About Our Farm

Wild-Connections is located on 56 acres of beautiful Texas Hill Country. The farm features a rock-bottom creek, several small wet-weather creeks, open fields, and wooded areas. Each offers you the opportunity to explore the habitat of our native plants and animals. Slow down, poke around, and discover the many wonders of nature!

History of the Farm...
The land was originally settled in the late 1860's by the Townsend brothers and their elderly father. The two brothers, who were Confederate soldiers, built the original

homestead cabin that is now the center part of the main house (now our education facility, gift shop, and office) and a smaller cabin for their elderly father.Both structures are still used. Attached to the small cabin is the smokehouse now used as a storage room. The dry stack walls of the stables are also original, however the fencing and roof is new. Over the years, additions have been made to all of the structures as new owners saw fit.

The family cemetery is located near the butterfly house and has been dedicated by the Daughters of the Confederacy. It contains several headstones dating back

to the late 1800's. Behind the main house, the grinder used to mill sorghum still stands and turns! It is dated 1865. In addtion the remnants of a root cellar can also be found behind the main house. The road that runs along the side of the house is part of the original stagecoach line between Austin and Johnson City.

The ranch (several thousand acres) was purchased in the 1940's by Allen Sears of the Sears and Roebuck Family and was used to raise Shetland ponies that could be purchased through the Sears and Roebuck catalog. Allen Sears is also responsible for bringing to you the Nutty Brown Café located on Highway 290 West which originally began as a mill and bakery.

We purchased the farm in January 2003 from the heirs of William Bowers who was Assistant Secretary of State for the State of Texas. The farm is approximately 56 acres…a mere shadow of the ranch that it once was.

Wild-Connections...
began as the idea to educate children about the wonders of nature. We opened in March 2004 as a butterfly farm and nature center. We are open for tours of the butterfly house, picnicking, hiking, and strolling through the gardens.

Why?
Sometimes we ask that question as well! We are a small family of three, armed with some really good friends and a love for Mother Nature. We aren't backed by a major university and all of its research, nor are we eco-extremists. Basically, we grew up running wild in the country and exploring freely, and we want that same experience for other children. The world is truly full of amazing wonders, and it does a marvelous job without the help (or interference) of we humans.

In working with and observing children throughout the years, we've noticed that they just don't know how to be outdoors, and therefore, they are missing a lot! It seems as though nature has become something that is "out there." The idea that all living things are interconnected and live in a symbiotic relationship never becomes a

part of their lives, and thus, the destruction of land and animals bears no weight upon their conscience. Children are growing up disconnected to the natural world…their natural habitat. We want to change that, or at least touch a few lives that might make a difference.

So we created Wild-Connections, our answer to reintroducing humans to the wild…a human rehabilitation center if you will…and we chose the butterfly as our ambassador. We offer tours of our fully-enclosed butterfly habitat and have opened up the land to allow children and their families the opportunity to explore the mysteries of nature.

In addition, we want to educate the people of Central Texas about the benefits of native plants and why it is so important to put them in your yard and gardens to provide habitat for the native wildlife...including lots of butterflies! So come and enjoy the great outdoors with us!

The Goodin Family
Mark, Julie, & Caroline

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