Margaret Chambers Home
Bastrop, Bastrop County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This Greek Revival residence was built in 1853 for Bartholomew Manlove (b. 1776), who was elected the first mayor of Bastrop two years later. In 1857, the property was sold to Margaret Chambers (d. 1897). Formerly married to Josiah Wilbarger (d. 1844), the well-known survivor of an 1833 Indian attack near Austin, she later wed Col. T. W. Chambers, a veteran of the Texas Revolution. Constructed of native wood, the home was deeded to her daugher Fenora in 1890. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1962
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This Greek Revival home was built in 1853 for Bartholomew Manlove, who would soon become Bastrop's first mayor. In 1857 it passed to Margaret Chambers, a woman whose life brushed against frontier legend: she had earlier been married to Josiah Wilbarger, famed for surviving an 1833 attack near Austin, and later wed a veteran of the Texas Revolution. She kept the native-wood house until deeding it to her daughter in 1890.
Why it matters
The house ties one woman's biography to the founding of a Texas town and the hard, storied early days of the Republic-era frontier.
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Related people
- · Margaret Chambers
- · Josiah Wilbarger
- · Bartholomew Manlove
Themes & tags
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