DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some men leave a mark on a place so deep that the place can't quite imagine itself without them — and Claude Carr Cody was one of those men. Born in Georgia in 1854, he made his way to Georgetown, Texas, and settled in at Southwestern University for thirty-seven years.
Thirty-seven years. As a mathematics professor and university administrator, he became so woven into the fabric of that institution that folks took to calling him the Grand Old Man of Southwestern. That is not a nickname you earn in a hurry.
Back in 1883, Claude married Martha Hughes — Mattie, everyone called her — and her father, a man who wore two hats as both a judge and a legislator, Thomas P. Hughes, he gave the newlyweds a lot right here in Georgetown. Now Thomas P.
Hughes was generous with his land, I'll tell you that much — he'd already given the adjacent lot to another daughter, Lonetta Booty. So here you had two daughters, side by side, on their father's gifted ground. The Codys got to work, and by 1897 they had themselves a home.
And not just any home. This is a Free Classic Queen Anne house, and she's got the details to prove it — Doric columns standing tall out front, an octagonal corner bay that catches your eye from down the street, and a distinctive oval window that just dares you to walk on by without looking twice. The Grand Old Man of Southwestern built a house worthy of the name, and it's still standing here in Williamson County to tell you so.
What the marker says
Georgia native Claude Carr Cody (1854-1923) worked at Southwestern University for 37 years, serving as a mathematics professor and university administrator. He was known as the "Grand Old Man of Southwestern." He wed Martha "Mattie" Hughes in 1883, and her father, judge and legislator Thomas P. Hughes, gave them this lot, adjacent to one he had given to another daughter, Lonetta Booty. The Codys completed their home by 1897. The Free Classic Queen Anne house features Doric columns, an octagonal corner bay and a distinctive oval window. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2005