Williamson County celebrates 175th anniversary with a mural

GEORGETOWN, Texas - Williamson County's tax office is getting a new look. 

In honor of the 175th anniversary of its founding, Williamson County, along with the City of Georgetown, invited the public to take part in creating a community mural designed by Yasaman Mehrsa.

"I see people helping me, then they leave their mark on the wall," Mehrsa said. "They try to participate in making history."

Community members of all ages came out to help paint the new mural.

"I was painting this gold part," said one young community member, pointing to a section in-progress on the mural. "I think it's the grass."

Williamson County residents have taken pride in helping create the large public art project.

"It will be a fun thing when we're driving around town," said resident Rosa Castano. "We'll stop by and my kids can say, ‘Hey! I helped paint that.’"

Mehrsa is an artist from Canada; when she was chosen to design the mural, she did a lot of digging into the history of Williamson County.

"My design theme is based on Georgetown now, and then," Mehrsa said. "It's not complete yet, but it's going to include some old school buildings."

The mural incorporates many Williamson County trademarks, including the Williamson County courthouse. Many longtime community members hold special connections to these iconic landmarks.

"The courthouse is so beautiful and so special to me," said community member Melanie Johnson. "My great-great-grandfather was a county judge here during the Civil War."

Though Williamson County's history may be long and storied, residents still find a sense of home in the community.

"It's the small town feel that it has especially here in the square," said one resident. "It feels really small even though it's grown very much."