local history
COURTESY OF THE PORTAL TO TEXAS
ANNA BEALL | GAINESVILLE LIVING
Story by Anna Beall
Gainesville was established in 1850 , as Liberty , Texas . This name was soon changed , as a Liberty , Texas already existed . Colonel William Fitzhugh , a community leader , suggested that the town be named after a General he served under , Edmund Pendleton Gaines . With the addition of the railroad line and the boom of the cotton industry , Gainesville grew over the next few years . Since then , Gainesville has grown significantly from a small military fort to the city it is today . “
18 GAINESVILLE LIVING