Hugh B. Hancock House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1886, this house was originally located on 7th street in the Robertson Hill area of east Austin. It was constructed for Hugh B. Hancock, a successful black businessman of the city. In 1904 it was sold to german native Charles Frederick Mann, a local railroad engineer, and it remained in his family until 1959. Built in the Victorian style with classical ornamentation, the residence was moved to this location in 1979. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1886 in East Austin's Robertson Hill neighborhood, this Victorian home was constructed for Hugh B. Hancock, a successful Black businessman during the Reconstruction and Gilded Age era. It later passed to a German-born railroad engineer's family, who kept it until 1959, and was moved to its present site in 1979. It carries a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark designation.
Why it matters
The house is a tangible reminder of Black entrepreneurship and property ownership in a Southern city during the decades after emancipation.
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Related people
- · Hugh B. Hancock
- · Charles Frederick Mann
Themes & tags
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