Friday, May 13, 2011

Austin Historical Markers

    1. Las Ventanas  602 Harthan Street, Austin TX 78701
    2. Lilia and Josephine Casis 2710 Exposition Boulevard, Austin TX 78703
    3. Littlefield Home             George W. Littlefield (1842-1920) came to Texas with his family in 1850. He served in the Civil War with Terry’s Texas Rangers, attaining the rank of Major. Following the war he became a cattleman and acquired ranches in New Mexico and the Texas panhandle. He came to Austin in 1883 and engaged in banking. A regent of the University of Texas, 1911-1920, he contributed funds for new buildings, study grants and library collections. Littlefield built this Victorian residence in 1894. Designed by James W. Wahrenberger, the house was bequeathed to the university in 1935.

      Erected 1962
      at the intersection of Whitis Ave and W 24th St, on the right when traveling south on Whitis Ave.
    4. M.M. Long’s Livery Stable and Opera House   901 Congress Ave, Austin TX 78701
    5. Major John B. Jones —  In Camp Mabry near 35th St entrance. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2210 West 35th Street, Austin TX 78703
    6. Major William Martin “Buck” Walton —
      Mississippi native William M. “Buck” Walton attended the University of Virginia and studied law in Carrollton, Mississippi. In 1853 he moved to Austin, where his first law partner was A.J. Hamilton, later Governor of Texas. In 1862 he enlisted in the Confederate Army, serving in Co. B, 21st Texas Cavalry. He was elected Texas Attorney General in 1866. In the practice of law he had few peers in land litigation, and was considered one of the best criminal defense attorneys in Texas. Esteemed for his generosity, Major Walton was a well known public speaker, author and civic leader. He retired in 1907 but remained active until his death at age 83. He is buried here with his wife of 60 years, Lettie Watkins Walton, their four children and other family members.

      Erected 1999
      1601 Navasota Street, Austin TX 78702

    8. Mary Street Stone House - 1001 W Mary St, Austin TX 78704
    9.  
    10. Maud Anna Berry Smith Fuller  . . . Marker is on 2808 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, on the right when traveling west. 
    11. Mauthe-Myrick Mansion Rafael Mauthe (1820-79) - 408 W 14th St, Austin TX 78701
    12. Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church  . . . 1101 E 10th St, Austin TX 78702
    13.  
    14.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14112 — Michael Paggi House Built here prior to the Civil War on land owned by Col. S.W. Goodrich (d. 1868), this house was located near a low-water crossing of the Colorado River. A planter, Goodrich owned a sawmill, grist mill, and cotton gin. Michael Paggi (d. 1911), a native of Italy, bought the Greek Revival home in 1884. His Austin businesses included an ice company and a carriage shop. Ownership of the residence was transferred to his daughter Helen (Paggi) Powell in 1906. 
    15.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12979 — Millbrook (Roy-Hardin House) William Carroll "Cal" Roy (1851-1916) and Annie (Stanley) Roy (1851-1925) bought this Bouldin mill site in 1894 from Powhatan Bouldin, heir of James E. Bouldin (1796-1876), the original owner. It was converted into a home, and here the Roy’s reared children Robert E. "Rob," Addie M., Jessie, Adele and Inca. The family sold the home in 1939 to Ernest Randolph Hardin (1902-1987) and his wife, Maurine (Underwood) (1900-1946). The Hardins, both drama professors, eclectically restored the . . . 
    16.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14007 — Moore’s Crossing Bridge This structure was originally part of a six-span bridge across the Colorado River at Congress Avenue in Austin. Constructed there in 1884, it was designed by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Co. of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1910 it was dismantled and placed in storage. Five years later three spans were rebuilt here but destroyed the same year in a flood. The current bridge, comprised of the remaining spans, was completed in 1922. 
    17. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12243 — Moore-Flack House Local contractor Charles Funk built this house for John M. and Estelle Moore in 1887 at a cost of $2,000. At that time John M. Moore (1853-1902), a former Texas legislator and District Attorney, was Secretary of State for Governor Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross. Laura A.E. (Metz) Flack (1836-1933) purchased the house in 1901, and in the 1920s modified the original Victorian design with the addition of a two-story Neo-Classical Revival porch. A prominent Austin businesswoman who owned a number of . . . 
    18.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15032 — Moore-Hancock Farmstead Irish native Martin Moore and his wife, Elizabeth Ann (White), left their Austin residences and prosperous Pecan (6th) Street mercantile business and moved to a farm north of town about 1850. Their 521-acre farm, which included this property, was inherited by Elizabeth in 1846. The Moore's built the original framework of these sensitively restored log structures and out buildings at this site as early as 1849. Although modified over the years, they represent a rare surviving example of local . . . 
    19.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Moses Austin — (October 4, 1761 - June 10, 1821) The initiator of Anglo-American settlement in Texas. Moses Austin was a native of Durham, Connecticut. After his marriage to Mary Brown in 1785, Austin became a leading figure in the development of the American lead industry. His business took him to Virginia and then west to the Mississippi Valley. A colonizer and pioneer as well, Austin helped establish several frontier communities. Moses Austin’ decision to venture into a colonization enterprise in the Spanish territory of Texas led him . . .
    20. Texas (Travis County), Austin — Mount Bonnell Rising 775 feet above sea level, this limestone height was named for George W. Bonnell, who came to Texas with others to fight for Texas independence, 1836. Was commissioner of Indian Affairs in Republic of Texas under president Sam Houston. Moved in 1839 to Austin; there published the "Texas Sentinel", 1840. Member Texan-Santa Fe expedition, 1841. Was captured but released in time to join Mier expedition, 1842. Was killed in camp on Rio Grande, Dec, 26, 1842. Frontiersman W.A.A. "Bigfoot" . . . 
    21. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15031 — Mount Olive Baptist Church The Mount Olive Baptist Church congregation was organized March 3, 1889, in the vicinity of Masontown, one of Austin's earliest African settlements. The early years of the congregation coincided with a period of intense optimism and community activism in the historic neighborhood (bounded by E. 3rd, E. 6th, Chicon, and Waller Streets). A number of significant African American religious and educational institutions were established in and around Masontown during this period, including Tillotson . . .
    22. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13620 — Norwood Tower This building was once the tallest structure in Austin’s downtown area other than the State Capitol. Dwarfed by other structures by the late 20th century, the Norwood Tower remains unique in its design and elaborate detailing. In 1925, Ollie O. Norwood (1887-1961) bought this site and hired the firm of Giesecke and Harris to design an office building. Bertram E. Giesecke (1892-1950) was the son of F.E. Giesecke, an architect, engineer, and educator known for his experiments with reinforcing . . . 
    23.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15479 — O. Henry Hall — The University of Texas System Built during the period 1877-1881 as a federal courthouse and post office, this was the sixth United States Post Office location in Austin, dating from the establishment of the first post office in Austin in 1840. The building was constructed by Abner Cook, famed early Texas builder, at a cost of $200,000. James G. Hill of the U.S. Treasury Department was the supervising architect. Following construction of the new post office at 210 West Sixth Street in 1912-1914, the building continued to be . . . — 
    24.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12695 — Oak Hill First settlers arrived in area in 1840s. The community founded here in 1856 was called Live Oak Springs; in 1865 it was renamed Shiloh. Later schools known as Live Oak and Oatmanville gave names temporarily to the settlement. It has been known as Oak Hill since 1900. Limestone quarries were opened, 1882, to supply stone for capitol building in Austin. By 1886, ten carloads of stone were shipped daily over railroad which joined quarries with capitol grounds. It is estimated that one-third of . . . 
    25.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14309 — Oakwood Cemetery In 1839, when Austin was being opened as a site favored for the Capital of the Republic of Texas, a regular burial place was established in what is now the southwest part of Oakwood Cemetery. A decedent was buried on this hill at a spot to the right of Oakwood’s present main entrance and northwest of the Hebrew ground within the enclosure. It was not until Sept. 1, 1856, however, that the land legally became city property. On that day the legislature of Texas transferred the burial tract from . . . 
    26. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14748 — Okewell This house was built in 1925 for Judge Robert Lynn Batts (1854-1935). A distinguished jurist, Batts served as Assistant Attorney General of Texas and the United States, Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents. Designed by architecture professor Raymond Everett, the house exhibits elements of the Mediterranean and American Bungalow styles in its stuccoed walls, bracketed eaves, arcade, and tile roof. 
    27.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6439 — Old B.J. Smith Property Purchased from State of Texas at auction in 1853, by Smith, a school proprietor. Structure, one of the better early homes in Austin, was probably built in the 1850’s. Handmade hardware, doors, and other structural parts reveal fine workmanship. 
    28.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14949 — Old Bakery Built 1876 by Chas. Lundberg. Bread then was not sliced or wrapped; children and maids waited with baskets to take home loaves hot from the oven. House specialties were sponge cake ladyfingers, glazed kisses, almond-meal macaroons. A front balcony (since razed) permitted a later baker, Henry Maerki, to photograph parades, including one in 1901 for U.S. President William McKinley. Now Austin Heritage Society’s tourist information center. 
    29.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14170 — Old I.V. Davis Homestead On land granted by Mexico in 1835, just before Texas Revolution, this house was built in 1875. Owner Isaac Van Zandt Davis (1843-1897) worked in the General Land Office. Greek revival style home has 22” thick walls of stone quarried at Oak Hill. 
    30.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12244 — Old Rock Store Influenced by the style of early German rock buildings in central Texas, James Andrew Patton (1853-1944) supervised the construction of this building in 1898. A German mason laid the stone. Patton fought Comanches as a Texas Ranger and was a civic leader and local postmaster. He was known affectionately as "the mayor of Oak Hill." He and his family, followed by others, operated a general store here for many years. The building also housed a local Woodmen of the World lodge hall on the second floor. 
    31.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14905 — Onion Creek Lodge 220, A.F. & A.M. Onion Creek Lodge 220, A.F. & A.M. chartered, 1858. Met on this site in cabin later destroyed by Indians. This building completed, 1860. First floor used by the Pleasant Hill school (oldest in continuous use in state) until 1935. Also used by the Cumberland Presbyterians. Old school Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, alternating Sundays. Used by Creedmoor OES 607 since 1929, rainbow assembly 266 since 1956. 
    32. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14111 — Openheimer-Montgomery Building This structure was built in 1894 for Texas military, business, and civic leader Louis Openheimer (1858-1906). Designed and constructed by John McDonald, a prominent citizen who served as Austin’s Mayor from 1889 to 1895, the building was sold in 1899 to the trustee for 12-year-old Fannie Montgomery and became part of her estate. The Queen Anne commercial structure features projecting second-story bay windows supported by Victorian jigsawn brackets. 
    33.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14191 — Original Site of First Baptist Church of Austin The Rev. R.H. Taliaferro of Kentucky organized the First Baptist Church in July 1847. Worship services were first held in the Capitol and later moved to a frame building at 12th and Lavaca. The congregation met in the 700 block of Congress Avenue until it built its first sanctuary at this site in 1857. The structure was remodeled in the 1880s. A larger brick church was constructed here in 1916. It was razed when the congregation moved to 9th and Trinity in 1970. Many Governors, state officials, . . . 
    34. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 11783 — Original Site of First Methodist Church of Austin Established in 1840 by the Rev. John Haynie (1786-1860), the First Methodist Church was Austin’s second Protestant congregation. Services were held in temporary quarters until members erected their first meeting house in 1847 at this site, then the corner of Cedar Street and Congress Avenue. The Rev. Homer S. Thrall (1819-1894) was Pastor when the small frame church was built. Thirty-five doctors from around the state met here January 17-19, 1853, to organize the Texas Medical Association. In . . . 
    35. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12363 — Original Site of First Presbyterian Church The Rev. William M. Baker and five charter members organized the First Presbyterian Church of Austin on May 26, 1850. Abner H. Cook, future designer of the Governor's Mansion, was among the charter members and was elected a ruling elder. In 1851, members erected a wood frame building on two lots at this site, which Cook donated to the church. The members enlarged the structure in 1855, and in 1874 agreed to construct a stone building. They built the first floor and met there until funding was . . . 
    36.  
    37.  
    38.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6413 — Pease School This is one of the oldest school buildings in Texas erected from public funds; on university block set aside for school purposes by Republic of Texas in 1839. This school was opened in 1876; it was named for Gov. Elisha M. Pease (1812-1883), a leader in legislation that laid groundwork for support of public education in Texas. Rooms at center of building were erected in 1876; restored after a fire in 1892. Additions were made in 1916 and 1926, and remodeling was done in 1949. Thousands of . . . 
    39.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14600 — Peter Henry Oberwetter A native of Germany, Peter Henry Oberwetter migrated to Texas about 1849 and settled first in New Braunfels, then Comfort. He later moved to Austin, where he gained distinction as a botanist. He pioneered in crossbreeding the Amaryllis, imported rare bulbs, and wrote articles regarding his botanical research. He was also a landscape artist for the State of Texas. Married to Catherine Marie (Mary) Schade (d. 1914), he had six children. —
    40.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15196 — Philquist-Wood Hous  
      41. ---- Avenue G
    41.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Pilot Knob Pilot Knob the only example of an exposed submarine volcano in Texas, appears today as a prominent hill one mile northwest. It was formed some 80 million years ago on the bottom of a warm shallow sea which covered much of the continent during the cretaceous period. The molten rock which it spewed forth rose to the surface from deep within the earth's crust. Following a channel opened by a belt of fractures known as the Balcones Fault zone. Reef organisms were attracted to the irregularity on . . . 
    42.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14334 — Platt-Simpson Building Radcliff Platt constructed the original portion of this building about 1871. He operated a livery stable here until 1890 and lived in one side of the structure for a number of years. In 1901 J.S. Simpson (1854-1934) purchased and enlarged the earlier building to accommodate his hardware store, which occupied this location until the 1930s. the structure features large arched windows with stone trim and a decorative brick cornice. — 
    43.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13094 — Price Daniel Texas statesman Price Daniel (1910-1988) was born in Dayton, Texas, the son of M.P. and Nannie Partlow Daniel. His career in state and national politics spanned six decades and included service in all three branches of state government. After graduating from Baylor Law School, Price Daniel established his law practice in Liberty before taking his first public office in the Texas House of Representatives in 1939. His strong record led to his election as Speaker of the Texas House in 1943. . . . 
    44.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13859 — Randerson-Lundell Building Cornelius Randerson erected a one-story structure here in 1896 to house a grocery, feed, and wagon yard. John and Claus Lundell purchased the building in 1898 and in 1910 a second floor was added to board customers overnight. It remained in the Lundell family until 1926. A good example of a native limestone and brick commercial building, it features simple Classical detailing. A number of businesses have occupied the building. 
    45.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15556 — Rebecca Kilgore Stuart Red — 1827 - 1886 Rebecca Jane Kilgore Stuart became principal of Live Oak Female Seminary in Washington County, Texas, in 1853. In 1854 she married Dr. George Clark Red and continued teaching. The Reds moved to Austin in 1876, and opened Stuart Female Seminary at 1212 East 9th Street. Rebecca continued teaching until nine days before her death in 1886. She was buried in Oakwood Cemetery. Her heirs donated her property to the Presbyterian Synod of Texas in 1899. The Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary was operated at that site from 1902 until 1907. 
    46. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14457 — Reuter House Built in 1934 for Louis Reuter (1886-1945) and his wife, this house offered a spectacular view of the city. Reuter worked as a grocer in his native San Antonio until 1918, when he came to Austin to open a self-service grocery store, an innovation for its time. The rambling one- and two-story stone veneer home reflects influences of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and features cast-stone details and a red barrel-tile roof. 
    47. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14281 — Richard Ellis Born in Virginia February 14, 1781. Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia, 1820. Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and President of the Constitutional Convention, 1836. Senator in the Congress of the Republic of Texas, 1836 to 1840. Died in Bowie County, Texas December 30, 1846. Mary Danridge Ellis. Wife of Richard Ellis. Born in Virginia 1787. Died in Bowie County, Texas October 21, 1837. Ellis County, Texas was named for Richard Ellis.
    48.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Roberts-Teague Cemetery In the 1860s, the Roberts and Teague families came to the Bee Cave area where, for generations, their skills as farmers, ranchers, cedar choppers, coal kiln burners, and homemakers helped to shape its development and culture. It is said that this cemetery was established in 1898 when Joseph Roberts (1842-1925) offered the site to the grieving Simons family for an infant’s burial. A number of veterans are laid to rest here, including Alfred R. (Buck) Simpson (1895-1961), the second most . . .
    49.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 4309 — Robinson-Macken House Built in 1876 for the family of Elizabeth and John Robinson, Sr., this two-and-one-half-story frame house is a fine example of the Second Empire style of architecture coupled with Italianate detailing. Located within the original 1839 Austin town plan drawn by Edwin Waller, it is in close proximity to the houses built by the locally prominent Bremond family (three blocks east). It shares stylistic similarities with the Bremond houses, now preserved as the Bremond Block Historic District. Three . . . 
    50.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14979 — Rocky Cliff Built about 1871 by Daniel P. Kinney, who came to Austin in early 1850’s; original homesite, at the time an extensive farm, contained areas later in Zilker Park and Barton Heights. Structure of hard limestone, with 20-inch walls, had rooms added as the family grew. Purchased in 1937, restored and modernized by Dr. E. J. Lund. The Lunds used unique ceramic tiles and created wrought iron ornamentation, as new features. 
    51.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Sailor from the Belle Shipwreck Buried here are the remains of a 17th-century sailor who was a member of an ill-fated 1684-87 French expedition to the new world led by Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. Texas Historical Commission archaeologists discovered the skeleton on October 31, 1996, during excavations of La Salle’s ship, the Belle, which sank during a 1686 storm in Matagorda Bay. Near the skeleton, archaeologists found a pewter cup inscribed C. Barange, as well as a small cask. According to historical accounts, the . . . 
    52. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14196 — Saint David’s Episcopal Church Located in pioneer Austin at the edge of town on a site never used for a secular building. At first called “Church of the Epiphany.” Cornerstone laid on April 7, 1853, with impressive ceremonies for the capital city’s first tone church. Built of native limestone, its architecture blended Spanish Mission with traditional Gothic elements. Founders included officials from government of the late Republic of Texas. Rector was the Reverend Edward Fontaine, great-grandson of Patrick . . . 
    53. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14821 — Saint Edward’s University Main Building Erected in 1888. Rebuilt after fire in 1903. Nicholas J. Clayton, master architect, designed both building in Gothic revival style. Serves institution founded in 1873 by congregation of Holy Cross, as male catholic school. First pupils were local farm boys. In 1921 college-level courses were added. Was rechartered in 1925 as a university. During World War II, served as an academy and flying school. Admitted women in 1966.
    54. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14676 — Saint Mary’s Cathedral In 1851, the Catholics of Austin wrote to the Most Rev. John M. Odin (1801-1871), first Bishop of Texas. “This city is improving rapidly and our intentions are to build a church…if we can get a clergyman to stay among us.” Father Michael Sheehan was sent. Soon a small church was built on the corner of Ash (Ninth) and Brazos streets. The new Parish was called Saint Patrick’s, but the name was changed to Saint Mary’s of the Immaculate Conception in 1866. In 1874, at the invitation . . . 
    55.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Santiago Del Valle Grant McKinney Falls State Park lies in the center of an early Texas land grand that originally fell within the empresario contract of Texian hero Ben Milam. Ten leagues of land were transferred in 1832 to Santiago Del Valle, who at the at time was secretary of the Mexican government of Coahuila Y Texas and had previously served as a member of the Mexican Congress. In 1835 Del Valle sold nine leagues of his land to Michel Menard, who in 1838 helped found the town of Galveston. Thomas . . . 
    56.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12733 — Scarbrough Building Alabama native Emerson Monroe Scarbrough (1846-1925) came to Texas following service in the Civil War and settled in Milam County, where he was a successful merchant. He opened a branch of his business, Scarbrough and Hicks, on Congress Avenue in 1893, moving one block north in 1894. In 1910, on this adjacent, prominent corner, he completed Austin’s first skyscraper. His new building was designed in the Chicago style by Fort Worth architects Sanguinet and Staats. It was enlarged and redesigned . . .
    57. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12245 — Scholz Garten German immigrant August Scholz (1825-1891) opened Scholz’s Hall at this site in 1866. About the turn of the century, this building replaced the original hall. A German social club, the Austin Saengerrunde, purchased the property in 1908 and added the adjacent hall. The Texas legislature honored Scholz Garten in 1966 as “A gathering place for Texans of discernment, taste, culture and erudition, epitomizing the finest traditions of magnificent German heritage in our state.” 
    58.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15644 — Scottish Rite Temple Built 1871-72 as an opera house by Austin Turn Verein, a German social society. Used for gymnastics, feasting and dancing, it was a social center for years. Purchased in 1912 for Ben Hur Shrine temple and remodeled, blending southwest mission style architecture with Arabic accents. Transferred in 1914 to Scottish Rite Bodies of Austin who allow other Masonic groups to meet here. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. 
    59.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13974 — Seaholm Power Plant This complex is an industrial and architectural landmark in Austin. Electric power arrived in the Texas capital in 1895, after the Colorado River was first dammed to generate electricity. The city of Austin has owned its own generation and distribution system ever since, a rarity among large cities. A growing population and post-World War II demand for new appliances and air conditioning increased the need for electricity. In 1948, the city of Austin commissioned a new power generation . . . 
    60. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15302 — Seiders Oaks Site of 1839 home and 1842 massacre of Gideon White. A daughter, Louisa, we (1846) Edward Seiders, for whom oaks are named. 
    61.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Shoal Creek Native Americans, settlers and cattle drovers crossed the river here where Shoal Creek's sand made the water shallow. During Republic days Vice President Mirabeau Lamar camped here, near the village of Waterloo while hunting buffalo. His impression of the area's beauty and resources prompted the relocation of the state capital in 1839. 
    62.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14406 — Simpson United Methodist Church This congregation grew from an early Sunday school class directed by Annas Brown, Richard Dukes and Mrs. Vina Harris Forehand, Members of Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church, for residents of the far eastern section of Austin. In December 1880 the group organized as the Simpson Mission Methodist Episcopal Church. The congregation name was chosen to honor Bishop Matthew Simpson (d.1884), a pioneer Methodist leader who was also an active political negotiator, an abolitionist and a noted . . . 
    63. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6456 — Site of Edward Mandell House Home Edward Mandell House (1858-1938), heir of a wealthy Houston businessman, moved to Austin in 1885 to be at the center of state politics, his primary interest. He managed the successful campaigns of four Texas Governors and became an important figure in Democratic Party circles on the state and national levels. In 1912 he managed Woodrow Wilson’s successful bid for the Democratic Party Presidential nomination. As an advisor to Wilson, he participated in international negotiations during and after . . . 
    64.  
    65.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14616 — Site of Home of Reuben Hornsby Site of the home built in 1832 by Reuben Hornsby (1793-1879) and his wife Sarah Morrison Hornsby (1796-1862). Second built in “Austin’s Little Colony”. First in the present county of Travis. Famed for Christian hospitality. Here Josiah Wilbarger recovered after being scalped in 1833. Mr. Hornsby and his son’s fought in many Indian battles and served as scouts in Capt. John J. Tumlinson’s company of Rangers, which was organized here in 1836. 
    66.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13153 — Site of John Bremond & Company New York native John Bremond (1813-1866) built a dry goods store at this site as early as 1847. Soon, his dry goods department faced Pecan (Sixth) Street, and the grocery department faced Brazos Street. Active civically, he served as a member of the group that encouraged the eventual construction of the Houston & Texas Central Railway, which was associated with Bremond's brother Paul. John Bremond, a former firefighter, was instrumental in establishing Austin's first hook and ladder company. . . . 
    67.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14678 — Site of Old Anderson High School; Kealing Jr. High School Robertson Hill School, the first high school for blacks in Austin, opened on the corner of Eleventh and San Marcos Streets in 1884. In 1907 the school moved to the corner of Olive and Curve Streets and was renamed E.H. Anderson High School. In 1913 the school was moved to 1607 Pennsylvania Avenue. It was renamed in honor of former principal L.C. Anderson in 1938. In 1953 the school relocated to 900 Thompson Street. Anderson High School opened in its fifth location, 8403 Mesa, in 1973. . . . 
    68.   Site of Pecan Springs School   5200 Manor Road

    70. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15063 — Site of Second Travis County Courthouse & Walton Building Built in 1875 in term of County Judge James W. Smith. Former state officials on committees for site and building included Governor E.M. Pease, Secretary of State C.S. West, Attorney General N.G. Shelley, Treasurer James H. Raymond and Legislator George Hancock. In era when Texas was gaining world renown, home of outstanding courts, able judges, brilliant bar. One tenant of its fortress-style jail was author William Sidney Porter (O. Henry), after his return to Austin in 1897 to be with his . . . 
    71. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15046 — Site of Swedish Evangelical Free Church Worship services started in 1889 by Swedish immigrants led to founding of Swedish Evangelical Free Church in Decker community (10 mi. E) in July 1892. A similar Swedish congregation originated in April 1904 at Elroy (20 mi. SE). In 1923 the two congregations merged, relocated in Austin, and in 1925 built a church on this site. Swedish was spoken in services until the 1930s. Renamed “First Evangelical Free Church” in 1952, the fellowship erected a new building on Red River street in . . .  
    72.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — Site of Temporary Texas State Capitol of 1880’s Built, 1882-1883, to replace the previous Capitol, which had burned in 1881. Until the building was completed, the orphaned Texas government conducted business in the county courthouse and jail across Congress avenue. The three-story brick building – third Texas Capitol in Austin – was used five years. During this time it witnessed the passage of strong legislation to aid education and to halt fence-cutting, which, in 1883, had exploded into a range war. Governors John Ireland . . . 
    73. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15472 — Site of Tenth Street Methodist Church Austin Methodists organized in 1840 and began in 1847 worshiping at Congress and 4th Street. This site was purchased in 1853 and a building begun under the Rev. John W. Phillips (1821-1891). In 1883, the Rev. A.E. Goodwyn (1818-1902) led in the construction of a larger sanctuary. The congregation was known as “Central Church” and “Tenth Street Church”. In 1909 it officially changed to “First Methodist Church”. Legislators and other government officials . . . 
    74.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15593 — Site of the Headquarters of the United States Army for 5th Military District Established in 1868 in an area of five acres. Abandoned in 1870 when headquarters were removed to San Antonio.

    76.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6419 — Smith-Clark-Smith House When the State Capitol burned in 1881, Scottish-born James Baird Smith (1843-1907) cleared the site and erected a temporary statehouse nearby. Salvaged brick and stone, which he used to build this rent house about 1886, probably came from the burned Capitol. The first tenant was noted banker John G. Palm (1846-1927). Later owner (1924) and occupant (1925-43) Lucille Clark, of a prominent Austin family, sold the property in 1959 to Mr. and Mrs. Homer D. Smith, who restored it. 
    77.  
    78.  
    79. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14090 — Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Building Veteran Travis County official and historian Frank Brown (1833-1913) erected this structure in 1886. Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company bought and restyled the building in 1898. Architect A.O. Watson designed the ornate façade. Previously in rented quarters at various sites, S.T.&T. occupied this as the city’s first telephone building. The John L. Martin family owned the structure from 1922 to 1976. 
    80.  
    81.  
    82. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12239 — Stanley and Emily Finch House Constructed in 1927 and 1928 for $13,500, this house has associations with several prominent Austinites. Its original owners were University of Texas Civil Engineering Professor Stanley P. Finch and his wife Emily (Rice). Finch’s UT colleague, architect Raymond Everett, designed the house. Landscape architect C. Coatsworth Pinkney created the landscape in the 1940s. The intact Colonial Revival home’s historic additions include bay windows designed by Hugo Kuehne in 1945 and the enclosure of the . . . — 
    83.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6422 — State Bar of Texas On July 15, 1882, a volunteer organization of Texas attorneys known as the Texas Bar Association was established in Galveston, with Judge Thomas J. Devine as the first president. The forerunner of the State Bar of Texas, the group met annually to address common concerns such as the uniformity of jurisprudence, legislation, the regulation of the conduct of lawyers, and other statewide legal matters. An act of the State Legislature signed by Governor W. Lee O’Daniel in 1939 created the State . . . 
    84.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15084 — State Cemetery of Texas Burial ground for the honored dead of Texas, this cemetery contains the remains of Stephen F. Austin, the “Father of Texas”; nine Governors of Texas (as of 1968); and representatives of every period of state history and every department of state government. Statuary at the graves includes a marble figure of Albert Sidney Johnston by Elisabet Ney and bronzes of Austin and Joanna Troutman by Pompeo Coppini. The cemetery was founded in 1851 when Gen. Edward Burleson, hero of the . . . 
    85.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15338 — Stuart Female Seminary After 23 years as principal of Live Oak Female Seminary, Washington County, Rebecca K. Stuart Red (1826-1886) founded her own school in 1875. Her husband, G.C. Red, M.D., had a two-story stone dormitory – academic building erected on this site, and the Stuart Female Seminary opened formally in January 1876. Ashbel Smith, M.D. (past board member, United States Military Academy), was first president of the board of trustees. His successor (1886) was D.F. Stuart, M.D., brother of Mrs. . . . 
    86.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15158 — Susanna W. Dickinson — 1814-1883 Almaron and Susanna Dickinson settled in Gonzales about 1835 as members of DeWitt’s colony. Present with her daughter, Angelina, when the Alamo fell in March 1836, Susanna witnessed the deaths of Almaron and the other Texans. She was released by Mexican General Santa Anna after the battle, and with an escort made her way to Sam Houston with news of the Alamo. She married Joseph Hannig in 1857 and lived in Austin until her death. 
    87.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15675 — Swante Palm — (January 31, 1815 - June 22, 1899) A native of Basthult, Barkeryd Parish, in the province of Smaland, Sweden, Swante Palm was a leader of early Swedish immigration to Texas. Influenced by his nephew, Swen Magnus Swenson, Palm came to Texas in 1844. He settled first in La Grange, where he served as postmaster and worked in Swenson’s general store. Both men moved to Austin in 1850 and continued their business relationship. In 1854 Palm married Agnes Christine Alm. Their son, Swante Sture, was born in 1855, but died in infancy. . . . 
    88.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15330 — Swedish Central Methodist Church Organized in 1873 by the Rev. Carl Charnquist, the Swedish Methodist Church built a sanctuary at Red River and 15th street. Led by the Rev. O.E. Olander, the congregation moved to this site in 1898 and occupied buildings of disbanded Central Methodist Church. The fellowship added “Central” to its name and later dropped “Swedish”. Church property, then across from the Capitol grounds at Colorado and 13th street, was sold in 1956 for expansion of state offices. Renamed . . .
    89.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14680 — Swedish Consulate and Swante Palm Library Swante Palm (1815-1899), Vice Consul for Sweden and Norway from 1866 until his death, built a small house on Ash Street (now 9th Street) in the 1850s. It was a repository for Palm’s extensive book collection and served as the Swedish Consulate, where Palm gave assistance to many Swedish immigrants. To accommodate his ever-growing library, Palm enlarged the house in 1879. He donated his 10,000-volume collection to the University of Texas Library in 1897, increasing the school’s holdings by more than sixty percent. Palm’s house was razed in 1958. 






    93.  
    94.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12246 — Texas Dental Association This professional association traces its history to 1869, when a group of dentists met in Houston and drafted a constitution and by-laws. Dr. Menard Michau of Houston was elected first president of the association, which was officially chartered by the State of Texas on May 17, 1871. Initial membership consisted of 18 dentists and 22 honorary members. The association experienced difficulties during the 1870s, and by 1880 Texas dentists saw the need for a reorganization. A new society, the . . . 
    95.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12247 — Texas Highway Department — (Established April 4, 1917) Early 20th century Texas farmers demanded all-weather access to markets just as automobiles revolutionized transportation for all travelers. Good roads promoters envisioned a central state agency to organize safe, consistent routes. In 1916 the Federal Government offered matching funds to build a statewide highway system. In 1917, legislators created the Texas Highway Department, and Texans registered 195,000 automobiles. Agency employees worked in the Capitol, then the 1917 Land Office, and . . .
    96.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 12687 — Texas Newspapers, C.S.A. Among privations endured in Texas during the Civil War (1861-65) was the shortage of newspapers, which dwindled from 82 (combined circulation: 100,000) to fewer than 20 by early 1862. Many newspapermen had closed shop and enlisted at once, when the war began. Others were forced to quit for lack of ink and paper, available only through Mexico or the blockaded Gulf Coast. A good pre-war paper had four 5-column pages, but many wartime issues were limited to half a page, printed on bill forms, . . . — 
    97.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 13458 — Texas School for the Deaf In 1856, the Texas Legislature established the Texas Deaf and Dumb Asylum, which became the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD). Gov. Elisha M. Pease appointed a board of trustees, which rented land at this site. By January 1, 1857, the first day of school, no students had arrived, but by summer of that year, 11 students were enrolled, including Emily Lewis, whose account of the school's early history portrays a life of hard work and self-sufficiency under school matron Josephine Snyder. New . . . — 
    98.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14219 — The “Austin Statesman” Begun as the “Democratic Statesman” in 1871 by the Democratic Party, in opposition to radical reconstruction government in Texas. Quickly passed into private ownership popular first editor was attorney John Cardwell. Published daily since 1873, paper merged with “Austin American” in 1924. — 
    99.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14493 — The Academy This house was constructed in 1889 for Myron D. Mather, president of Austin Water, Light & Power Company, who lived here until 1893. A fine derivative of the shingle style, the structure is said to be partly constructed of granite left from the 1888 completion of the state Capitol. It was briefly owned by Texas Supreme Court Justice Leroy G. Denman in 1897. As the Austin Military School in the decade after 1920, the house was called “The Academy.” — 
    100.  
    101.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14502 — The Boardman-Webb House In the 1850s Dr. George T. Boardman (d.1884) came to Austin to practice dentistry. He developed a new process to fill teeth and helped incorporate the American Dental College. He bought this property in 1855 from early Austin merchant John Bremond. The land was part of the original city plat of Austin. Dr. Boardman erected this two-story residence with Victorian styling about 1880. After his widow Fannie sold the structure in 1906, it changed owners several times, finally becoming an . . . — 
    102.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15048 — The Gault Homestead Included as part of a 320-acre land grant awarded to J.P. Whelin in payment for his service to the Republic of Texas Army, this property has had a long and varied history. Soon after he was granted the land, Whelin sold it to Nathaniel C. Raymond, who in turn sold it to John M. Gault two years later. Gault built a log cabin on the Whelin grant in the 1850s, and he and his family established a farm. In 1855 they purchased adjoining land from Captain Nelson Merrill and soon thereafter built a . . . 
    103.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6448 — The Johnson Home Erected 1858 by Chas. Johnson, near the WM. McGill Ford on the Colorado River. Built by fellow Swedes, of native stone from his own quarry and lime kiln. Walls are 18 inches thick. A stone-paved breezeway joined the two wings of the building. A long porch with six ionic columns was added, and the open breezeway closed following the purchase of the property in 1924 as permanent home of the Travis Post 76, American Legion.
    104. Texas (Travis County), Austin — The LBJ Plaza The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum was designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM) and opened in the spring of 1971. The design featured the monumental library building clad in Roman travertine and an expansive plaza paved in travertine and terrazzo. On the plaza are three square fountains. In 2009, due to significant deterioration caused by water infiltration, the plaza was rebuilt as seen today. Working closely with the Texas Historical Commission, The . . .
    105.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15021 — The Old Zimmerman Home Edward E. Zimmerman came to Texas, 1844, from Germany; settled here, 1854, with wife Regina Reinhard. They had 5 children. Zimmerman built this early Texas farmhouse, 1861, of hand-hewn cream colored rock from nearby hills; lumber from Bull Creek mills. One of first residences on route of Shawnee Trail (used by traders, immigrants, Indians, and famous as a cattle trail in 1850’s and 1860’s). Regina once shot a bear at back door.  (1600 Payton Gin Rd)
    106. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15473 — The Radkey House A typical post-Civil War Austin dwelling, built about 1870 two blocks from the State Capitol for merchant and metalsmith Bernard Radkey (1846-83) and his wife, Mary Cummings Radkey (1851-96). Structure is of cypress wood. Radkey served as a city alderman (councilman) until just prior to his early death. Heirs enlarged and occupied the home until 1973. It was moved here and restored in 1974 by the Franklin Savings and Loan Association.
    107. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14568 — The Texas Capitol Austin became the Capital of Texas Jan. 19, 1840, and this hill was platted as Capitol Square. A modest statehouse built here in the 1850s soon developed structural flaws. The Constitutional Convention of 1876 set aside about 3,000,000 acres of public land to finance another building. This was authorized after the 1850s Capitol burned on Nov. 9, 1881. Architect E.E. Myers of Detroit won a national competition with his plans for this Capitol. The contractor was Mattheas Schnell of Rock . . .
    109. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6415 — The William Green Hill House Tennessean William Hickman Hill settled in Austin in the 1850s. He and his family became cultural and civic leaders. A grandson, William Green Hill (1853-1903), and his wife Ella Ione (Sanders) had this house built in 1890, angling it to catch prevailing summer breezes. Mrs. Hill’s father, the Rev. Bleuford B. Sanders, added two rooms for his own use after he retired from evangelism, about 1900. Few other changes have occurred. Descendants occupy and preserve the house.
    110. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15026 — The Woman Suffrage Movement in Texas Legal efforts to enfranchise women in Texas can be traced to 1868, when Rep. T.H. Mundine of Burleson introduced a Woman Suffrage Bill in the State Legislature. In the following five decades Texas women formed suffrage organizations to lobby for the right to vote. The suffragists included Rebecca Henry Hayes, who organized the Texas Equal Right Association (TERA) in 1893; and sisters Annette, Elizabeth, and Katherine Finnigan, who founded the Texas Woman Suffrage Association (TWSA) in 1903. The . . .
    111. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6426 — Third Site For Travis County Government Courthouse built here in 1930, 91st year of Travis County, which in early Texas was in municipality of Mina (later Bastrop) or Travis District, named for Wm. B. Travis, commander at the Alamo. Site of present-day Austin was chosen in 1839 (4th year of the Republic of Texas) as location for the capital, and named for the father of Texas. Local county government began immediately, with setting up of militia beats. Mormon settlers in 1839 built the first jail and also the first gristmill. . . .
    112. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14277 — Thomas Jones Hardeman Born in Tennessee January 31, 1788 Died in Bastrop County, Texas January 11, 1854. His wife Eliza De Witt Hardeman Born Sept. 17, 1809 Died Feb. 8, 1863. Back of Headstone Member Second Congress Republic of Texas; Chief Justice of Bastrop County Member of the State Legislature Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Masonic Lodge of Texas, 1850 Hardeman County, Texas was named in honor of the two brothers, Bailey and Thomas Jones . . .
    113. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15273 — Thomas Pliney Plaster Who manned one of the twin sisters cannon at the Battle of San Jacinto and was a veteran of the Mexican War, 1847. Born in Tennessee June 6, 1804. Died March 27, 1861. — 
    114. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14898 — Thompson Home Painting contractor John W. Thompson married Jennie L. Metz in 1877. They built this home in the Robertson Hill development, a fashionable neighborhood of the day. The simple Victorian residence has an unusual porch railing and decorative trim. The Thompsons’ daughter Willie Mae (d. 1966) occupied the structure until her death. It was then acquired by Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The graduate chapter was founded in 1940. The sorority restored the house as a meeting place in . . . —
    116. Travis County
    118.   Wahrenberger House
    119.  

    121.  

    123.  
    124.  
    125. Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6458 — West Hill Tradition says architect Abner Cook built this house for Reuben and Mary Runner, about 1855. Some later owners were F.W. Chandler and H.E. Shelley, lawyers, 1863-1909; the May Thompson family, 1917-69. Originally the house faced east, pre-empting the entire 1700 block, Rio Grande to West Avenue, with a separate kitchen, carriage house, other structures on the grounds. Severe changes and decay preceded the beginning of restoration by the Travis Williamson family in 1970. 
    126.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 14858 — West-Bremond Cottage Built as servants’ quarters about 1872, this “Shotgun” house stood at 604 San Antonio near the home of Charles S. West (1829-1885), lawyer and Texas Supreme Court Justice. In 1885 banker Eugene Bremond (1832-1910) acquired it. Emma Grant West (1865-1952), whose husband Robert died in 1904, bought the cottage in 1906 and moved it here for rent property. She sold it in 1925 to a teacher, Miss Katie Gannaway (1890-1967). It was purchased in 1973 and restored by attorney Byron Lockart. 
    127.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 6463 — William Steele Born New York. Graduate West Point. In Seminole and Mexican Wars. Resigned U.S. Army to serve Confederacy. Colonel 7th Texas Cavalry. In New Mexico campaign 1862. Earned promotion to Brigadier General. Commander Indian Territory 1863 and Galveston defenses 1864. Led cavalry division Red River campaign. Gave distinguished service various Louisiana actions against invasion of Texas. As Texas Adjutant General after reconstruction rebuilt Texas Rangers to restore order and control Indians. 
    128.  Texas (Travis County), Austin — 15305 — William Tom Who served under General Jackson in the Creek War, 1813 Soldier in the Army of Texas, 1835 Born in Maury County, Tennessee January 12, 1792 Died in Guadalupe County, Texas February 15, 1871 His wife Kissiah Hines Tom Born October 15, 1805 Died July 13, 1862 —

    130.   
    132.  
        http://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Town=Austin&State=Texas
        Posted by at
        Labels:

        No comments:

        Post a Comment

        Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)