John Wilkes Booth
by keeweechic
Another legend of a Granbury man who loved to quote Shakespeare. Many believe the John St Helen that lived in Granbury was in fact John Wilkes Booth who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in Washington. He was supposed to have broken a leg after jumping from the theatre onto the stage to escape. History books say that federal troops killed Booth 12 days after the President was killed. However other stories say that Wilkes actually escaped to Texas and assumed the alias name of John St Helen. Some conspiracy theorists conclude that government conspirators helped Booth escape.
John St Helen showed up in Granbury during the early 1870's and walked with a limp. He also quoted Shakespeare as did John Wilkes Booth who was an accomplished Shakespearean actor. St Helen worked as a saloon keeper in Granbury and was also known to get drunk every April 14 which marks the anniversary of Lincoln's assassination. He was said to have taken off when approached by a Federal Marshal in Glen Rose where he lived for 2 or 3 years in a small cabin before moving to Granbury. He left Glen Rose without packing as soon as he heard that a local woman was to marry a US Marshal and several other Marshals would attend the wedding.
St Helen was supposed to have confessed on what he thought was his deathbed. He told a priest and several others that he was in fact Abraham Lincolns assassin. He also told them where they could find the gun that he used to kill the President. The gun was later found wrapped in newspaper detailing Lincoln's death. St Helen didn't actually die at that time and survived. Because of his confession, he left Granbury in a hurry. Later in 1903 in Enid Oklahoma, a man named David George claimed to be John Wilkes Booth and also claimed to have changed his name the first time around to John St Helen. He then committed suicide and the mystery was never really resolved. However TV. series 20/20 and "Unsolved Mysteries" have provided enough corroborating evidence to assume that maybe the legend is true.
Squaw Creek Indian Fight
by keeweechic
This historic marker is near the site where about 25 raiding Indians jumped and killed a fox hunter (Rigman Bryant), shot his dog and stole his horse. Later in the day the Indians and stolen horses were seen by a minister (Silas Scarborough) W C Walters and a negro. The negro was urged to join the Indians who then shot him full of arrows when he refused. In a few hours the Cavalry attacked the Indians and recovered the stolen horses. One Indian was killed and the others chased away. One settler was shot and the wounded Negro died a week later. It was claimed as a Civil War Frontier victory.
There were about 5 or 6 bullet holes in the historical marker… I guess someone didn’t know the fighting was over.
The marker sits in a picnice area on FM144 off Hwy 67 just north west of Glen Rose and south of Granbury.
The Nutt House Hotel
by VeronicaG
This square stone building with its intricate cornice and jaunty striped awning is the Nutt House Hotel.
The Nutt brothers were prominent citizens of Granbury who ran a merchantile establishment in the town square. They had settled here in 1855 and together with Thomas Lambert, had donated a 40 acre parcel of land that became the town of Granbury. Granbury is the county seat of Hood County.
The first store (1866) was a log building measuring 16' x 12' with a wagon yard in the rear. Local contractor, Jim Warren, built this hand-hewn stone structure for the brothers. In spite of the fact they were both blind, they made a success of themselves in this community.
The Nutt Hotel, famous for it dining room, came into being when the family grocery store was remodeled and the second floor became the restaurant in 1919. This establishment was one of the first businesses in Granbury to be restored and reopened by Nutt family descendants.
Please see picture#2--the original parking "spot" for horses
Granbury LIVE!
by VeronicaG
Our visits to Granbury didn't include 'Granbury Live!' until just recently. We didn't know what we were missing!
We recently traveled to this sweet little town to experience an oldies concert billed as OLD TIME ROCK N' ROLL, music from the '60's. The two hour concert cost $32.50 each.
The cast offered songs by Elvis, Sonny and Cher, the Tokens, the Righteous Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Rolling Stones and many others.
Granbury LIVE! presents concerts that are family-friendly, comic and nostalgic. Costume changes really help to get you in the "groove". A lively cast impersonate several recording stars and manage to bring back the oldies but goodies in a fun-loving event.
At the conclusion of each concert, a tribute is given to our men in arms.
Other concerts are BIG FUN (music from the '70's), ROCKIN'GOSPEL; GOD BLESS TEXAS; ELVIS, CHUCK & BUDDY and CLASS OF '57.
Several of the cast members will be relocating to Fredericksburg, Texas where they will continue presenting events of the same caliber. A new group of cast members will be selected for the Granbury LIVE! venue.
Close to Dallas/Fort Worth
by sswagner
Granbury has some nice features and can be a good place to stop for a visit. The center of town has been restored to its former glory and there are numerous shops in the main square. A large lake is nearby for recreational activities. There are also performances held in the theaters from time to time. On a summer weekend, this can be somewhat of a busy place as people from the nearby Metroplex tend to come down for a visit. A trip here can be effectively combined with a visit to nearby Glen Rose, which hosts Dinosaur Valley State Park and the Fossil Fim Wildlife Center.
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Yep, that's a coyote...stuffed!
The Inn at Granbury
Lake Granbury
Gen.H.B. Granbury-photo at Old Hood County Jail
