Business View Civil and Municipal | February 2021

66 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL FEBRUARY 2021 L ocated in Williamson County, Texas, the resilient City of Taylor has roots dating back to 1876, when the Texas Land Company began auctioning land in preparation for the arrival of a railroad. The community was originally named Taylorville, after railroad official Edward Moses Taylor, but was officially shortened to Taylor in 1892. European immigrants were first to establish the town, which was a bustling shipping center for cattle, grain, and cotton. The community has a long history of hardship and recovery, including a fire in 1879 which destroyed 29 of Taylor’s 32 businesses, resulting in a rebuilding of a stronger, more substantial business district. By the early 1900s, the town was home to the first savings and loan company in Texas, along with two banks. An annual county fair, a large volunteer fire department, a cotton compress, and an electric company TAYLOR, T E X A S Coming back strong