Family Home of Dr. R. K. Smoot
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Family home of Dr. R.K. Smoot, 1876-1905 pastor First Southern Presbyterian Church. Built 1877 of bricks hand made on Barton Creek. Site of founding, 1881, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and 1889 wedding of Wm. Sidney Porter (the writer, O. Henry) and Miss Athol Estes. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1965
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1877 of bricks made by hand on Barton Creek, this Austin home belonged to Dr. R. K. Smoot, pastor of the First Southern Presbyterian Church from 1876 to 1905. Within its walls the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary was founded in 1881, and in 1889 the writer William Sidney Porter — better known as O. Henry — married Athol Estes here. It stands as a quiet crossroads of Austin's religious, educational, and literary history.
Why it matters
A single household can gather up a city's whole story, and this one joins the founding of a seminary to the wedding of one of America's most beloved short-story writers.
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Related people
- · Dr. R. K. Smoot
- · William Sidney Porter (O. Henry)
- · Athol Estes
Related events
- · founding of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Themes & tags
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