Layers of Austin history unveiled at West Campus slave quarters

“The Heart of Austin Beats Here”: Visiting City’s Lone Intact Slave Quarters

Autin’s past is being meticulously excavated at a remarkably preserved site – a two-story limestone structure in the West Campus neighborhood that was once the quarters for enslaved individuals. This historic building, possibly even older than the grand Neill-Cochran House that it sits behind, is set to open to the public again on June 22, a few days after the official Juneteenth holiday. It stands as a formidable reminder of the city’s complex history, and the roles and sacrifices of enslaved African Americans in building early Austin.

A Silent Witness to Austin’s History

For more than 150 years, the austere limestone building remained quiet behind the imposing Neill-Cochran House, offering few clues to its original function. It was only after thorough historical analysis that the building’s true purpose was uncovered— it once housed enslaved workers who built the Neill-Cochran property, now a museum.

Rowena Houghton Dasch, the museum’s executive director, expressed her shock upon discovering the building’s historical significance. She shared the realization of how such a critical piece of Austin’s past had unknowingly been in plain sight for decades.

Revealing the Slave Quarters and Its Residents

On June 22, this historic 1856 slave quarters will be reopened with an exhibition showcasing large informative panels. These panels meticulously narrate not just the story of the Neill-Cochran House and outbuilding, but also shed light on the background of the people who lived and worked there. The narratives bring to focus the haunting realization of how the grandeur behind the main house’s door was facilitated by the economy of enslavement.

Solving an Austin Historical Mystery

The true nature of the West Campus building as slave quarters has been a subject of speculation for years, eliciting skepticism and debates among historians. The building’s true identity was deciphered with the help of empirical evidence collected by Tara Dudley’s class at the University of Texas and a comprehensive survey conducted by interpretive planner Ted Eubanks. Eubanks stressed the importance of understanding the ‘why’ behind historical events and places, an element that is often missing in historical narratives.

Austin: Where Slavery Came to Die, But Didn’t

One of the interpretive panels presented at the museum traces the history of African slavery in the Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo-American eras, tying the evolution of slavery, its reach and limitations, to the local geography. The panel intriguingly asks—Why the enslaved population was so significant in Austin’s early history despite its unsuitable geographical conditions? What roles did enslaved individuals play in the city’s development?

The House Above the Shoal Creek Canyon

The Neill-Cochran House was built in 1855 under the watchful eye of master builder Abner Cook, who employed both owned and rented enslaved craftsmen for the task. But the Hills, for whom the house was originally intended, couldn’t afford it and had to sell it off to investors. The house passed hands several times, serving various purposes, including being the Texas State Asylum for the Blind, until it finally became the Neill-Cochran House Museum.

The Critical Need for Historical Interpretation

Without the necessary historical context and continuous learning initiatives, the Neill-Cochran House and quarters could have lost their significance as a symbol of Austin’s past, becoming yet another preserved mansion with period furniture and decor. The unveiling of the old slave quarters and the detailed panels are critical in this regard to maintain the true essence of Austin’s rooted history.

Uncovering Multiple Layers of Austin’s History

The Neill-Cochran House site presents a panoramic view of Austin’s history, encompassing various stages of its development. It is fondly seen as a ‘front porch view to the history of Austin.’ The exhibit with its detailed stories, maps, and interpretive panels works to unearth the multiple strata of Austin’s history- uncensored, unembellished, and wholly human.