Name: Granbury, Texas
Address: Granbury, TX

Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

Granbury's history is marked by pivotal moments that shaped the city. It began as a simple square with a log cabin courthouse, and many of the buildings on the square are now registered historic landmarks, including the Granbury Opera House, which continues to host Broadway productions. The city's name is a story in itself, originating from Confederate General Hiram B. Granbury, with a spelling discrepancy believed to be due to a misread document or a deliberate choice by the general himself. A significant expansion occurred in 1969 with the construction of a Brazos River dam, forming Lake Granbury, which flows through the city. The city also faced a tragic event in 2013 when an EF4 tornado struck, leaving six confirmed deaths and damaging at least 100 homes.

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Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

The name Granbury has an intriguing origin, named after Confederate General Hiram B. Granbury. The story goes that the city's name was originally Granberry, the same as the general's, but due to a document misread or perhaps the general's own decision to change the spelling, it became Granbury. This unique twist in the city's naming adds a layer of historical curiosity and a personal connection to the figure it honors.

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Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

Granbury's founding is rooted in its early days as a square with a log cabin courthouse. The city's development was significantly influenced by the arrival of the Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway in 1887, which connected Granbury to Fort Worth and beyond. This railway played a crucial role in the city's growth, being owned by various companies over the years until it was acquired by the Fort Worth and Western Railroad in 1999. The city's expansion was further enabled by the construction of a Brazos River dam in 1969, which formed Lake Granbury, a key feature of the city's landscape.

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Granbury - Legends on the Square

1866

Granbury's historic square features one of the best-preserved courthouses in Texas. The town is associated with persistent legends that Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth both lived there under assumed names.

Hood, General John Bell

1861

Born Kentucky. West Point graduate. Army service on Texas frontier led Hood to adopt the Lone Star State. Resigned U.S. Army 1861 to serve South. Commanded 4th Texas Infantry. Led "Hood's Texas," most renowned Confederate Brigade. Rose rapidly to Lieutenant General. Known as "The Fighting General" for leadership in the Army of Northern Virginia. Although lost leg Battle Chickamauga, became commander Army of Tennessee. A memorial to Texans who served the Confederacy Erected by the State of Texas 1963.

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Granbury, General H.B.; and Granbury's Texas Brigade

1861

A Mississippian. Came to Texas early 1850s. Lawyer in Waco, recruited Waco Guards, Confederate Army, 1861. Elected Major 7th Texas Infantry. Beat back Federals some miles, Fort Donelson, Tenn., Feb. 1862. Captured there, exchanged Aug. Colonel in Vicksburg campaign to prevent split of Confederacy along Mississippi River. Took 306 men into battle, lost 158. Chickamauga, Sept. 1863 severely wounded. Had brigade command Missionary Ridge. Promoted Brigadier General 1864. Led Granbury's Texas Brigade into Tennessee with Hood. Was one of 6 Confederate Generals killed at Franklin, Tenn. Buried in Granbury Cemetery. (Back of Gen. H.B. Granbury) Granbury's Texas Brigade Formed in Autumn 1863 from remnant of Deshler's Brigade. Texas units included 6th, 7th, 10th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th Infantry, with 3rd, 5th Confederate Regiments of Memphis. Nov. 1863 battles of Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Granbury's men repulsed Sherman's attacks repeatedly. C.S.A. Congress thanked unit for valor at Ringgold Gap at Kennesaw Mountain, this and fellow Brigade counted 700 enemy casualties at their front after one charge. In bayonet combat, yells in the dark from Granbury's men were sufficient to rout Federals. Before troops of equal number in open field the unit was unconquerable. Fought intrenched army, Franklin, Tenn. Battle. Flags flying, drums rolling, but with no cover Granbury's men ran forth on the double. Courage inspired by the leader named it forever: Granbury's Brigade. Erected by the State of Texas 1964

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Granbury, Hiram Bronson

1861

Hiram Bronson Granbury, Confederate general, was born in Copiah County, Mississippi, on March 1, 1831, the son of Nancy (McLaurin) and Norvell R. Granbury, a Baptist minister. He was educated at Oakland College. In the 1850s he moved to Texas and lived in Waco, where he was admitted to the Bar; he served as chief justice of McLennan County from 1856 to 1858. On March 31, 1858, Granbury married Fannie Sims of Waco; they had no children. At the outbreak of the Civil War he recruited the Waco Rifles (sometimes called the Waco Guards), which became Company A of the Seventh Texas Infantry in Brig. Gen. John Gregg 's brigade of the Confederate Army. In November 1861 at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the regiment elected Granbury as major. He was captured with the command at the battle of Fort Donelson on February 15, 1862, and was paroled that same year in an officers' exchange. Upon his release he was promoted to colonel. In April 1863 Granbury was at Port Hudson, Louisiana, and in May he participated in the battle of Raymond, Mississippi. Shortly thereafter he joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston 's army, assembled for the relief of Vicksburg. Granbury commanded the Seventh Texas in Brig. Gen. Bushrod R. Johnson's brigade of Gen. John B. Hood 's corps at Chickamauga, where he was wounded. He participated in the battle of Missionary Ridge, where his commanding officer was James A. Smith; shortly thereafter he succeeded to brigade command. During the retreat from that battle he was particularly distinguished for his conduct at Ringgold Gap, where he commanded his own brigade. Granbury was commissioned brigadier general on February 29, 1864. During the ensuing Atlanta campaign, he served in Cleburne's division of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of Tennessee and was again particularly distinguished at the battle of New Hope Church. After the fall of Atlanta, Granbury led his brigade in Hood's disastrous invasion of Tennessee, and at the battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864, he was killed in action. Granbury was first buried near Franklin, Tennessee. His body was later reinterred at the Ashwood Church Cemetery south of Columbia. On November 30, 1893, his remains were removed to Granbury, Texas, seat of Hood County, as the town was named in his honor. The correct spelling of the general's name has long been debated. He attended Oakland College under the name Granberry, but after graduating and moving to Texas he changed the spelling to Granbury. Why he changed the spelling of his name is unknown. His sister, Mrs. Nautie Granberry Moss, stated that he changed the spelling of his name based on a peculiar whim. The official records and correspondence of the Civil War show his named spelled as Granbury, although many Texas newspaper articles at the time referred to him as General Granberry. When he was killed at the battle of Franklin and buried in Tennessee, the name on his tombstone was spelled Granberry, perhaps because that was the spelling of the family name in the area. When he was exhumed and reburied in Granbury in 1893, the name on the tombstone was spelled Granberry. Apparently, however, the reburial opened a debate on the proper spelling of his namesake city, and a letter by one J. N. Doyle in the Dallas Morning News reviewed the history of the general's name and concluded by pointing out that deeds for lots in the city, veterans who had served with him, and local citizens all used the spelling Granbury. In 1913, when a statue was erected on the Hood County courthouse square, the name was spelled Granbury. In 1996 a new tombstone with the name spelled Granbury was put in place, and after almost 150 years, the spelling of the general's name on his tombstone, statue, and name city became uniform as Granbury. See also GRANBURY'S TEXAS BRIGADE .

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Robertson, Nellie Gray

1918

Nellie Gray Robertson, attorney, was born on February 28, 1894, in Granbury (Hood County), Texas. She was the daughter of William Jarrett Robertson and Arminda (Barton) Robertson. She attended the local public schools and graduated from Granbury High School in 1912. The only girl of six children, Nellie was academically motivated from an early age and, despite the impoverished family background created when her father abandoned them, she managed to put herself through the University of Texas School of Law. Her own mother's struggles as a single parent motivated Robertson to find her independence and place in the world without a man. She never married and remained fiercely independent until her death. Though she had no children of her own, she inspired many young women in their academic endeavors and implored family members to continue their studies and even paid her nieces' college tuition. Robertson applied to study at the University of Texas, where she started in 1912. She was an active member of the university community and took part in a variety of clubs, including Texas Woman's Law Association, the Present Day Club, Kappa Beta Pi, Pennybacker Debating Club, the Woman's Assembly, and the Woman's Council. Robertson quickly rose through both scholarly and social ranks and became an officer in all but one of the clubs she joined. She was at the University of Texas from 1912 to 1918 and then returned to Granbury and ran unopposed for county attorney in the Democratic primary, two years before women gained the right to vote on a national level ( see WOMAN SUFFRAGE ). In the general election, she was elected by the men of the county, in a remarkable victory of 446 votes to 2 over a male opponent-thus she became at the age of twenty-four the first woman to hold the office. Two years later she successfully ran for re-election, this time appealing to both male and female voters, to beat Mr. E. L. Roark substantially by 776 votes to 570 in the primary; she won unopposed in the general election. While she held office as county attorney, a part-time position at the time, Robertson continued to push boundaries. She simultaneously held office, part-owned and ran the Hood County Abstract Company, and managed to work her way up in the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. She was rewarded for her hard work in this association in 1921, when she was elected secretary and treasurer of the organization. In 1922, following her previous successes, Robertson sought to become the Hood County Judge but was unsuccessful against four male candidates. In 1924 she won a third term as county attorney. A year before her retirement from public office in 1926, Robertson was chosen to sit as the first female chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. This All-Woman Supreme Court was chosen by Governor Pat Neff and was a national story that faced backlash from many, including a clerk involved in the Johnson v. Darr trial, who exclaimed that he would go fishing, as he "refused to play nursemaid to a bunch of women." The trial, more than thirty years before Texas women were allowed to serve on juries, continues to be a central moment in the history of female empowerment in Texas. Unfortunately, Robertson was a few months short of seven years in practice, which made her ineligible for the court. Due to the last-minute nature of the change, the newspapers were unable to modify the text, and her name is still often tied to this historic event. When asked later in life how she felt about missing out on such a huge milestone Robertson responded nonchalantly, "It is what it is." In 1925 Robertson moved to Dallas to practice law, but restlessness got the better of her, and in the following year she moved again, this time to New York. In the new setting, Robertson slightly altered her career path and began to write law books for the Doubleday Publishing Company. Her time away from Texas did not last long; in 1930 Robertson returned to Texas for good and mov

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Granbury, Texas

Rivers & Roads in Song near Granbury

History of Granbury

Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

Granbury, TX RoadyGoat

Granbury - Legends on the Square

Hood, General John Bell

Granbury, General H.B.; and Granbury's Texas Brigade

Granbury, Hiram Bronson

Robertson, Nellie Gray

Things to Do in Granbury

Everything Near Granbury