George Washington Tull, Sr.
Canton, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
George Washington Tull, Sr. (1827-1917), better known as G. W. Tull, was one of the earliest and most successful merchants in Canton. His family migrated from Georgia, where G. W. was born, to Alabama, Mississippi, and then Tennessee. In 1852, G. W. moved to Texas, then traveled west to California in hopes of striking gold. He returned to Canton in 1858 with his savings and partnered with William B. Moore to start a mercantile business on the courthouse square. Tull and Moore’s Grocery and Saloon was known as “Our House.” In 1860, Tull bought Moore’s stake and became sole owner. He served as a confederate army private during the Civil War, then returned to operate his mercantile store for more than fifty years until his death. His son, George Washington Tull, Jr., also known as G. W. Tull, inherited the business in 1917 and ran it until his own death in 1957, nearly a century after it opened. George Washington Tull, Sr. shepherded the development of canton in its formative years. His store was the anchor of the commercial district and outlasted many other businesses. In 1872, after Van Zandt County Commissioners deemed all bids for a new courthouse insufficient, the court contracted with Tull to build the new courthouse, then reimbursed him. He owned several commercial and rural properties, built the first brick store building in 1892, and helped develop Canton’s commercial district. Tull was married three times and twice widowed, fathering fourteen children. He overcame many of the hardships and losses typically associated with frontier development. Tull was noted as being a generous man. Though regarded as the wealthiest man in Canton, Tull was called “the poor man’s friend.” He believed that his financial success depended on steadfast integrity, diligence, and prudence.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George Washington Tull arrived in Canton in 1858 after a stint chasing gold in California, and built a mercantile business that anchored the courthouse square for more than half a century. He served as a Confederate private during the Civil War, then returned to grow one of the town's most enduring stores, even constructing the county courthouse in 1872 under contract. Known as the wealthiest man in town yet remembered as the poor man's friend, he helped shape Canton's commercial district.
Why it matters
Tull's story shows how a single frontier merchant could become the economic backbone of a young Texas county seat, threading commerce through war and reconstruction.
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Related people
- · George Washington Tull, Sr.
- · William B. Moore
Themes & tags
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