The Bridge Street History Center

📰 GRANBURY, 1891: WHAT WAS GOING ON AROUND TOWN?

With a nod to the Portal to Texas History, which preserves the historic pages of The Granbury News, we can get a wonderful glimpse into everyday life in Hood County more than 130 years ago.What if we could pick up a copy of the Granbury News from 1891 and see what people in Hood County were talking about? Well…we can! 🏦 Granbury had a bank.The First National Bank of Granbury was proudly advertising its presence, letting people reading the newspaper know that Granbury had a “good banking establishment.”🏫 Teachers had gotten together.The Hood County Teachers’ Institute met at the College building in Granbury. Teachers discussed how to teach reading, geography, grammar and arithmetic. 🏛️ The courthouse was still being finished.The newspaper reported that the last of the stone work was being completed, including the steps. The building was nearly ready for its roof.🛒 There was a “Bankrupt Store” on the Square.W. T. Brown & Co. advertised groceries, canned goods, tobacco, shoes, boots, clothing, lamps, plates and glassware and all at wholesale prices.🧂 And Granbury was apparently running out of SALT!One local writer complained that merchants didn’t have “a single grain” of salt available. The newspaper even lectured local merchants about the importance of keeping necessities like salt in stock.🧵 Want a sewing machine?You could buy one for about $20–$26, depending on the brand. The newspaper advertised Singer, New Home, Union, White and Wheeler & Wilson machines.🐎 And livery stables were still essential.One Granbury business advertised a livery and feed stable, promising good teams, first-class turnouts and polite attention.🏘️ Meanwhile, Lipan was “on a boom.”The local correspondent reported that two barber shops were being discussed. “Hurrah for Lipan!”These aren’t the stories that usually make the history books.They’re better.They’re little pieces of everyday life, what people bought, what they worried about, where they banked, how they traveled, what their children studied and what was happening around Hood County.That’s history.📜 From The Granbury News, 1891, preserved by the Portal to Texas History.What would YOU have wanted to know about Granbury in 1891? … See MoreSee Less

A little literary mystery for you… 🤠

Do you know where this one comes from? … See MoreSee Less

Some stories of Hood County are carved in stone and W.G.W. Powell’s story is one worth remembering. Today, we pause to remember a pioneer who helped shape the early communities of Hood County. … See MoreSee Less

Source – City of Granbury … See MoreSee Less

A Little Lipan History from 1906 📰

Tucked into the August 31, 1906 edition of the Lipan Register is an interesting bit of local history:“Prof. W. O. Wright has given in his resignation as professor in John Tarleton College…”Today, we know that school as Tarleton State University in Stephenville. It’s a wonderful reminder of how connected the small communities of this area were and how a brief notice in a Lipan newspaper can offer a glimpse into the early history of an institution that is still such an important part of our region today.Take a close look at this 120-year-old newspaper page. Sometimes the smallest notices tell the most interesting stories. … See MoreSee Less