This faded marker stands in front of the Carnegie Library and points out the very earliest history…read moreof the settlement here. The marker reads, "Had wood, water. Was used after 1854 start of Camp Henderson (named for land owner-townsite donor) for decisive public meetings. In 1867 Camp Henderson became county seat. Then men at 4th of July picnic here named town "Cleburne", for Civil War commander of many local veterans." Cleburne is the seat of Johnson County and it was formally incorporated in 1871. The city was primarily an agricultural center and county seat until the Santa Fe Railroad opened a major facility there in 1898. It was was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for German soldiers during World War 2. [Review 16097 overall - 277 in Texas - 1602 of 2021.]

This marker is in front of the Burleson Visitors Center and Museum, which unfortunately was well…read morepast closing time when I stopped in at 7pm. This was part of the electric railway that ran through this area from 1912 until 1931 and this was the depot for Burleson. The marker reads, "At the turn of the 20th century, the Northern Texas Traction Co. found success with an interurban railway that operated between Fort Worth and Dallas. In 1911, a group began planning a new interurban that would run from Fort Worth to Cleburne by way of Everman, Burleson and Joshua. By that time, Burleson had approximately 700 residents and an active business district, and the city incorporated in 1912. The Fort Worth Southern Traction Co. came to town that year seeking employees and arranged with businessman and community leader Albert H. Loyless to be their local representative. He moved his Loyless-Robbins Pharmacy from a two-story wooden building across the street to a new brick building at this site. The traction company constructed an electrical plant and freight dock behind the building, and the pharmacy, complete with soda fountain and interurban ticket counter, occupied the front of the orange-brick structure. The first public run of the electrical train line came through Burleson on September 1, 1912. From that date until 1931, the train carried people in and out of town, brought goods to them from other cities, and helped make the pharmacy a community center. In 1935, a few years after the interurban ceased its service and motor coaches and automobiles took its place, Loyless, accepting the position of Burleson postmaster, moved his business next door to the post office. Robert Deering bought the former pharmacy building and from it published his newspaper, the Burleson News (later Burleson Dispatcher). The city later purchased the building for use as a visitors center. (2006)." I've bookmarked the Visitor's Center for a return when they're open. [Review 16044 overall - 229 in Texas - 1549 of 2021.]

Located next to a barbecue joint, this historical marker is alongside a bend in Buffalo Creek. The…read morecreek has gotten a little clogged with downed trees and driftwood, but the old spring still stands. The state's marker reads, "Early-day watering spot for explorers, Confederate Camp Henderson, settlers. People came many miles to wash, haul water, visit. At a nickel a bucket, boys "toted" water to merchants. Brick-lined pool often was dipped dry, but spring always refilled it. First city well tapped source." There is also a city marker titled "West Buffalo Creek" that is very difficult to read. [Review 16021 overall - 209 in Texas - 1526 of 2021.]

The Granbury College President's House, also known as the Peveler House, is located at 801 North…read moreLipan Highway. Originally built in 1873 for the Granbury College President, the house has also been inhabited by several of Hood County's Sheriffs. One particular sheriff was J.L Sandlin and family. It has also been noted that there were classes held in the home and that the home served as a dormitory for the college at some time. The house stands as a visible monument to the growth of Granbury. It also represents the commitment the community had to excellence in education. Elizabeth Peveler, a descendant of the locally prominent Peveler family, lived in the home for more than thirty years. The location of this house is also integral to its significance. Lipan Highway is one of the major corridors into Granbury and is widely travelled. This house has been an unchanging monument which residents and visitors alike have grown accustomed to. Additionally, the massive 500-year-old Live Oak tree in the front yard of the house is No. 10 in the city's landmark inventory. The Granbury College President's House/ Peveler House was designated a local landmark February 18, 2008. This information was obtained from their website.

Granbury's Railroad Depot is shining example of early commerce in Hood County. The building remains…read morein relatively the same condition since its original construction in 1914. The depot has been the hub of the county's development and has seen substantial changes in Granbury's cultural and economic growth. The one-story, rectangular brick depot features wide eaves and a hipped roof. Interestingly, the roof still maintains much of its original Ludowici clay tiles. The Granbury Railroad Depot possesses significance in area history, architecture and culture. Built in 1914, it is a remaining symbol of rail transportation to and from Granbury, which triggered a great economic boom here in the 1880s. The Depot is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local, regional, state and national history. The expansion of the railroad across the U.S. brought prosperity and new innovations to lands that had been without. Granbury was no exception. The arrival of the railroad had an "immediate impact" on the local economy and property values rose exponentially. The Depot had separate waiting room sections for white and black passengers, which demonstrates the plight of African Americans in the south after the Civil War. Granbury's founding town fathers together donated $25,000 to bring the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad to Granbury in 1887. These men included Ashley Crockett and E.A. Hannaford. Granbury citizens who used the train included farmers, ranchers and businessmen who used the depot to ship their goods. The Depot is similar to historic Texas railroad stations which also have the wide overhanging eaves and the separate waiting rooms for different ethnic groups. The Depot was built by employees of the Frisco Railroad using brick, stone and trademark Ludowici clay roof tiles which were from the original clay tile factory in New Lexington, Ohio, which burned in the 1950s. The Depot is no doubt, one of the most established and familiar visual features of Granbury. It stands as a monument of progress in this community from rustic pioneer settlements to rural Texas county seat. The Granbury Railroad Depot was designated a local landmark November 8, 2008. This information was obtained from their website.

The Granbury News-Crockett-Crawford Building was built in 1900. It is a remaining symbol of…read moreGranbury's early small, rural town newspaper publishing. The early Granbury newspaper brought local, state, and national news. Some of the significant people associated with the Granbury News-Crockett-Crawford Building are: Frank Gaston, who was editor of the Granbury News from 1888-1930, Ashley Crockett, grandson of Davy Crockett, who wrote and edited for Granbury's newspapers for many years, and Norma Crawford publisher of the Hood County News-Tablet and director of the First National Bank. Mrs. Crawford led a drive to save the Hood County Courthouse Clock Tower through her newspaper in 1969. The building was moved to its current location in 2000. The Granbury News-Crockett-Crawford Building was designated a Granbury Historical Landmark by the City of Granbury Historic Commission September 16, 2003. This information was obtained from their website.

The Savage-Smith House was home to tough frontiersmen, prosperous farmers and businessmen and…read morestrong, independent educated women. The home has been the stage to some of the most significant historic patterns in American history - from slavery to suffrage to the Great Depression. The Smith-Savage house was built for Sam Smith, a Texas frontiersman and Civil War veteran who served in Hood County politics and was also a leading Granbury merchant. The house has been home several prominent Granbury families (Smith, Cleveland and Savage) and the evolution of the house from a simple saltbox dwelling to an ornate Eastlake Victorian, demonstrates the spirit of Granbury's early development and prosperity. The home's condition today verifies its superior craftsmanship and durability. Sam Smith, who originally built the house, was a rugged pioneer who was actively involved as a Texas Ranger in the battle recapturing Cynthia Ann Parker from Comanche Indians. He also served as a politician in Hood County and was a well-known merchant on the Granbury Square. Smith was also actively involved in the development of Granbury College, where three of his daughters attended. The Cleveland family moved to the home after Mag Cleveland was widowed with five young children. She chose the home because of its proximity to the schools and the colleges. Also, Ms. Cleveland had a black man named Jim Cleveland who lived with the family. He was the son of one of the Cleveland family's former slaves. She had a bedroom added on to the back of the house for him. When the Savage family owned the home, they lived in Fort Worth for 11 years, but still claimed their hometown to be Granbury. The Savages opened their home to host a Depression era program called the National Youth Association (NYA) which offered cooking and sewing classes for young ladies. After they returned to permanently live in the house in 1932, they opened a grocery store on the west side of the square. Mr. Savage died a short time later and Ms. Savage continued to run the grocery store for many years. Emma and her husband never had any children so the Granbury Church of Christ was given the home when Emma died. The two-story Victorian Smith-Savage house appears to have been originally built as a simple saltbox dwelling. The house was later enlarged, and at that time was probably adorned with its Victorian flourishes, including steep Gothic cross-gables, a porch and balcony laden with Eastlake trim, and a projecting bay window. The lumber used to build the Smith-Savage house was hauled to Granbury from the east, probably from East Texas. This oldest section of the house has cypress siding and much of its original beaded board ceiling. The room used as a living room or parlor had one fireplace - the original fireplace was rebuilt with new rock and much of its old rock during the 1970s. The home's original native limestone chimney is still standing on the north side of the saltbox structure. Sam Smith's addition enlarged the Smith-Savage house considerably, adding a front parlor and a front entryway and hall downstairs, plus a large bedroom upstairs. With the addition of Gothic gables, the Eastlake porch and balcony, pairs of narrow Victorian windows with decorative relief trim, the projecting bay window, and a bracketed cornice around the new wing, Sam Smith's simple saltbox dwelling became a florid Victorian house with a distinctive Gothic air. The Smith-Savage House was designated a local landmark June 16, 2008. This information was obtained from their website.

This live oak tree was designated a Granbury Historic Tree April 26, 2002 in honor of Arbor Day…read more When the tree was landmarked, it was known as the "legendary hanging tree", but further research has indicated that no one was hung from the tree, that the hanging was on scaffolding built in the back of a wagon. This information was obtained from their website.