Mary Street Stone House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This residence is one of several erected in south Austin during the 1890's by Developer Nichols Dawson (1864-1939). Constructed of stone quarried in the vicinity, the small houses were similar in design, with Hexagonal front bays. Dawson's partner in the real estate venture was his sister Mary (molly) (1853-1933), A prominent local educator. She was principal of Fullmore school in south Austin and later operated her own private school. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
During the building boom of the 1890s, developer Nichols Dawson raised a row of small stone houses in south Austin, cut from limestone quarried nearby and distinguished by their hexagonal front bays. His partner in the venture was his sister Mary "Molly" Dawson, one of the area's most respected educators, who served as principal of Fullmore School before opening a private school of her own. This surviving residence is a remnant of that family enterprise in brick, stone, and learning.
Why it matters
The house links Gilded Age neighborhood development to the pioneering work of a woman educator, a reminder that Austin's growth was shaped as much by teachers as by builders.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
Austin in the 1890s was a capital city on the rise. Texas had just finished its grand new statehouse, the University of Texas was only a few years old, and the town was filling out beyond its original grid. Developers were buying land, dividing it into lots, and building homes for a growing middle class.
South Austin, across the Colorado River from downtown, was part of that outward growth. It was still an edge-of-town place, with open land and hills that held plenty of workable stone. Builders there often used what the ground gave them, and the pale local limestone became a signature of many homes of the period.
It was also an era when women's public roles were quietly widening. Teaching was one of the few professions open to educated women. Many of them turned it into real community leadership as school principals, school founders, and civic figures, well before women could vote.
People & events
This house is one of several that developer Nichols Dawson, who lived from 1864 to 1939, built in south Austin during the 1890s. They were modest stone homes, similar to one another, cut from stone quarried nearby. Each had a distinctive hexagonal bay projecting from the front. It was practical, affordable building with a touch of style, the kind of housing a growing neighborhood needed.
Nichols had a partner in the venture: his older sister, Mary Dawson, known as Molly, who lived from 1853 to 1933. She was a prominent Austin educator in her own right. She served as principal of Fullmore School in south Austin and later ran a private school of her own. A woman helping to finance and run a real estate business in the 1890s is worth noticing, and it suggests Molly Dawson brought both money and standing to the partnership.
The siblings' work fits together neatly. As new homes brought families to south Austin, those families needed schools. The Dawsons helped build the neighborhood and helped educate the children who grew up in it.
Its place in the American story
Across the United States in the late nineteenth century, cities grew outward as small developers subdivided land and put up practical, repeatable houses. Streetcar suburbs and edge neighborhoods took shape this way from coast to coast. The Dawson stone houses are a Texas version of that national pattern, built in local limestone.
The partnership with Molly Dawson points to a bigger story too. Many American women of this era found in teaching a path to independence, income, and public influence. Some, like Molly, took that standing further into running schools and doing business, well ahead of the legal and political gains women would win in the twentieth century.
The house was recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1978. That recognition treats small, ordinary buildings as history worth keeping, alongside mansions and monuments.
If you visit
Look closely at the front of the house for the hexagonal bay, the feature that tied Nichols Dawson's stone houses together as a family of designs. Notice the stone too. It came from quarries in the area, so this building is quite literally made of the ground it stands on.
This is a private home in a residential neighborhood, so enjoy it from the sidewalk and respect the residents' privacy.
South Austin makes a great stop on a Texas capital road trip. After downtown's big landmarks, a stop like this shows the everyday side of the city's past: where ordinary families lived, and where a determined teacher and her brother helped shape a neighborhood.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Nichols Dawson
- · Mary "Molly" Dawson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dawson Stone House
Austin, TX
Around 1900, sisters Mary and Nannie Dawson built this stone house as part of Austin's South Heights development. Both were pioneering teachers in the young free public school system — Mary served as principal of Fulmore School before leaving education to build a career in real estate. Their brother Nick Dawson, a builder of several local stone houses, likely raised this typical middle-class home.
The Herrera Family
Austin, TX
After arriving in East Austin from Mexico in 1911, the Herrera family turned their home near 3rd and Chicon into a bakery and a Spanish-language school. Daughters Consuelo Herrera Méndez and Mary Grace Herrera became among the first Tejana women to teach in a major Texas school system, working in segregated 'escuelitas' and later fighting for their students—Mary Grace testified in a 1973 federal desegregation trial, and Consuelo led LULAC's Ladies League. Across three generations, culminating in school-board member Diana Herrera Castañeda, the family made education and advocacy their life's work.
Becker School
Austin, TX
When café owner Herman Becker bought part of the old Bouldin homestead in south Austin in 1891, he set the stage for a neighborhood school: in 1935 his son and son-in-law, owners of Becker Lumber Company, donated three acres to the school district. Designed by Giesecke and Harris, the Art Deco building opened in 1936 and nearly doubled in size within three years. Later additions rounded out the campus.
Green Pastures
Austin, TX
This Austin Victorian rose in 1894-95 on an 1835 land grant and passed through several prominent owners before becoming the home of the Faulk family in 1916. Mary Faulk and her husband Chester Koock named it "Green Pastures" and opened it for public dining in 1946, turning the old house into a beloved Austin institution. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1976.