Julia Ann Ragsdale Home
Wimberley, Hays County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Widow of Dr. Frederick B. Ragsdale (1804-1851), Julia Ann Ragsdale (1821-1908) was a well-educated woman who taught school in Arkansas before she brought her family to Texas during the Civil War. In 1864 her daughter Mary Elizabeth (1843-1872) married Light Stapleton Townsend (1834-1928). After Mary's death, Mrs. Ragsdale moved to Wimberley in 1875 to raise her four grandchildren. Townsend built this board-and-batten home for them on Cypress Creek in 1879. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1976
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Julia Ann Ragsdale was a well-educated widow who had taught school in Arkansas before bringing her family to Texas during the Civil War. After her daughter's early death, she moved to Wimberley in 1875 to raise four grandchildren, and her son-in-law built this board-and-batten home for them on the banks of Cypress Creek in 1879. Her story traces a familiar frontier arc of loss, migration, and family perseverance.
Why it matters
It preserves the too-often untold role of educated frontier women who held families together and carried learning into new communities.
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Related people
- · Julia Ann Ragsdale
- · Mary Elizabeth Townsend
- · Light Stapleton Townsend
Themes & tags
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