Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 73F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

Dan Vanderburg is a local author that specializes in historical action/adventure novels set in the revolution and republic period of early Texas. He has published six novels to date. Mr. Vanderburg also serves on the board of directors of the Bridge Street History Center in Granbury. 

After the Civil War, many Texas towns were experiencing dramatic growth as people primarily from the southern states moved west. Many families lost everything in the war and were looking for a new beginning. Granbury, a fledgling town nestled on a bluff overlooking the Brazos River, along with its surrounding area of prime farm and ranch land, was attractive to many of those people. New farmers and ranchers in the area required new businesses to support their needs.

Through the late decades of the 1800s, the square was filling up. Buildings were erected for several blocks surrounding the square. Older log and wooden commercial buildings were replaced with the more durable limestone blocks from local quarries.   

Built in 1886 by J. N. Haney from the local limestone, the Shanley house was intended from the beginning as a utilitarian work structure. Originally known as the “Granite Mill,” it was used as a gristmill for grinding corn. It was also used as a cotton gin to accommodate the county’s growing cotton industry in the 1880s and 1890s. Haney also built the old Hood County Jail in 1885.

In 1900, the building was sold to Michael H. Shanley whose family owned it for 76 years. Soon after he bought it, Mike Shanley converted its ground floor to an opera house. Later, it was converted to a kitchen cabinet factory where Shanley’s crews made patented cabinets mounted on casters.

In 1912, Shanley’s interests changed and he reconfigured the structure to what became known as “Shanley’s Rock Hotel.” The Shanleys were a very prominent family in Granbury.

In the years following, the Shanley house was converted to a residence and was rented to local families. Madeline Shanley Greene, daughter of Michael Shanley, made her home here for many years after the death of her husband.

In 1976, after the U.S. Bicentennial celebration in Granbury, the Shanley family sold the 4.7 acres of land that included the old rock building to the Hood County Bicentennial Commission. After hundreds of hours of volunteer work and contributions repairing and preserving the old building, it became the official location of the Senior Center and Meals on Wheels.

By 1994, the Bicentennial Commission evolved its name to the Shanley Park Association. Its purpose was to preserve the surrounding grounds as a green space for future generations. Over the years, that green space has become the beautiful Shanley Park.

The Shanley House, sitting in its picturesque location overlooking the park in downtown Granbury, is now the home of the Lake Granbury Art Association. This is an enthusiastic group of artists who present workshops, demonstrations, classes and art shows.

Like so many of the old buildings in Granbury and Hood County, the Shanley House has seen and heard so many interesting things over the last 136 years. It’s heard machines milling grain and ginning cotton. It’s seen the calloused and scarred hands of tradesmen using their tools to make beautiful cabinets. It’s heard laughter, music and lines recited from shows. It’s heard babies’ babble and children laugh and sing in their play. And now those stately old walls of that building are finally embraced with beautiful artwork produced by talented artists of the Lake Granbury Art Association.  

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