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