About 45 minutes south of Ft Worth is the historic and still smallish town of Granbury Texas…read more Growing up in Dallas I was familiar with the name and where it's located but,I never visited. I've been to many of the surrounding towns like Cleburn and Weatherford but, just never had occasion to go through Granbury. That all changed yesterday when I was in need of a day trip. You know, the kind that refreshes. The whole idea of driving an hour or two and exploring and discovering a place you haven't been always pushes my hot button. Granbury has been a popular day trip spot due to its Dallas Ft Worth proximity for sometime. It began " Gentrifying" long before it was trendy. Partially because of the lake that's there as a result of the Brazos river. Combine that with a small Texas town and you have a winner. I rolled into town about 10:30 am on a cloudy and chilly day. Parked the car and began walking around the square. In the center of the square,as with most Texas Towns,sits the Hood County Courthouse. Texas courthouses are located in the county seat. In this case Granbury. As a result,counties grew out of this design and a lot of significant history lies in the court houses of Texas. A bonus is,85% of them are archetectually beautiful. The Hood County Courthouse is less beautiful but still unique. I didn't have time to fully explore but, will return to do so. There is a lot of limestone readily available around this area and as a result,a significant number of the historic buildings were built from it. This has resulted in most of them surviving over 100 plus years and adding to the charming aesthetic of the town square. Nothing is vacant here. All the buildings in town are preserved , restored and occupied. I love to see that. Too many of our small towns are decaying due to lack of demand and neglect. If you live within an hour or two,you can't go wrong checking out the historic Granbury Square with all its shopping,restaurants and historical attractions. Go!

The Granbury Square is actually a truly neat area of Granbury, TX…read more It's no surprise that it lies near Lake Granbury - or rather, the Brazos River. The one negative I found was the majority of the road signage. Could be clearer. Put in more adequate places. Nearby is the Hilton Garden Inn where I stayed. If you're able to shell out even more money than that, I was highly intrigued with places like Hotel Lucy, Inn on Lake Granbury, Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast, and that place I really wanted to snooze in at... N on the Square. Without someone to accompany on this Thanksgiving road trip, I did not feel inclined to dig so deep into my pocketbook. The Square itself was decorated rather tastefully for Christmas when I was there 11/25-26/2023. Other points of interest that piqued my interest: + Granbury Opera House + ghost tours (there were at least two that I saw mentioned, but not sure if they were even open) + The Fillin' Station (a burger joint) + several other eateries including a taco shop, coffee bar, a wine bar, saloon, and a few shops and boutiques Public restrooms were available. Parking was free in all of the lots and side streets I drove past. Lastly, I would like to recommend the Ketzler's Schnitzel Haus and Biergarten for dinner. I have a review for that place in queue.

This primitive farmhouse was built around 1916 for Will Stringfellow and his family. The home was…read morebuilt of lumber and other old materials from Confederate Major John A. Formwalt's first Granbury residence, which was located on the same site. Formwalt settled in what is now Hood County in the 1850s. He formed a local militia to fight the Indians as early Hood County settlers ventured West of the Brazos River. He served under General Hiram Granbury during the Civil War. Formwalt later became a three-term Granbury justice of the peace. The Stringfellow home still occupies a quarter-block, and was actually a small farmstead in the village. Here the Stringfelllows planted a large vegetable garden, nurtured fruit trees, raised a cow, and stabled their horses and a team of mules. Their small farmstead had a water well, a storm cellar, an outhouse and a carriage house, all built by Major Formwalt. The late Mrs. Helen Gilmartin, a descendant of several pioneer Hood County families, purchased this farmstead in 1975. She furnished the home with her antique collection, and many of her local pieces remain in the house. Mrs. Gilmartin, a noted antique dealer, recreated an authentic old country store, in the rock structure next door, called "Gilmartins General Store", which she opened to the public. Mrs. Gilmartin was also known for her circa 1950s aluminum Christmas tree she left up year round. The steep Victorian cross gables are a significant architectural element of the Stringfellow-Gilmartin Farmhouse. The interior of this home features rough-hewn wood walls, original woodwork and sliding pocket doors. The Stringfellow-Gilmartin House was designated a local landmark July 1, 2008. This information was obtained from their website.

The previous review was many years ago when this was a B&B. This house is under new ownership and…read morehas been beautifully restored. It is now available as a guesthouse through AirBNB and has all the wonderful amenities of an upscale boutique hotel. The history of the home, in the article, is accurate, however. Only two blocks off the amazing Historic Granbury Square, this home is the perfect getaway!

The Cogdell House was built in 1905 for First National Bank President, D. C. Cogdell and his family…read moreafter their 22 room Victorian Mansion was completely destroyed in a fire. Daniel C. Cogdell, along with his wife and children settled in Granbury in 1872. In 1883, Mr. Cogdell and fellow businessman John Traylor formed their own private bank and loan company. The venture was so successful that, in 1887, with three other businessmen they founded the First National Bank of Granbury. Mr. Cogdell served as President of the Hood County Milling Company, Granbury Quarry Company, and owned thousands of acres of ranchland, cattle and race horses. He lived in Granbury until his death in 1945 and is buried with his wife, Lucy, and several of their children in the Granbury Cemetery. The Cogdell House was designed by Mr. Cogdell's friend, Wyatt Hedrick. Wyatt Hedrick was a famous architect, the Will Rogers Coliseum, the Texas Hotel and the Shamrock Hilton in Houston are just a few of the designs to his credit. It took three master cabinetmakers to build this fifteen room home. The home has its original maple wood floors downstairs, along with the original loblolly yellow pine floors upstairs. The home has most of its original windows and its original electric lights. The home was built with two bathrooms and the 6 1/2' clawfoot bathtubs are still in the home. Central Heat from a coal furnace was part of the original plans for the Cogdell House, and it was piped up from the limestone basement (part of the original 1885 mansion). The 1885 fence that surrounds 2/3 of the house is still present, as is the original storm cellar. The Cogdell House was designated a Granbury Historical Landmark by the City of Granbury Historic Commission December 5, 2000. This information was obtained from their website.

Built in 1875 for James Doyle, this High Style House with Queen Ann stylistic influence now serves…read moreas The Captain's Den Bed and Breakfast for visitors and tourists to Granbury. The home is one of the few remaining large homes built in Granbury before 1900 that has not burned and then been rebuilt, has not had the front façade totally restyled or been moved from its original site. 80% of the windows and the diamond shaped stained glass window are original to the home. The only structural changes made to the house have been the addition of a workshop, office, and parking areas. A few porches and balconies have been enclosed for the addition of bathrooms, but the overall outline of the home remains the same. All the materials used in the additions have been complimentary to the era of the structure, some of them even being recycled off the home. James Hogan Doyle was a decorated hero in the Civil War and moved to Granbury in 1870. James H. Doyle was Hood County's fourth treasurer and served as chairman on the Granbury School Board. He was also the original director of the First National Bank of Granbury. He co-owned the Baker-Doyle Building which is one of the oldest buildings on the Square. James Doyle was a charter member of the Granbury Masonic Lodge, founded in 1875, and was instrumental in getting the first bridge built across the Brazos River. The James H. Doyle House was designated a Granbury Historical Landmark by the City of Granbury Historic Commission November 2, 1999. This information was obtained from their website.

We came to Granbury from NYC for the first time this weekend to visit family and were completely…read morecharmed by this beautiful B&B. From the first moment we walked through the doors, you can tell the amount of care and attention to detail that was put into restoring this home and keeping the history alive in its walls. We woke up each morning at 9:00am (on the dot!) to a surprise tray of home baked goodies, fresh fruit and OJ. Coffee station set up in our room allowed us to take our time getting up in the morning and enjoy the slow, relaxed pace of Granbury. Couldn't be more thankful to Tina and her family for hosting us this weekend while we visited my parents. Highly recommend! Side note - The town and shops are absolutely enchanting! Think Stars Hollow for those Gilmore fans out there.

This is really neat volunteers keep it going . Great big engine that are still running they started…read morethem up when we were there. in 1923 when they brought the engines in they set them on blocks of ice and slid them in and waited for the ice to melt. a lot of old electrical gauges and switches.

The Granbury Light Plant was built in 1923, and remains a symbol of Granbury's early electrical…read moregenerating and water works system. The Granbury Light Plant is also a symbol of early electricity in Texas. Electricity first arrived in Granbury in 1903. Earl Cogdell along with other City Council members helped establish this first municipal electric generating plant in 1923. The Granbury Light Plant has fireproof limestone walls, original windows (painted gray to help protect against bombing in World War II), and its three original diesel powered engines. The Light Plant features steel doors and sashes, steel trusses and a corrugated metal roof so it would be "...impossible for the plant to be destroyed by a fire, a disaster which so often befalls small town electric light plants." (Granbury News, March 2, 1923) The Granbury Light Plant was designated a Granbury Historic Landmark by the City of Granbury Historic Commission September 16, 2003. 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 Baker-Carmichael House was built in 1905 for Granbury Merchant and Banker, Jess Baker. This…read morehouse was later home to Granbury Physician, Dr. Archibald Carmichael. The original owner and builder of the house, Jess Baker, in 1875, opened a hardware store in Granbury with his brother. Jess Baker also partnered with Sam Smith in Baker and Smith Hardware and Baker and Smith Implement Company; he was also a partner in Baker-Rylee Hardware. Jess Baker also served as Vice-President of First National Bank and served on the Bank's first Board of Directors. Jess Baker also served several terms in the Texas House of Representatives beginning in 1906. Dr. Archibald Carmichael, one of Granbury's most prominent physicians, bought the house in 1925. This is a particularly superb and well kept example of High Style Queen Ann/Neoclassical Architecture. The home was built at a cost of approximately $18,000 with the head carpenter receiving $1.50 a day, and his helper receiving $1.00 a day. The Baker-Carmichael was one of the first homes in Granbury to have electricity, indoor plumbing and telephone service. The Carmichael family did not make many changes to the house over the years, with the exception of adding bathrooms and a more modernized kitchen. The Baker-Carmichael House is now owned by David Southern and his wife, Claudia. Mr. Southern is currently the Mayor of the City of Granbury. The Baker-Carmichael House was designated a Granbury Historical Landmark by the City of Granbury Historic Commission June 1, 1999. This information was obtained from their website.

im the great great great I don't know how many greats granddaughter of the Estes family B.M. Estes…read moreIII is my grandfather.

The Estes-Green House was built in 1911, it is a High Style House with Prairie Stylistic Influence…read more It is a Four-square home by design with a five bay wrap porch and porte-cochere. The home was built by attorney B. M. Estes who also served terms on the Granbury City Council, as Mayor and County Attorney. Records indicate that Mr. Estes replaced a Victorian House with this larger, more unusual home. Mr. Estes and his family moved into the new home December 11, 1911. This home was also the first of its style in Granbury. Some of the typical features of American Foursquare, Prairie influence are: low pitched, symmetrical roof, many windows (the Estes-Green House has 53), and hipped roof dormers. The Estes- Green House was designed and built with all of these features. Built after the turn of the century, the B.M. Estes House was more stylish, Victorian style was not en vogue anymore, and less expensive to build due to lack of elaboration and ornamentation. B. M. Estes also saw this design as more masculine because it lacked all the frills. Mr. Estes must have been a perfectionist because he hired a builder, then another builder to oversee the work of the first builder, then another builder to oversee the work of the first two! Originally from Tennessee, B. M. Estes married an Arkansas girl and moved her to Granbury in 1874. That same year he began practicing law in Granbury and continued until 1938, a total of 64 years. Mr. Estes served as District Court Clerk and County Attorney during his lifetime. He served as chairman of the executive committee on the behalf of prohibitionists in 1887, as a city councilman and later served as acting mayor of Granbury. Mr. Estes is also listed as one of the founding members of the Presbyterian Church in Granbury. Along with being a prominent landowner in Hood County, Mr. Estes began the first Title Company in Hood County, his son Roy managed it. After he was elected County Judge, he became known for being particularly opinionated. He was known as conservative, fair and wise, but could be not be swayed in his beliefs in any way. For example, he did not believe that his daughters should have to ride their horses sidesaddle, and he also believed that his daughters should be educated; he sent two of them to Texas Wesleyan. The Estes-Green House is currently owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jake Caraway. Mr. Caraway is currently a Councilman on the City of Granbury City Council. The Estes-Green House was designated a Granbury Historic Landmark by the City of Granbury HistoricCommission November 16, 1999. This information was obtained from their website.