Barr Mansion
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1898 for cotton merchant William Braxton Barr (1864-1902) and his wife, Matilda (Tilly) Birdwell (1868-1951), this home was designed by Austin architect Charles Page. Barr named the surrounding community after his grandfather Capt. Erasmus Sprinkle (1813-1906), with whom he built a cotton gin and general store. When cotton prices fell in 1920, the thriving town of Sprinkle began to decline. The home, which features ornate Eastlake styling, remained in the Barr family until 1980. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1983
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1898, cotton merchant William Braxton Barr commissioned Austin architect Charles Page to design this ornate Eastlake-styled home in the community he named for his grandfather, Captain Erasmus Sprinkle. Together the two men had built a cotton gin and general store, and the town of Sprinkle thrived on the white gold of the fields around it. When cotton prices collapsed in 1920 the town began its long decline, but the mansion endured in Barr hands until 1980.
Why it matters
The mansion is a monument to the cotton economy that made and unmade dozens of Texas towns, its survival outlasting the very community it once crowned.
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Related people
- · William Braxton Barr
- · Matilda Birdwell Barr
- · Erasmus Sprinkle
- · Charles Page
Themes & tags
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