Book author & professor .. December 2007 guests of the Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, Texas

The Iron Horse Inn recently had as guests a book author and professor from Boston, Mass. She is going to write a book about the daughter, Josephine, of the 1905 owners of this estate, the Daniel Cogdell family. A pin-up girl in the 20's, and a young caucasian woman who married a black journalist, Miss Josephine took on challenges in Harlem. Guests enjoyed hearing the history of the Cogdells, and the story of writing this book.

Shared by: Judy & Bob Atkinson, The Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, Texas; members of The Granbury Area Bed & Breakfast Association

A peppy little Christmas Song!

We've been innkeepers in Granbury, Texas for almost nine years, and we've had many repeat guests. We just received our Christmas newsletter from one of those couples, and I'm passing along the link to a wonderful Christmas song. I hope you enjoy it!

If you don't already have the Christmas Spirit, maybe this will help you along!

"Mary's Boy Child", (1978)

Merry Christmas!

Shared by: Betty Moss, Baker St. Harbour Waterfront Bed & Breakfast, Granbury, Texas

New Year's Eve 2007! Come to Granbury, Texas, "Branson on the Brazos"

Wow! How the year has flown, and it's time for ringing in another NEW YEAR with lots of hope for the future!

Granbury has become known as the "Branson on the Brazos" for the professional and exciting entertainment venues offered! Here are some 2007 New Year's Eve Special Celebrations!

• The Granbury Live New Year's Eve Blast .. with dinner, dancing, party favors, concert, black-eyed peas at midnight and more! 817-573-0303


• The New Year's Eve Gospel Concert at the historic Granbury Opera House .. wonderful gospel groups to celebrate the New Year! Contact Diane Davis, 817-573-3800 for information and tickets!


• The Granbury Riverboat New Year's Eve Gala .. with dinner, murder mystery, dancing & entertainment, raising the anchor at the midnight hour, midnight good luck buffet, hats & horns, complimentary non-alcoholic champagne, Call 817-279-8687 for information & reservations!

The Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association Reservation Information Listings can help with lodging needs for YOUR New Year's Eve celebration. Choose from luxurious bed and breakfast inn accommodations, historic and lakefront properties, cabins, or cottages. Traditional hosted as well as unhosted properties are available.

Come to Granbury and Celebrate the New Year 2008 with us!

New Year's Eve Celebrations, Granbury Texas

GRANBURY RIVERBOAT NEW YEAR'S EVE GALA

Call 817-279-8687 for information and reservations!

GRANBURY OPERA HOUSE GOSPEL CONCERT
The concert will be held at the Granbury Opera House, and Diane Davis, owner of The Merry Heart Tearoom and Stringfellows is the Event Coordinator.

Tickets: $15

Call 817-573-3800 for information & reservations!

GRANBURY LIVE NEW YEAR'S GALA/DINNER and CONCERT

7PM, Monday, December 31.

Only 200 tickets will be sold.

Call 817-573-0303 or 1-800-989-8240 for information & reservations!

Happy Holidays from The Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association!

"Home for Christmas" - Granbury Opera House, Granbury Texas

"Home for Christmas" is a must-see Christmas musical filled with wonderful light-hearted Christmas Classics as well as fun and clever "re-arrangements"; "Santa does the mambo", and others. The costumes, script, and professional performances are exceptional and very entertaining.

The first segment is filled with primarily secular music, but ends with the golden voice of Chelsea Walker singing "Oh Holy Night". This young lady could be on stage most ANYWHERE, and we are so blessed to have her and the rest of this outstanding cast in Granbury, Texas at the historical Granbury Opera House.

The second segment is filled with wonderful spiritual selections that warm your heart, and bring you the true meaning of Christmas. "The Christmas Guest" as told by one of the cast, reminds us that God is Love; that God can (and DOES) appear in many forms, and that Christmas is all about Love.

Give yourself or a loved one a great Christmas gift, and reserve your tickets now! The last performance is Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 2:30 p.m.

We wish you all a very spirit-filled Christmas and Happy New Year! ... From The Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association

Review is the personal opinion of Betty Moss, Baker St. Harbour Waterfront Bed & Breakfast, Granbury, Texas.

Warm Country Heart Theater, Granbury, Texas

Warm Country Heart is a live classic country theatre located in Granbury, Texas featuring "Branson style" music shows. You'll hear some of your favorites from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and today. We'd love to see you at our shows, so give us a call or stop by Warm Country Heart today!

Upcoming Events!

12/15/07 ~ 7:30 p.m.
WCH Christmas Opry - Local entertainers join the WCH crew for another great opry performance. Don't miss this one!

12/22/07 ~ 7:30 p.m.
WCH Christmas Show - Join us for your favorite Christmas songs, carols, and humor!
Shake off the shopping blues and celebrate the season with WCH!

SO, you want to be an innkeeper!

Innkeeping has been (and is) one of the most rewarding professions in my life. We travel all over the world and never leave the breakfast table! This concept, however, did not happen overnight!

When we started researching the idea of purchasing either an existing bed and breakfast or a property to convert, we had many questions, and sought advice from many sources. Bill & I were both employed full time in Wichita, Ks, and didn't have the time or resources to travel to another state for an Aspiring Innkeeper's Workshop. At that time, we were not aware of the State Innkeeper Organization, then called the Historic Accommodations of Texas. You might say we did it the hard way, and we're here to help you streamline the process by what we've learned! Let us and "HAT" help reduce YOUR learning curve!

The Hospitality Accommodations of Texas (HAT) is presenting its "Innkeeping: The Basics" mid-year workshop on February 25, 2008 from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm at Ye Kendall Inn. Boerne, TX.

In addition, the HAT "Innkeeping in Texas" Resource Manual can be a very valuable resource for aspiring as well as seasoned innkeepers in Texas. (Your registration in the above workshop INCLUDES this valuable Resource Manual)!

For information about other upcoming workshops, region meetings, and conventions, see the Hospitality Accommodations of Texas (HAT) website, e-mail HAT's corporate office at info@hat.org or call 1-800-HAT-0368. The information and registration forms may be found on the home page under "Upcoming Events and Conferences".

In February, 2008, Bill & I will celebrate our 9th anniversary as Innkeepers, and we have many stories to share, but we've listed the property for sale due to health reasons and desire to travel. You can see our listing as well as some other HAT properties at Inns for Sale, Hospitality Accommodations of Texas (HAT).

Mark your calendar NOW for the HAT 2008 Convention & Trade Show Celebrating our 25th Anniversary August 25 - 27 Granbury Texas Convention Center. For more information e-mail Herb at info@hat.org.

To learn more about Hood County and Granbury, Texas, click here

Shared by: Betty Moss, Baker St. Harbour Waterfront Bed & Breakfast, Granbury, Texas

Granbury Riverboat Dinner Theatre

Granbury Riverboat

Dinner Theatre Presents

"A Way in the West"
WOMEN ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER

“A WAY IN THE WEST” is a sixty-minute, one act play in which six of those women tell their stories, and in telling of how and why they came to the west, also tell how women and the frontier remade one another. Using letters, diaries, and autobiographies, playwritter Andy Wilkinson has drawn the words and music from the voices of the women themselves. Actress Trudy Fair gives those voices life. Cruise back in time along the historic Brazos River channel as Comanche Peak overlooks the journey.

This dinner theatre experience begins with an 1800’s style “pot roast dinner” and bread pudding for dessert. Allow yourself to travel back to the days when our pioneer-mothers carried water from this river and remained alert for Comanche swooping down from the mesa above.

December 9, 2007
Cruise begins 6pm to 8pm
Boarding 5:30pm
Call 817-279-8687
Or Visit our web-site at http://www.granburyriverboat.com/

For your reservations today!!!

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

Do we hear wedding bells in the near future? Granbury Texas has many wedding and reception venues from which to choose, some of which are unique and quaint Bed and Breakfasts.

Here's a great article from BnBFinder listing reasons why a Bed and Breakfast is a great choice for your wedding celebration!

Let the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association members , area wedding specialists, and Historic Granbury Merchants Association help make your special day into reality!

New Year's Eve Gospel Concert, Granbury Opera House

Join in the New Year's Eve Festivities in Granbury Texas!

We love living in Granbury and enjoy the small town atmosphere and the wonderful Holiday celebrations! One of our favorites is the Annual New Year's Eve Gospel Concert at the Granbury Opera House on the historic Granbury Square!

Great gospel music, black eye peas, and cornbread at midnight!
Box Office Opens at 7:00 pm
Concert: 8:00 p.m. - midnight

Tickets: $15
Contact: Dianne Davis ~ 817-573-3800

Happy Holidays from The Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association!

Granbury Riverboat, New Year's Eve Celebration Cruise

NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATION CRUISE on the Granbury Riverboat, the Star of Lake Granbury

Location: 2323 S MORGAN - PIER 144

Everything you could ask for... Filet Mignon Dinner, Murder Mystery, Entertainer for dancing, Midnight Buffet, Countdown as we raise the anchor, Complimentary non-alcoholic champagne & midnight Good-Luck Buffet. Don't Delay! Always sells out early. A New Years Eve that will live forever in your hearts. BYOB.

Call 817-279-8687 for details.

Happy Holidays from The Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association and The Granbury Riverboat Staff!

Granbury Live Christmas Concert, Granbury Texas historic square

Remembering the Reason for the Season ...
Enjoy sacred and secular Christmas songs performed by the New Granbury Live Band and Allan Asbury, Christian recording artist.

Concerts run through December 23rd - tickets are selling like hotcakes. Call 1-800-989-8240 for your favorite seats today!

View "DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS" - Granbury Live Christmas Concert Video .. and read the REVIEW BY RICK MAUCH, HOOD COUNTY NEWS

Happy Holidays from the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association and Historic Granbury Merchants Association

Need an "attitude adjustment"?

From Tiberia at Barking Rocks Winery, just N. of Granbury: "Our first Friday gathering in December will be the 7th from 7 till 11. Joe Henderson will be plucking the strings and sharing his original songs with us. Joe is a long time friend. We have watched him and his family grow over the years and his songs are in many cases a reflection of these experiences and relationships. We will hopefully be burning some wood in the pit outside. So bring your morsels and attitudes to share and we will pop the appropriate corks to make the occasion flow."

If you have experienced First Friday gatherings at Barking Rocks, please post your comments. We'd like to hear from you!

Make Granbury, Texas your next overnight destination! Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association Members offer a variety of accommodations, and area merchants welcome you with sights and sounds of the Holidays!

Holiday Recipes: Dinosaur Trail Cabins and Cottages, Granbury, Texas

Gertie’s Dip

8 oz brick cream cheese
2 Tbs grated onion
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Beat all ingredients well. Serve with Fritos Scoops.

Shared by: Dinosaur Trail Cabins, Granbury, Texas, Karlyne and Gary Van Daele; members of the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association. This is a "must-have recipe" for those holiday football games.

Holiday Recipes: Baker St. Harbour Waterfront Bed and Breakfast .. Granbury, Texas ..

Frozen Cranberry Delight

1 14 oz can Eagle Brand Milk
¼ C lemon juice
1 16 oz can whole cranberry sauce
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
½ c chopped nuts (walnuts preferred)
1 large 12 oz carton Cool Whip

Combine milk and lemon juice. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into one of the following depending on your preferred serving style or need: 1 ungreased 9 x 13 dish, or 24 paper-lined muffin tins. The muffin tins work great for a wonderful frozen dessert ready to serve!

Shared by: Baker St. Harbour Waterfront Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas, Betty and Bill Moss, members of the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association

Holiday Recipes: The Iron Horse Inn .. Granbury, Texas ..

Pecan Sandies

1 cup butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsps. water
2 tsps. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter & sugar; add the water and vanilla; mix well. Blend in flour and nuts. Chill for easier shaping into crescent shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 for 24+ minutes. While still warm, dip into red/green sugar for that festive Christmas look. A trick to this recipe is not to underbake! Let them get just golden in color. Makes 3 dz. cookies

Shared by: The Iron Horse Inn, Granbury, Texas, Judy and Bob Atkinson, members of the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association

Holiday Recipes: The Pomegranate House Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas

Panettone French Toast with Apples and Cranberries*

½ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 TB water

¾ cup sun-dried cranberries or raisins
2 lb Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced ¼” thick

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt

6, 1-inch slices panettone

Melt ¼ cup butter in saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and water until combined. Spread mixture over bottom of 9 X 13 glass baking dish.

Heat remaining butter over medium heat. Add apples and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until cooked but not mushy. Spread apples over the bottom of baking dish; sprinkle with cranberries. Cover with panettone slices.

Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Pour over panettone, coating all of the slices. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake French toast uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until lightly golden. Spoon the apples over toast when serving.

Shared by: Pomegranate House Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas, Betty and Tommy Potts, members of the Granbury Area Bed and Breakfast Association. "This recipe is one we serve only in December. Panettone is an Italian Christmas bread, with currants and other goodies in it."

Reflections of Granbury 1858-1945 .. A Candlelight Tour of Homes

A Preserve Granbury Event

Saturday, December 1st from 2-10 p.m. and

Sunday, December 2nd from Noon to 6 p.m.

Dedicated to the memories of Mary Kate Durham and Glenda Pirkle,

historians and community leaders

• Tour seven privately owned homes - at each house you'll discover a different era of daily life in a small Texas town
• Meet and greet Granbury's pioneers and historic characters
• Savor the sights and sounds of the holidays around an authentic Victorian courthouse square
• Enjoy Yuletide musical entertainment

Tickets: $15 days of tour ** $12 in advance ** $10 in advance for groups of 20 or more

Sponsored by The First National Bank of Granbury Since 1887

Call Granbury Convention and Visitors Bureau 1-800-950-2212 or 817-573-5548

See our Granbury Area Bed & Breakfast lodging opportunities

for your Granbury Getaway!

Granbury, Texas .. childhood memories

As I gaze over the crystal waters of beautiful Lake Granbury, I am thankful for our many blessings, and my mind wanders back to my childhood days in Stephenville, Texas, just 30 miles west of Granbury. In the late 50's, our Stephenville High School Band and Orchestra traveled to Granbury for competitions in the old Decker Gym, now The Boys and Girls Club of Hood County. What is now the Groggy Dawg Marina and Grill was nothing but a huge calache pit, and as I remember, hardly anything was further down on Highway 144S. We crossed the 377 bridge over the Brazos on our way to shop in Ft. Worth, especially for school clothes and for Christmas, (very special occasions)! Those Were the days! That of course was before the Brazos River was dammed at DeCordova in 1969, and Lake Granbury became a reality. John Graves' "Goodbye to a River" depicts one writer's account of this moment in history.

The Granbury Square was just a mere glimpse of the square today. A few years later renovations began on many of the wonderful historic buildings on the square. Yes, we are very thankful to be a part of this great community, and remember some of those defining moments in Granbury's exciting history. We will be sharing more!

By Betty (Bailey) Moss, Class of '61, Stephenville High School.

Granbury, Texas .. Hood County Courthouse

Erected 1890-1891, this handsome building is the fifth courthouse on this site, and is a Texas version of the french second empire style. The first courthouse (1867) was a 1-room log cabin housing county records, lawyers and land agents' offices, and mail station. It was succeeded by 3 stone structures. Contractors Moodie and Ellis and Architect W.C. Dodson built this native stone edifice. The clock tower, added after completion, was reinforced with steel in 1969. This wonderful historic masterpiece still proudly stands as the focal point of the historic Granbury Square, which became the first in Texas to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, and was the model for the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Program. It has been described as "one of the most complete examples of a late 19th century courthouse square in Texas." The readers of Texas Highways magazine voted Granbury as "The best Town Square in Texas," in 1998.

Granbury, Texas .. the early days

In 1854 "Uncle Tommy" Lambert and Amon Bond led a group of emigrants, mostly from Tennessee, across the Brazos River to the west bank into traditional Indian territory. That same year, Elizabeth Crockett brought her family from Tennessee to settle on a league of land awarded by the Republic of Texas to heirs of men who fought in the Texas Revolution in 1836. In 1866 brothers J. and J. H. Nutt donated forty acres of riverfront property to form a new townsite, and Hood County was carved out of Johnson and Erath counties and named in honor of Gen. John Bell Hood. The new town was named for Gen. Hiram Bronson Granbury, who led Confederate troops from this area into battle during the Civil War. Three spirited elections were needed to make Granbury the county seat, instead of the older Glen Rose and Fort Spunky further south. The first two courthouses burned, the second one in 1875, at which time Somervell County was demarcated out of Hood County. Granbury's new three-story courthouse was built of Brazos limestone and had a lighted clock tower.