DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the man passing it along. Now, every good house has a story, and this one in Williamson County starts way back in 1854, when Andrew J. and Hedwig Nelson — all the way from Sweden — put down roots right here. They weren't the kind of folks who sat still.
Andrew was hard-workin' across many businesses, and he prospered. That word, prospered, is doin' a lot of work, but it's the right word. Then comes 1895, and Andrew Nelson passes.
But here's where the story shifts — because his widow and his heirs, they didn't let grief slow them down one bit. They commissioned Page Brothers, architects out of Austin, to build this very house. The project ran from 1895 to 1900, and when it was done, you had yourself a proper Victorian mansion standin' on this land.
Now, three generations of Nelsons lived under that roof. But somewhere along the way, the family decided the Victorian facade needed a new look. A son — Thomas Edward Nelson — and his wife brought in Wilson McClure, a Dallas architect, and in 1931 he restyled the whole face of the place into Classical Revival.
Same bones, whole new expression. The Nelsons' chapter finally closed, and in 1960, Eugene N. and Jean Crier Goodrich bought the mansion, renovated it, and gave it a name — Woodbine. Swedish immigrants, three generations, two architectural visions, and one enduring house.
That's a lot of living for one piece of Texas ground.
What the marker says
In 1854, Andrew J. and Hedwig Nelson of Sweden settled here. Hard-working in many businesses, Nelson (d. 1895) prospered. His widow and heirs had this house built by Page Brothers, Austin architects, 1895-1900. A son, Thomas Edward, and wife had Dallas architect Wilson McClure restyle Victorian facade to Classical Revival in 1931. Three generations of Nelsons lived here. In 1960, Eugene N. and Jean Crier Goodrich bought and renovated the mansion and named it Woodbine. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1973