Thompson Home
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Painting contractor John W. Thompson married Jennie L. Metz in 1877. They built this home in the Robertson Hill development, a fashionable neighborhood of the day. The simple Victorian residence has an unusual porch railing and decorative trim. The Thompson's' daughter Willie Mae (d.1966) occupied the structure until her death. It was then acquired by Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The graduate chapter was founded in 1940. The sorority restored the house as a meeting place in 1967. It is Austin's first black Greek letter house. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Painting contractor John W. Thompson and his wife Jennie built this Victorian home in the fashionable Robertson Hill neighborhood after their 1877 marriage, and their daughter Willie Mae lived in it until her death in 1966. The house then took on a new life: the Alpha Kappa Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, a graduate chapter founded in 1940, acquired and restored it in 1967 as a meeting place. It became Austin's first Black Greek-letter house.
Why it matters
The Thompson Home marks the rise of African American sororities and the network of Black women's civic institutions that flourished in the 20th century.
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Related people
- · John W. Thompson
- · Jennie L. Metz
- · Willie Mae Thompson
Themes & tags
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