Ralph Bowden, a Granbury merchant who served as a city councilman and established an early telephone system for the area, originally built this home for himself and his family near the courthouse square. The “Granbury Courthouse Square” became the first town square in Texas to be listed in the National Register and The National Trust for Historic Preservation has modeled its Main Street Program after Granbury’s restoration efforts. The Hood County Courthouse restoration is beautiful and almost completed.
It’s a Folk Victorian and located among other homes in an historic section of Granbury Texas, that were built between 1908 and 1914. The Texas Historical Commission designated it a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, because it “stands as a reflection of Granbury’s growth and prominence.” The home features leaded glass windows and steeply pitched gables with flaring eaves. In 1914, it was sold to Perry Kennon who served as the Hood County Tax Assessor.
The new owners are currently undertaking a sensitive restoration and addition with Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc. Inside the large pediment of the front gable is a triple window with an architrave above the window. The front windows have delicate Gothic wood tracery, rather than traditional panes, lending a Victorian Gothic feel to the home. Many of the windows still contain the original glass. The home was constructed mostly of pine with plaster walls and ceilings. The home’s pier and beam foundation is made of stone and the exterior of the foundation is crafted of stone as well.
