The Homesite of Gordon and Margaret Catterall Mills
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Galveston to Fred W. and Eizabeth Catterall, Margaret Catterall wed Maine native Gordon E. Mills in 1933. The couple moved to Austin, where Mills joined his father-in-law’s company, Aus-Tex Chili, a leading producer of regional cuisine canned goods, as General Manager. Mills also secured a contract with the U. S. government to produce rations for Allied soldiers during World War II. He was a charter member of Austin’s Chamber of Commerce and served as President of the city’s Better Business Bureau and Humane Society. Both Gordon and Margaret were active at St. David’s Episcopal Church, as wel as the Austin Symphony and the Austin Country Club. (2004)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Galveston-born Margaret Catterall married Maine native Gordon Mills in 1933, and the couple settled in Austin, where he managed her father's firm, Aus-Tex Chili, a leading maker of canned regional cuisine. During World War II, Mills secured a government contract to produce rations for Allied soldiers, while both he and Margaret threw themselves into civic life, from the Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau to the Austin Symphony and their Episcopal church.
Why it matters
The homesite ties a regional food industry to the wartime effort and the civic fabric of mid-century Austin.
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Related people
- · Gordon E. Mills
- · Margaret Catterall Mills
Themes & tags
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