Nelson-Crier House
Round Rock, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
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
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Andrew J. and Hedwig Nelson emigrated from Sweden and settled at Round Rock in 1854, where Andrew prospered in a range of businesses before his death in 1895. His widow and heirs commissioned Austin's Page Brothers to build this house, and in 1931 a later generation had Dallas architect Wilson McClure restyle its Victorian front into Classical Revival. Three generations of Nelsons lived here before Eugene and Jean Crier Goodrich bought and restored the mansion in 1960, naming it Woodbine.
Why it matters
The Nelson-Crier House traces a Swedish immigrant family's rise across three generations and reflects how successful settlers reshaped their homes to match changing American architectural fashions.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the mid-1800s, Central Texas drew settlers from across the United States and from Europe. Among them was a steady stream of Swedish immigrants. Once a few Swedes had settled around Austin, letters home and family ties pulled others after them, and small Swedish communities took root in the counties nearby, including Williamson.
When the Nelsons arrived in 1854, Round Rock was a young settlement near Brushy Creek on good farming and ranching land. Texas had only recently become a state. Newcomers who were willing to work hard could build real prosperity in a place that was still taking shape.
In the decades after, the area changed a great deal. Railroads reached Central Texas, towns grew, and families who had done well built homes that showed it. Fashions in architecture changed along with everything else.
People & events
Andrew J. and Hedwig Nelson came from Sweden and settled here in 1854. Andrew worked in a number of businesses, and over the years that effort paid off. By his death in 1895 the family had done well, the kind of success many immigrants crossed an ocean hoping for.
After he died, his widow and heirs had this house built between 1895 and 1900. They hired the Page Brothers, an architectural firm from Austin. The original design was Victorian, a style full of ornament and fashionable at the close of the century.
A generation later, the Nelsons' son Thomas Edward and his wife gave the house a new look. In 1931 they hired Dallas architect Wilson McClure to change the Victorian front into the Classical Revival style, with its dignified, columned look. Three generations of Nelsons lived here. In 1960, Eugene N. and Jean Crier Goodrich bought the mansion, renovated it, and named it Woodbine.
Its place in the American story
The Nelson-Crier House is a small-scale version of a very American story: immigrants arriving with ambition and building a family legacy across generations. Swedish settlers helped shape Central Texas, and their contribution is easy to miss in a state better known for other immigrant traditions.
The house also shows how Americans updated their homes to keep up with changing taste. Rebuilding a Victorian front in the Classical Revival style was common in the early twentieth century, when ornate Victorian design began to seem dated and classical forms suggested stability and refinement. One building holds both chapters.
The mansion has passed from the family that built it to new owners who restored it. That makes it a case study in how historic homes survive. Each generation of stewards adds to the story instead of erasing it.
If you visit
Study the front of the house and try to read its two lives. The Classical Revival face you see comes from the 1931 remodeling, but underneath it the house began as a Victorian home from the 1890s. Please enjoy it respectfully from public space.
Round Rock has grown quickly, but historic corners like this one still recall the older town that Swedish immigrants and other early settlers helped build. Take a slow walk nearby and look for other early buildings.
This stop fits easily into a day exploring Williamson County and the Austin area. If you are interested in immigrant history, it makes a fine anchor for a drive through the small Central Texas communities that Swedish families once called home.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Andrew J. Nelson
- · Hedwig Nelson
Themes & tags
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