"Duke" Williams Set A High Standard For Developers

So far as I know, there is not a bitter battle going on right now about some development in Hall County, so it may be a good time to say some nice things about developers. Good developers and good developments have an immense influence on the quality of life in Hall County. And as I ride around the county, and the city of Gainesville, too, for that matter, it strikes me we have been very fortunate with the type developers who are active in our area. Most of the developments I have seen are communities that most of us would be proud to call home, or mixed use developments that work very well. Some good developers are active in our area, and they should be complimented ... not castigated.

But let me suggest that no modern developer has matched our first one, "Duke" Williams. Old "Duke", whose real name was Wilson Williams, was from Greene County and he drew Lot 148 in Hall County's Ninth District in the Land Lottery ... when was it, 1818, 1820. In case you are wondering, Lot 148 is present day downtown Gainesville. You know ... the square, Washington, Bradford, Spring, Main Streets. But a lot of other people drew Hall County land, too, so how come Gainesville was built on Lot 148? Well, Old "Duke" was a far-sighted, enterprising type and he got a surveyor, one Timothy Terrell, to lay out a town on Lot 148 in 1821. He gave 50 acres to Hall County for public buildings or other uses. And he advertised this development as the center of Hall County. The town's public square is where "Old Joe" now stands. Lot one is where the Hunt Tower is located. He sold lots to budding businesses so they could be in the center of this new frontier town. "Duke" Williams is long since dead, of course, but in my judgement he set a high standard for developments in Hall County ... a standard many of our present day developers are matching ... and we are all better off for what they have done, and are doing.

This is Gordon Sawyer, from a window on historic Green Street.