2018 |
