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Welcome to Historic Granbury

Granbury and Hood County are rich in frontier folklore and Texas history. Granbury is a door to yesterday, with its Victorian architecture and charming country spirit. In 1974, the old Town Square became the first in Texas to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Hood County’s most visible landmark, a sacred Indian mesa known as Comanche Peak, was recognized by early explorers, Indians, travelers, and buffalo hunters. Comanche Peak is west of the Brazos River, which was considered the "dead line" separating Comanche Indian territory from Anglo settlements east of the river.

This area was first settled in the 1850’s as an outpost against hostile Comanche, Caddo and Kiowa Indians. The first Anglo settler was George Barnard, a hardy entrepreneur from New York. He and his brother, Charles, established as Indian trading post near Waco, expanding their business in 1847 to include a second trading post on the Brazos River near Comanche Peak. Charles Barnard’s wife of Spanish descent, Juanah Cavasos, was a Comanche Indian captive as a young woman. George Barnard negotiated for her release in trade for supplies.

Other pioneers began to settle in the region during the 1850s. Among them were David Crockett’s widow, Elizabeth Crockett, and their son, Robert Patton Crockett. They built a log cabin on land granted to Mrs. Crockett by the Republic of Texas for David Crockett’s bravery at the Alamo.

Soon, settlers began to venture into Indian Territory west of the Brazos River. Among the first to settle on the west banks of the river was Thomas Lambert, who claimed land where Granbury now stands. He dubbed the spring-fed creek that flows through Granbury "Lambert Branch". When the Civil War erupted, many early area settlers enlisted to fight for the Confederacy which left their families to contend with sporadic Indian raids and widespread lawlessness. Indian alarms continued in Hood County through 1872.

Following the Civil War, Hood County was created by a special act of the Texas Legislature in 1866. The legislature declared that the county be named for Confederate General John Bell Hood, commander of the famed "Hood’s Texas Brigade". The legislature also decreed that the county seat should be christened "Granbury" for General Hiram B. Granbury, a Confederate hero.

Granbury’s location within the new county was hotly contested by area residents. Three elections were held to consider five possible locations, which included a 40-acre tract on Lambert Branch donated by Thomas Lambert and blind brothers, Jesse and Jacob Nutt. The early politicians of Hood County were in favor of the Nutt and Lambert donation for Granbury’s location. The first two elections however, had the same popular result: a central location near Comanche Peak. County Judge Abe Landers would not declare the official election results, but instead appointed a special commission to consider the location of the new seat of local government. At that time, Hood County included all of Somervell County to the south, and the residents of the southern sections of the county favored the central location because it was much closer to them. The special commission ruled that the central location lacked sufficient water to sustain a community and they recommended the Lambert Branch site. Finally, is a third election in 1871, Granbury was selected as the County Seat by a narrow majority.

Merchants had begun to establish on Lambert Branch in the late 1860s. The entire town was a thick forest of oak, pecan, elm, and cottonwood trees. The land was surveyed and divided into blocks and lots. The proceeds from the sale of lots were the principal source of revenue for the town and county for several years. During the 1870s, the valleys of Hood County were settled by many ex-soldiers and their families. Log buildings and structures built of "rawhide" lumber supplied by a busy local saw mill, were erected on the town square. Both the first Hood County courthouse and the first Hood County jail were log structures.

Granbury was a wide open little frontier town with four or five saloons and many "ten pin alleys". After the Civil War, the state constitution adopted by the Federal Government in the days of reconstruction contained a clause which stated that one could not prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors, sometimes referred to as “damp groceries,” at any county site. An early historian wrote: “Perhaps those carpet-baggers thought the county machinery could not be run without whiskey.”

Prior to 1878, the only way to cross the Brazos River was by ferry. Then, five prominent citizens jointly raised the capital to build a 600 foot wooden triple arch bridge. For 18 years, this bridge continued to be the only wagon bridge across the Brazos River north of Waco.

By 1888, Hood County had 3 weekly newspapers and 14 schools. Early log and raw lumber commercial buildings were replaced with the hand-hewn native limestone structures that today give the square its architectural unity. There were at least two quarries within a mile of the square. Not only was the stone used in blocks it was also reduced by fire to lime which was then mixed with local sand for cement and for plastering. By 1900, the County’s population had grown to about 5,000 with 4 flourmills, 9 cotton gins, and 20 common schools.

Prohibition was supported by the county’s residents in the early 1900s, causing all of Granbury’s saloons to close. Carrie Nation visited Granbury in 1905, and the local legend has it that she wielded her infamous ax through Granbury saloons. In fact, most of Granbury's residents met her at the railroad depot when she arrived. The Granbury News wrote: "The curiosity of most people was satisfied by a sight of the notorious woman."

Agriculture had long been Hood County’s leading industry, and cotton was the county’s first leading crop. The first local cotton was harvested in 1861, and by 1912, Hood County’s cotton yield was 17,878 bales. As cotton production tapered in Hood County, peanuts and pecans became important local crops. By 1941, the average pecan crop in Hood County was over 3 million pounds per year.

The county began as an area of open range land and ranching. Livestock, especially beef, dairy cattle, and hogs, has always been an important agricultural producer in Hood County. In 1887, when the railroads arrived in Hood County, the long cattle drives to Kansas City ceased. Cattle were loaded onto boxcars and shipped to Kansas City and Chicago.

Colleges were established in both Granbury and the nearby resort town of Thorp Spring in the 1870s. Granbury College was located north of the Town Square, and Add-Ran College in Thorp Spring was the predecessor of Texas Christian University, now located in Fort Worth.

"A bank, a bridge, a railroad, and a new college are the all-absorbing enterprises just now. On with the boom and a good rain."
Granbury News, March 1887

The long-awaited damming of the Brazos River in 1969 created the 30-mile long Lake Granbury and had a tremendous impact on the growth and economy of Hood County. Today, residents and visitors enjoy Lake Granbury’s recreational facilities.

Granbury’s highly successful historic preservation movement began in 1969 with the restoration of the Hood County Courthouse. The restoration of the Nutt Building by Mary Lou Nutt Watkins and Joe Nutt in 1970 provided inspiration and served as an impetus to other building owners on the square. Local preservation efforts continued with the restoration of the Opera House, Granbury’s old Railroad Depot, the Granbury Light Plant and the Old Jail.

As you begin this SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR, imagine the sparsely populated, rough-and-tumble frontier of yesterday, and visualize Granbury’s historic town square teeming with horse-drawn wagons and buggies. Now prepare to enjoy the old legends and tales of Granbury as you stroll through its scenic neighborhood….

Granbury Town Square

The Granbury Square was listed in the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974. It was the first town square in Texas to be listed in the National Registry, and was described as "…one of the most complete examples of a late 19th-century courthouse square in Texas". The revitalization of the Town Square that resulted from Granbury’s restoration efforts provided the inspiration for the Texas Historic Preservation Main Street Program. Today, the Granbury square’s restored Victorian commercial structures Granbury square’s restored Victorian commercial structures house an array of fine shops, antique and art galleries, and delicious eateries.

Hood County Courthouse

This 1891 Second Empire-style courthouse built of rusticated and detailed native limestone is the fifth Hood County courthouse. The first courthouse was a small one-room log cabin. A larger rock courthouse, built to replace the small log cabin, burned in 1875. All of the county’s land records and deeds were destroyed; arson has long been suspected as the cause of this fire. The present courthouse was designed by W.C. Dodson of Waco, and built for $40,000.

The clock was not included in the original cost of the building. The general population thought that a clock was an extravagant expense, therefore the County Commissioners split the cost between two fiscal years. On April 9, 1891, the Commissioner’s Court ordered the clock at a cost not to exceed $1,465. On April 16, Seth Thomas shipped the tower clock, #640, from Connecticut. Since timepieces began being mass-produced a few years earlier, most people relied on the clock to tell time. This clock is rare because it utilizes original bronze gears and is accurate up to 5 minutes, even today. The courthouse clock tower is frame, clad with sheet metal.

City and County Named for Confederate Generals

Both John Bell Hood, for whom the county was named, and Hiram Brinson Granbury, for whom the county seat was named, were Confederate Generals during the Civil War of 1861-65. Hood was a native Kentuckian, educated at West Point, who gained a reputation for hard fighting and reckless courage, notably at the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) and Antietam. Commander of the largest division of General Longstreet’s Corps, his Texas Brigade led the charge up Little Round Top at Gettysburg, where Hood sustained a wound, losing the use of one arm. He later suffered a wound at the Battle of Chickamauga, requiring the amputation of his right leg. Despite his diminished physical capacity, Hood was promoted to command the Army of Tennessee.

Granbury, on the other hand, was not a career officer, but an attorney who emigrated from Mississippi to Texas following his graduation from Oakland College. When the Civil War erupted, Granbury recruited the Waco Guard where he was living, took it East, and was elected Major in the 7th Texas Infantry. He was captured at Ft. Donelson in February 1862 and spent time as a prisoner of war before being released in a prisoner exchange later that year. Showing great promise as a leader of troops, he became Colonel of the 7th Texas, serving in the Vicksburg campaign, at Chickamauga, and at Chattanooga. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 1864 to lead the Texas Brigade in the Atlanta campaign under General Hood. Following the loss of Atlanta, General Hood marched his army to Tennessee, where he took a fateful and controversial stand at the Battle at Franklin where General Granbury was killed along with five other Confederate generals.

General Hood died in August 1879 in New Orleans during a yellow fever epidemic, along with his wife and one of his eleven children. General Granbury was first buried in Columbia, Tennessee. On November 30, 1893, in an elaborate ceremonyAttended by hundreds of spectators, General Granbury’s remains were buried here in the town named in his honor. His original tombstone from Tennessee may be seen at the Hood County Museum as a new headstone was put on his grave in 1996 by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Both of these men were highly admired by the Texans who served with them and under their command in the Confederate Army.

"Forward men. Never let it be said that Texans lagged in the fight!"
General Granbury’s last words on the battlefield