125 years Ago (July 5, 1900)
Judge Glasscock battles Johnson grass
Williamson County’s Judge Glasscock has a patch of Johnson grass, which has hitherto defied all his efforts to destroy. He has tried salt and kerosene oil, with the result that the grass grew more vigorously and thicker than ever. He is now experimenting with salt brine strong enough to float an egg. He says he is bound to exterminate that grass.
Masonic cornerstone laid
Monday afternoon, the cornerstone of the Georgetown Masonic Temple on the old post office corner at Main and Seventh Street,, was laid with the impressive rites of that Order. On the eastern face of the corner stone is inscribed: “Built by Belford Lumber Co. This stone donated by G. W. Glasscock.”
100 years Ago (July 3, 1925)
Fourth of July program for Georgetown is called off
On account of the many conflicting programs and general unsatisfactory conditions encountered, the Fourth of July celebration scheduled for Saturday in Georgetown has been definitely called off.
The plan of the American Legion — and other organizations fostering the movement — was to put on a great patriotic program for the Fourth, but it was concluded that it would be advisable to call off the celebration, speaking and fireworks display for this year. It is hoped that in 1926 a greater celebration than ever held before will be carried out. Fireworks already purchased for the occasion will be disposed of by the Legion.
75 years Ago (July 4 & July 7, 1950)
Local man signs with New York Yanks football team
Joe Golding, local merchant, has signed a 1950 contract to play football with the New York Yanks of the National Football League. Golding is a former Oklahoma back. He played for the Boston Yanks and the New York Bulldogs for the past three years.
Sam Wilcox is the best guesser!
The winner of the Georgetown population guessing contest is Sam Wilcox, Jr. Sam made a guess of 4,900, missing the mark by 42. Runner up in the guessing game was Joe McMahon. He guessed on top-side, putting his mark at 4,987, just 43 off the mark.
50 years Ago (July 3, & July 6, 1975)
Meet your Congressman
Have you met your congressman? If you haven't, take the opportunity to “Shake with Jake” here this morning, in the rotunda of the courthouse. Congressman J. J. “Jake” Pickle was elected to congress in 1963 to succeed Homer Thornberry who had vacated the seat to don robes as a Federal Judge.
Owner says gas transport doesn't threaten square
Marvin Henderson says an 8,000-gallon gasoline transport truck parked at his Texaco Consignee on Church Street is not a fire hazard and never has been. Georgetown Fire Chief-Fire Marshal Curtis Anderson disagrees with Henderson and says the truck is dangerous. Henderson was angered by Anderson’s charge, reported in the June 19, 1975, Sun, that Henderson had left unattended a gasoline transfer operation June 17.
Chief Anderson says if for any reason the truck exploded, it would probably destroy the U.S. Post Office on Seventh Street, and might heavily damage the buildings on the east side of Main.
According to Henderson, “The only way that truck could explode would be if a car hit the station doing about 100 miles an hour. And to do that, it would have to get a good running start way back on Seventh and come straight through here."
25 years Ago (July 5 & July 9, 2000)
Church’s proposal to expand sparks anger from neighbors
For some residents of Old Town, the possibility that Georgetown’s First United Methodist Church could buy up four houses on a whole city block and turn the space into a multi-use building and parking lot is far from a godsend. The church wanted to build on the block bounded by Elm and Ash streets and 13th and 14th streets. Joe Sharp, chairman of the church’s facilities maintenance committee said, “I feel we have been misunderstood. I wanted to go to the neighborhood association to tell them what we were thinking about doing. We have no plan. There is not a plan to do anything.”
Cross-country travelers find American spirit on the road
Sun City resident Gene Poynter and fellow Army veteran Bill Endicott recently concluded their 10-day, 3,166-mile road trip from Patriot's Landing, Washington, to Washington, D.C. by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The two veterans left from the West Coast on Flag Day, June 14, and traveled in a restored 1953 CJ3A jeep in honor of the Army's 225th anniversary and to raise awareness for a prospective Army historical museum. Of a reception held in their honor, Mr. Poynter said, “I've never shaken hands with so many generals in all my life. I didn't know there were so many of them.”
10 years Ago (July 5 & July 8, 2015)
Rainfall saturates Georgetown
The first six months of 2015 were the wettest in Georgetown’s recorded history. From January 1 to June 30, 34.73 inches of rain fell at Lake Georgetown, National Weather Service meteorologist Larry Hopper said Wednesday. The record was broken on the last day of the month — 35 one-hundredths of an inch fell Tuesday, breaking the record of 34.7 inches set in 1992 by less than a tenth of an inch.
Cops bust couple at chicken joint
Police cut a Georgetown couple’s lunch break short Tuesday at Bush’s Chicken on Williams Drive, where the two had tried to hide after allegedly leading law enforcement on a 30-mile car chase, hitting speeds of up to 99 miles per hour on one of the city’s busiest roadways. The man and woman were arrested and charged with evading arrest and reckless driving: third-degree felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison with a fine of up to $10,000.
Georgetown residents Laura House and Grahm Donovan produce the Sun's Yesteryears column — which highlights clips from the Sun’s archive. With a deep appreciation for Texas history, Laura and Grahm moved to Georgetown in 2011 and quickly fell in love with the town's charm, historic structures and sense of community.