George Washington Savage
Malone, Hill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
GEORGE WASHINGTON SAVAGE BORN ON MARCH 14, 1826, IN TENNESSEE, GEORGE SAVAGE WAS AN EARLY PIONEER IN HILL COUNTY. AFTER MOVING TO TEXAS IN 1847 WITH HIS FIRST WIFE SARAH, THEY ESTABLISHED A FARM TO BREED RACE HORSES. HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL HORSE TRAINER AND A CONFEDERATE CAVALRY SOLDIER. HE ASSISTED GERMAN IMMIGRANTS BY SELLING PARCELS OF LAND AND HELPING THEM START FARMS. IN 1885 SAVAGE DONATED LAND FOR SAVAGE SCHOOL NO. 1, THE FIRST SCHOOL IN THE AREA. IN THE LATE 1880s, HE DONATED LAND FOR A SECOND SCHOOL IN THE BURGEONING COMMUNITY. UPON HIS DEATH ON APRIL 11, 1899, HE LEFT BEHIND HIS SECOND WIFE ANNIE AND TEN CHILDREN. GEORGE SAVAGE IS REMEMBERED FOR HELPING POPULATE HILL COUNTY AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GERMAN SETTLERS.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Tennessee in 1826, George Washington Savage came to Texas in 1847 and made his mark as a farmer, race-horse breeder and trainer, and Confederate cavalryman. He eased the way for German immigrant families by selling them parcels and helping them start farms, and in 1885 he donated land for Savage School No. 1, the area's first school. At his death in 1899 he left a second wife and ten children.
Why it matters
Savage's life shows how a single pioneer could shape a county—populating it with immigrant farmers and planting the first schools that turned raw settlement into permanent community.
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Related people
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Themes & tags
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