KEY Magazine Fort Worth

Granbury is a town that fosters legends. Stories say that Jesse James and John Wilkes Booth both lived in Granbury. Jesse Woodson James (b.1847) is believed by some to be buried in Granbury Cemetery. Despite historians with other theories, descendants of the James family have placed a headstone bearing James' name on the place thought to be his grave.

John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot Abraham Lincoln, lived in Granbury during the 1870s, it is said, where he worked as a bartender using the name John St. Helen. Years later, when St. Helen thought he was dying, he revealed his identity and the location of the gun he'd used to kill Lincoln.

The Acton Historic Site, aka Acton Cemetery, is the resting place of Davy Crockett's widow, Elizabeth, who came to Hood County in the 1850s.

Many of Granbury's houses, stores, and churches have been restored and are evidence of Granbury's place in early Texas history. Gabled roofs, classical columns, etched stained glass windows and wraparound porches all recall its early days. Granbury's Courthouse Square is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some restored houses and buildings now offer residents and visitors dining and shopping experiences surrounded by history and legend. Plan to spend at least a weekend in the quaint charm of Granbury.

For more information, please visit www.granbury.org.

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