by Rebecca Heliot, Fort Worth Report
October 26, 2026

A Granbury ranch with over 264 acres of land — and connections to TCU’s origins — was put on the market for $8.7 million this month, according to Mock Ranches Group. 

Bedroom walls are paneled with timber dating back to the 1800s, according to Mock Ranches Group. (Courtesy | Mock Ranches Group)

The Lightning C Ranch includes a two-bedroom 3,450-square-foot residence, the real estate company said in a news release Oct. 14. The home showcases a design by former owner Dan Coates, a financial executive, rodeo presenter, rancher and Western artist who became a prominent figure in Hood County’s modern history. 

“My dad loved the Old West. That’s really what this house was designed like,” said Coates’ daughter Courtney Blackman, who — along with her husband, Greg — put the house on the market. “Everything about my dad was Old Western, even the way he dressed.”

Ranch Repose, a life-size bronze memorial to Texas artist Dan Coates, created by local artist Mike Tabor. in Shanley Park in Granbury. (Courtesy | Shanley Sculpture Garden, photo by Kelcey Daffan).

The listing details a home with bedrooms framed in Pennsylvania-sourced, hand-hewn timber dating back to the 1800s, two bathrooms and an upstairs bunkhouse with a private half-bath.

According to Mock Ranches Group, Coates worked with a friend to design the home, which features an exterior and fireplaces built with stone salvaged from the AddRan College of Liberal Arts building in the nearby community of Thorp Spring, the location of an early incarnation of Texas Christian University. Brothers Randolph and Addison Clark opened Add-Ran College there in 1873 before moving it to Waco in 1896, eventually changing the name to Texas Christian University. 

“They said it had come from the old Add-Ran college, and that it had burned to the ground,” Blackman said. The stones were all that were left, she recalled. Coates anchored the design of the home to its stonework, she said. Coates died at the age of 67 in April 2005 during a cattle roundup on the JA Ranch in Palo Duro Canyon.

Dan Coates was a successful financier and acclaimed artist. This photo shows his private art studio at the Lightning C Ranch. (Courtesy | Mock Ranches Group)

Coates has been recognized as a major contributor to the Granbury art community, and a bronze statue was installed at the Shanley Park Sculpture Garden last July. His saloon-style studio on the ranch is where he created much of his art. 

Blackman, 62, said she and her family spent a lot of time at the ranch during holidays.

One of her favorite things about the home is its 1,042-foot elevation. 

“The house sits on the second-highest peak in Hood County,” she said. 

The Lightning C Ranch in Granbury includes a private lake, Bermuda grass pastures, expansive countryside views, and a 100-gallon producing water well. (Courtesy | Mock Ranches Group)

According to the listing, the family fished in that private 1.8-acre lake. The property also features a 100-gallon producing water well and Bermuda grass pastures reinforced with cross-fencing for cattle grazing and rotation. 

“The Lightning C is truly a one-of-a-kind ranch,” Kasey Mock, CEO of Mock Ranches Group, said in the release. 

He said that the property’s location, an hour southwest of downtown Fort Worth, makes it particularly unique. 

“Add the history and legacy of the Lightning C Ranch and it becomes a property unlike anything else on the market,” he said. 

Dan Coates, a prominent figure in Granbury’s art community, designed his art studio as an Old West saloon. (Courtesy | Mock Ranches Group)

Blackman and her 66-year-old husband decided to sell the home to spend more time with their family, including an upcoming 11th grandchild. She has her own ideal buyers in mind. 

“I hope it is a young family who can enjoy it and love it and appreciate it as much as we have,” she said. 

Rebecca Heliot is a freelance reporter who previously served as a business reporter for The Oklahoman. She specializes in general assignment business reporting, features and breaking news. Her work has been published in The Oklahoman, USA Today, Community Impact, Houston Chronicle and more. Contact her at rebecca.heliot@fortworthreport.org. 

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