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B−History
History · Granbury

Granbury dates to 1860, and 4 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #150 of 642 in Texas. What drives it

Most of Granbury was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 12 buildings. Below: maps from 1893 on and the census since 1880.

1860founded
4on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Granbury began

When was Granbury founded?

1860

Granbury dates its founding to 1860 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 524 in 18802020 census: 10,958166 years

How historic is Granbury?

B−

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Granbury’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Granbury is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #150 of 642 in Texas. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Granbury’s overall grade.
Founding era1860, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19403.2% of homes (±1.8) · typical TX town 1.6% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register4 listings, 15 historic buildings, 12.4 per 10,000 residents · typical TX town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 47%
NewerOlder
Texas towns of 2,500+ (642)Ahead of 77%

Few Texas towns list much on the Register (a typical Texas town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Granbury’s 12.4 sits above most of its state (88% of Texas towns have fewer) while its 15 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1860.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Granbury’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Granbury are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1893 to 1910, drew every building in Granbury.Landmarks on the Register4 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Granbury’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Granbury’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Granbury, building by building, 1893–1910

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Granbury fire insurance map, 1893, sheet 11893Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

4 listings protect 15 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
4
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
15
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Hood County Courthouse Historic District
Hood County Courthouse Historic DistrictWright-Henderson-Duncan HouseBaker-Carmichael HouseGranbury Elementary School
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Second Empire1
Commercial1
Victorian1
Symmetrical Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Classical Revival1
Hood County Courthouse Historic DistrictSecond Empire
Wright-Henderson-Duncan HouseSymmetrical Victorian
Baker-Carmichael HouseQueen Anne
All 4 listings
Granbury Elementary SchoolBuilding · listed 2022

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Granbury came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Granbury.

Read it all →

Granbury started as a square and log cabin courthouse. Many buildings on the square are now registered historic landmarks, including the Granbury Opera House, which still hosts "Broadway" productions. The city's name originated from Confederate General Hiram B. Granberry. To explain why the city name is spelled differently, some scholars believe the name Granberry was misread on a document. Recent findings conclude that Granberry chose to spell his name Granbury.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Granbury, 1856 to 1931

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1856Post officeThe Camanche Peak post office opens
  3. 1860
    FoundingGranbury is established
  4. 1861Post officeThe Camanche Peak post office closes
  5. 1869Post officeThe Granbury post office opens
  6. 1889Born hereDoc Shanley is born here
  7. 1899Born hereToby Morris is born here
  8. 20th century
  9. 1929Born hereShorty Rollins is born here
  10. 1931On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Granbury, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Granbury June 2018 15 (Cross Acres Community Center and Granbury Housing Authority)2018Granbury June 2018 15 (Cross Acres Community Center a…Granbury June 2018 12 (United States Post Office)2018Granbury June 2018 12 (United States Post Office)Granbury June 2018 10 (BNSF freight)2018Granbury June 2018 10 (BNSF freight)Granbury June 2018 07 (Woman's Wednesday Club)2018Granbury June 2018 07 (Woman's Wednesday Club)Granbury June 2018 04 (American Town Hall)2018Granbury June 2018 04 (American Town Hall)Granbury June 2018 02 (Stuff 'n Nonsense)2018Granbury June 2018 02 (Stuff 'n Nonsense)WrightHendersonHouse (1 of 1)2016WrightHendersonHouse (1 of 1)GranburyHistoricDistrict (1 of 1)2016GranburyHistoricDistrict (1 of 1)Downtown Granbury Wiki (1 of 1)2016Downtown Granbury Wiki (1 of 1)Downtown Granbury 2 Wiki (1 of 1)2016Downtown Granbury 2 Wiki (1 of 1)(Extreme Wildfire Threat) Granbury, TX January 24, 2006 -- Glenn Davis and Bob Johnson of the Florida Department of For…2006(Extreme Wildfire Threat) Granbury, TX January 24, 20…TXMap-doton-Granbury2004TXMap-doton-Granbury
On the map

Granbury on the map, 1931 to 1979

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Granbury. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Granbury on the 1931 USGS mapGranbury on the 1961 USGS mapGranbury on the 1979 USGS map1931Tolar sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Granbury.

People over time

Granbury, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,0001880190019201940196019802000202010,958

Grew from 524 people in 1880 to 10,958 in 2020, more than tenfold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Granbury’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Granbury

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Toby MorrisAmerican politician · b. 1899
S
Shorty RollinsAmerican racing driver · b. 1929
D
Doc ShanleyAmerican baseball player · b. 1889
G
Greg NoireAmerican concert photographer
H
Harlon CarterAmerican activist · b. 1913
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Granbury’s post office has been open since 1869. Another post office, Camanche Peak, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Camanche Peak
1856–1861
Granbury
1869–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Acton
1cemetery inside Granbury
Granbury

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Stockton BendIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Granbury’s history

What year was Granbury founded?

In 1860, according to Wikidata. Granbury’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 524 people here.

How does Granbury rank for history?

Granbury is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #150 of 642 in Texas. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Granbury?

4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 historic district, the Hood County Courthouse Historic District, with 12 contributing buildings. 15 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Granbury?

3% of Granbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 1.6% for a Texas town; the median home was built in 2003.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.