216 West Pearl Street

Uncovering the history of this house has been a labor of love for the present owners of “Sew Much Love,” Mark and Laurie Cohen. It was first thought that the home was built in the 1930’s. However, when Mark and Laurie started the renovations on the house, they were surprised to find evidence that suggested it dates back closer to the 1880’s. They found that much of the house was constructed with true 2×4 “rough-cut” boards and “hand-forged” square nails which are dated to 1890 and before. That is when they went to the Hood County Genealogical Society, which is housed in the Historic Granbury Railroad Museum. With the help of Karen Nace, the mystery of the house began to unfold.

Dr. J.R. Lancaster, a family physician, and his wife, Ella, moved to Hood County between 1870 and 1880 to open his medical practice on the Granbury Square. They first lived in Thorp Spring, but soon built this home and moved to be closer to his practice. It is believed the house was enlarged sometime during the early 1900’s.

Dr. Lancaster died in 1919 and his wife, Ella, in 1926, leaving the property to their son, Gus, who was also a physician in Granbury. He sold the property in 1961 to H.B. Campbell.

Through the years, the house has been bought and sold and has been a commercial property for around 25 years, housing two restaurants, as well as an art gallery. The Cohen’s bought the property in January of 2019 and after uncovering many unknown treasures in the house during renovation, they saw their dream of opening a quilt and sewing shop come to fruition in July! Welcome to Granbury!

201 West Pearl Street

Granbury’s first mayor, Patrick H. Thrash, built his one story residence on this site in or around 1880. In 1899, the home was sold to George W. Landers, a downtown saloon owner. Landers then sold it to District Attorney John J. Hiner in 1903. In 1915, John Hiner conveyed it to his brother, Hood County Sheriff Thomas H. Hiner and his wife Olivia (Ollie) Elvira Crockett Hiner. The couple lived there until Thomas’ death in 1940. Ollie who is Davy Crockett’s granddaughter, moved to Fort Worth where she resided until her death in 1953. Ollie’s wedding dress is displayed in the historic home.

Between 1905 and 1910 the modest one story was expanded into the Free Classic Queen Anne style post-Victorian home we see today. The home includes numerous gables, two original stained glass windows, and an elaborate front door with side lights and transom. The first floor fireplaces have elaborate Victorian oak mantle pieces embellished with beveled mirrors and Italian ceramic tile. A golden oak staircase leads to the second floor. The renovated second floor includes four offices that retain the character of the house; hints of the past include a vintage claw foot tub, high-tank pull-chain toilets, and original fireplaces. Typical of the Queen Anne style, the home has a wrap-around porch supported by Classical-type columns.

Today, Bradley and Jenni Burnfield proudly own this property, one of Granbury’s historic treasures. The first floor is occupied by PearlStreet Financial Advisors, An Ameriprise Platinum Financial Services® practice operated by Bradley Burnfield, CFP®, ChFC®, CASL®. Local businesses occupy the five additional offices on site. Additionally, Brad and Jenni operate the adjacent carriage house as an overnight suite, “The Peacock Cottage”, available for bookings via AirBNB.

414 East Bridge Street

This unique little stone cottage sits on property that was once Milam County School Land. In 1881, this property was sold to Jesse Franklin and Jacob Nutt. In 1903, the property was purchased by Neil M. Hiner and his wife, Victoria. It stayed in the Hiner family for many years.

In 1939, the original two-room building was moved to the property and was extended and covered in the rocked masonry. Pieces of newspapers, that were used on the wall as insulation, have dates on them of 1889 and 1890. Through the years, many updates have been done, but there are still many of the original features.

In 2000, the current owner, Lynda Copeland, former owner of The Front Porch, a craft gift shop, once located on West Bridge Street, purchased the cottage, which, at that time, was surrounded by a white picket fence, as were many homes of that era.

Lynda has several significant antiques on display throughout the home, including her grandmother’s 1920’s upright piano and a grated gas stove that is from an old church in Waldrip, Texas. Also on view in the home, are the original Abstract of Titles, dating as far back as 1881, and the newspaper pieces that were found on the walls.

118 West Bluff Street

The house was built in 1907 by J.D. Brown and wife, Georgia. The architecture is considered to be Queen Anne Victorian, although built at a time when the Arts and Crafts Style had taken over. The home was designated as a Texas Historical Landmark in 1994 and a City of Granbury Landmark in 1999.

In the 1930s, the home all of Mr. Brown’s belongings were sold on the Courthouse steps. It was purchased that day by Carmichael family and not much later, in the 1940s, by the Bakers.

The Lock family has owned the home since the early 1980s. Very little renovations have been made, aside from an addition made to the back of the home. Carefully preserved, the Locks kept the integrity of the original footprint. You’ll find the original pine floors, woodwork, fireplace and staircase.

The home is cherished by the Lock family and provides a special gathering place for holidays and even weddings. Diane’s granddaughter was married on the front porch on a beautiful day in May. The preservation and sentiment the home brings is truly invaluable to our community.

319 East Bridge Street

The Nutt House, also known as “D.L. Nutt Home” was built in 1879 in its existing location. The house remains one of the best examples of a High-Style, Greek revival home. The charm of the structure has been maintained by its inhabitants for the last 120 years. The home was designed and built by a man whose last name was Evans. He also built the Hannaford House on Lambert Street. The house, described both as a High Style Victorian or Plantation-style home with Greek Revival details, still retains its original detail. The historic, architectural and cultural significance of the house is evidenced by the fact that the house is in its original location and has been largely maintained in its original state. The fact that the house was constructed by a skilled local craftsman demonstrates the uniqueness of the house’s design.

The house was built for David Lee Nutt who was a very successful business owner in Granbury’s early history. Nutt was an early Hood County entrepreneur who was also involved in the development of several of Granbury’s most important institutions including churches, schools and a bridge built over the Brazos River in 1878. The Nutt family is arguably the most significant family in Granbury and Hood County’s history. Additionally, the woman who restored the home in 1967 was Mary Lou Watkins Nutt, who is widely regarded as the founder of the preservation movement in Granbury. David Lee Nutt was involved in the early settlement of Granbury, even though he was one of the youngest of all the Nutt brothers. In fact, he was involved in defending the territory in significant Indian raids and won the heart of Sudie Garland, daughter of Captain Peter Garland who led local campaigns to defend the area from Indian raids.

Today, the D.L. Nut-Watkins House is owned by the City of Granbury and houses the Bridge Street History Center.

111 East Bridge Street

The first signed deed for the historic 111 E. Bridge Street building was in 1877. The property has changed hands numerous times over the years. Names such as Hannaford, Nutt, Sellars, Thrash, Cogdell, the First National Bank, and the Hood County News to name a few.

Early on, this structure was called the Sellars Building. The Sellars family has a deep and rich heritage to Hood County. W.T. Sellers came to Texas after serving in the Civil War. In 1882, he packed up the wagon with his wife Sarah and their 5 children and headed from Arkansas to Hood County.

Their first home is on Pearl Street and still stands today known as the Captain Morris home. After arriving in Granbury, Mr. Sellers began his mercantile business. Early on, this building was being used as a grocery store and barber shop.

In the early 1900’s, the site became a meat market and restaurant. Around the 1930’s, this upstairs apartment became home to a well-known photographer.

In 1964, the Hood County News began working in this building and continued until the late 1980’s. Roger Enlow, the current editor of the paper recalls working at his desk upstairs where the Christmas tree is and had the privilege of the incredible view of the Square as he worked.

After the Hood County News vacated to their new home, the building was purchased by Mack Henson and became known as the Downtown Store for over 2 decades.

As the new century rang in, so did many new businesses. Texas Tumbleweed, Against the Grain and now is home to Beam & Branch Realty. The newest owners, Paula and Mark McDonald purchased the building in 2018 and began its latest renovation.

After completely gutting the entire building from top to bottom, the McDonald’s carefully and thoughtfully restored this beautiful building. While keeping as many original elements as possible intact, the restoration was challenging and exhausting.

Today, much of the original stone walls can be seen downstairs while upstairs, the original staircase banister was uncovered as well as the brick chimney column the McDonald’s knew they must save.

Other original items are the front door to the apartment which was found beneath the stairs and the beautiful tin ceiling. The McDonald’s were able to piece together the ceiling tins from the back of the apartment to be able to complete the ceiling in the main part of the apartment.

The McDonalds will continue to run their real estate business downstairs while the apartment will be rented as an Air bnb property.

A few interesting tidbits:
Paula McDonald has a tie to the original Cogdell family. Her children are Cogdell’s and the family history shows a direct link to D.C. Cogdell who founded the First National Bank, the railroad in Granbury, and built the Iron Horse Inn.

During the restoration, as the ceiling was being re-worked, horse hair was found in the mortar which was a common occurrence back in those days. The horse hair was mixed with the mud mixture to create the mortar.

The old cabinet downstairs that has been painted black was an original cabinet from the property.

The McDonald’s are proud to now own a beautiful piece of Hood County history. The apartment can also be leased for special events, meetings, and of course to stay and experience all the Square has to offer.