George Washington Tull, Sr.

George Washington Tull, Sr. (1827-1917), better known as G. W. Tull, was one of the earliest and most successful merchants in Canton. Born in Georgia, he moved with his family to Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee, then went to Texas in 1852 and continued west to California in hopes of striking gold. He returned to Canton in 1858 with his savings and partnered with William B. Moore to open a mercantile business on the courthouse square, where Tull and Moore’s Grocery and Saloon became known as “Our House.” In 1860 he bought Moore’s stake and became sole owner. After serving as a Confederate army private during the Civil War, he 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. Tull helped guide Canton’s development in its formative years, and his store anchored the commercial district and outlasted many other businesses. In 1872, after Van Zandt County Commissioners found all bids for a new courthouse insufficient, the court contracted with Tull to build the new courthouse and 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. Married three times and twice widowed, he fathered fourteen children, overcame many hardships and losses associated with frontier development, and was known as a generous man whom people called “the poor man’s friend,” despite his reputation as the wealthiest man in Canton. He believed his financial success depended on steadfast integrity, diligence, and prudence.

Canton, Texas · United States