George W. Sampson Home
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Former confederate Army Captain and leading Austin merchant George W.Sampson (1825-88), Married Mary Goodwin Hall (b.1845), niece of Gov. Edmund J. Davis. Their wedding in 1872 was the first held in the Governor's Mansion. In 1875 the Sampson built this house of native limestone, hand-cut at the site. A cistern stored rainwater for what was possibly Austin's first complete indoor plumbing system. The gallery with Corinthian columns was added in the 1920's. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George W. Sampson, a former Confederate captain turned leading Austin merchant, married Mary Goodwin Hall—niece of Reconstruction governor Edmund J. Davis—in an 1872 ceremony that was the first wedding held in the Governor's Mansion. In 1875 he built this house of native limestone hand-cut on site, fed by a rainwater cistern that supplied what may have been Austin's first complete indoor plumbing. A Corinthian-columned gallery was added in the 1920s.
Why it matters
It joins the personal story of a Confederate veteran and Reconstruction-era Austin's elite to an early experiment in the domestic plumbing that would transform American home life.
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Related people
- · George W. Sampson
- · Mary Goodwin Hall
- · Gov. Edmund J. Davis
Themes & tags
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