Site of Schultz Blacksmith Shop

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about this spot in Hood County. Now, every good story's got a man at the center of it, and this one's got Carl Severin Schultz, born all the way over in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1876. Think about that for a second.

Copenhagen. Denmark. And somehow the road led him here, to Granbury, Texas, to a piece of ground he'd purchase in 1900 and make his own.

Before he ever picked up a hammer on this site, though, Carl had already tried his hand at more than one trade. He'd married Nelsona Vestermann; she was born in 1871; and together they made their way to the United States, where Carl moved through several professions, including, and I do enjoy this detail, ownership of a soft drink factory. A soft drink factory.

The man had range. But somewhere along the way, Carl Schultz found his calling at the forge. He became the village blacksmith, and he operated his shop right here on this very site.

And he wasn't just any blacksmith grinding out rough work. Word got around. His craftsmanship was known throughout the town and throughout the county; fine work, the kind people remembered and talked about.

The marker tells us Carl Schultz represents a type: the settler and business leader who shaped Granbury at the turn of the century. A man from Copenhagen who crossed an ocean, tried a few roads, bought this piece of land, and left his mark on it with fire and iron. Not a bad story for one small plot of Texas ground.

What the marker says

Carl Severin Schultz was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1876. After marrying Nelsona Vestermann (b. 1871), he came to the United States and settled professions, including ownership of a soft drink factory. He later became the village blacksmith and operated his shop on this site, which he had purchased in 1900. Known throughout the town and the county for his fine craftsmanship, Schultz represents the type of settler and business leader who lived in Granbury at the turn of the century.