Col. George R. Freeman

Historical marker location:

200 West Main, Hamilton, Texas

( SH 36 at College Street, one block west of the courthouse square)

Marker installed: 2008

(1830-1910) Kentucky native George Freeman came to Texas in the 1840s. He fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War, then came to Austin as captain of the treasury guards. That group of about thirty former Confederate soldiers defended the state treasury from an 1865 robbery. Though the robbers escaped with $17,000, Freeman's group was recognized for saving the remainder of the treasury, preventing possible impairment to the Texas economy. In the mid-1870s, Freeman moved to Hamilton and practiced law; his most famous case was the Greer County dispute, in which he represented Texas before the U. S. Supreme Court. Freeman was also active in community and church affairs until his death. (2008).

In the late 19th century, Texas became known for its cattle drives, in which cowboys would move herds of cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas and other northern states. The cattle drives were dangerous and difficult work, but they played a key role in the development of the American cattle industry.