First Lady
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Texas Governor's Mansion Tour
- History
- Entry Hall
- Small Parlor
- Large Parlor
- Library
- Dining Room
- Conservatory
- Back Hallway
- Upstairs Hall
- Sam Houston Bedroom
- Pease Bedroom
- Mansion Gardens
History
Welcome to the Governor's Mansion. It has been the official residence of Texas governors since 1856. Forty governors have lived in the mansion. It is the fourth oldest governor's mansion in the United States that has been continuously occupied by a chief executive, and it is the least altered from its original plan. It is the oldest building in the Capitol Complex-32 years older than the present Capitol.
In 1854, the Texas Legislature appropriated $17,000 to build and furnish a permanent home for the governor--$14,500 for the structure and $2,500 for furnishings. The contract went to master builder Abner Cook who agreed to finish the house by December 1855. Bad weather delayed construction, and it was not until June 1856 that Governor Elisha M. Pease moved into the mansion as its first resident. Since the $2,500 appropriation for furnishings did not go far, most first families brought some of their own household items to supplement what was in the mansion. Because of this, furniture was added at random, and the interior was redecorated many times.
The architectural style of the house is Greek Revival with six fluted Ionic columns across the front, which are 29 feet high. The inside of the original house had a simple floor plan with a broad central hallway and four rooms opening to the hall upstairs and downstairs. This provided ventilation in the summer when the front and back doors were open. The exterior walls were buff-colored brick that came from clay pits near the Colorado River. Most of the lumber used in the house came from the pine forest in Bastrop.
The original structure contained 6,000 square feet and was divided into 11 rooms, with no bathroom in the main house. The 1914 addition increased the size of the mansion to 8,920 square feet, with 25 rooms and 7 bathrooms. The addition in 1914 has been the only major structural change. At that time the Conservatory was added, and the old semi-detached kitchen wing was replaced with a two-story addition fully integrated into the main house. Up until that time, the kitchen had been connected to the mansion by a covered walkway. This separation was common in the 19th century because of the fire hazard.
Governor and Mrs. Clements found the mansion in a state of disrepair when he took office in 1979. With cooperation from the Legislature, they undertook the mansion restoration project. The Legislature appropriated $1 million to renovate and restore the building. Governor and Mrs. Clements organized the nonprofit corporation, Friends of the Governor's Mansion, which raised approximately $3 million in private funds to redecorate the interior and furnish the public rooms with 19th century American empire and American federal furniture with fabrics typical of that time period. The renovation took almost three years, and the mansion reopened in the spring of 1982.
Entry Hall
When Governor Pease moved into the mansion in 1856, the door at the end of the hall was the back door. The window at the curve of the stairwell looked out onto the garden and stableyard. The 1914 addition also added to the family living quarters on the second floor. The window was left intact to show the back wall of the 1856 house.
An important feature original to the house is the grand half-turn staircase. Governor James Hogg, the first native-born Texan to be governor, and his family occupied the house from 1891 to 1895. The Hogg children were very active and loved to slide down the banister. According to Miss Ima Hogg, after her brother Tom fell and was injured, Governor Hogg hammered tacks down the railing of the stairs to prevent any further mishaps. The filled nail holes are still visible.
One of the most historically significant gifts to the mansion during the restoration project is the painting by Robert Onderdonk, entitled "Fall of the Alamo." It is considered the most authentic painting of the battle and has been reproduced in many history books and textbooks. The painting was commissioned by James DeShields of Dallas in 1901. After careful research by the artist, it was completed in 1903 and exhibited at the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904. Depicted in the left center is Davy Crockett in his buckskins as he and his fellow Tennesseans engage in hand-to-hand combat at dawn on March 6, 1836, when the Alamo fell to Santa Anna's forces. This is the only large historical painting of Onderdonk's that survives.
Beneath the painting is an empire sofa attributed to Duncan Phyfe, a New York cabinet maker, c. 1815.
Small Parlor
The parlors have been used for formal entertaining throughout the history of the house. Around 1900, First Lady Mrs. Joseph Sayers made many changes to enhance the mansion. She added the overmantels and the mirrors above the mantels which are tilted to reflect the crystal and candlelight. She also added the plaster cove molding to the ceilings in the parlors.
The portrait of Sam Houston was painted by Martin Johnson Heade in 1846 and depicts Houston in his early 50s when he was a United States senator. The pianoforte is the forerunner of our modern piano. It was made around 1830.
The bluebonnet landscape was painted by Julian Onderdonk, son of Robert Onderdonk ("Fall of the Alamo"). The bluebonnet painting was donated in 1980 by the great-granddaughter of Mrs. Sawnie Robertson, the person responsible for having the bluebonnet named the state flower of Texas. Mrs. Robertson and her friends picked bluebonnets and placed one on the desk of each of the members of the Legislature before the vote on the state flower was to be taken. The legislators had been considering the cactus for state flower, but the bluebonnet was chosen instead.
The twin chandeliers hanging in the parlors were made in England around 1840-1850. They were acquired in the 1970s and reportedly had hung in a Sultan's Palace in India.
Large Parlor
The Empire breakfront attributed to Joseph Barry (c. 1815-1825) houses half of the Governors' Memento Collection established by Mrs. Price Daniel in the 1960s. She contacted family members of past governors and asked them to donate an item that was either used in the mansion while the family lived there or a personal family item. A tradition was established whereby each successive governor and first family leave a memento representing their term in office to be displayed in the collection cabinets in the house.
The portraits are of Governor and Mrs. Richard Coke and have hung in the mansion since the turn of the century. Governor Coke was in office during the 1870s. The Hepplewhite mahogany tallcase clock represents the Willard School of clock making and dates to 1793-1818. The four-piece silver tea service is American (c. 1812), and the tray is engraved with the coat of arms of John Jay, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The mantel in the large parlor has been the backdrop for weddings that have taken place in the mansion through the years. Governor W. Lee O'Daniel, 1939-1941, had a popular radio show, and he broadcast every Sunday morning from the large parlor.
The keyhole molding surrounding the windows and doorframes is an original feature and is typical of Greek style houses. The fabrics and style of the draperies are period reproductions. They have been hung inside the window mold so that the full effect of the original keyhole detailing can be seen.
Library
This room has been used primarily as a library or study and for informal entertaining by the governors and their families. The mantel in this room is original and was used as a model during the 1980s renovation to restore the other mantels to their 1856 character.
The oil portrait above the mantel is of Stephen F. Austin who is known as the "Father of Texas." Austin brought the first American colonists to Texas in the 1820s. In 1839 the capital city of Austin was named for him. His portrait hangs here as a tribute to his role in Texas history. The desk was used by Austin at Peach Point, the plantation home on the Gulf Coast of his sister, Emily Perry. Perry heirs presented it to the state in 1923.
The chandelier was placed in the mansion around 1900 and is the only light fixture which hangs in its original location.
To the right of the fireplace is a portrait of Davy Crockett dated 1834 when Crockett was serving as a congressman in Washington representing the state of Tennessee. This painting is a copy of a life-sized portrait by John Gadsby Chapman which was lost in a fire at the Texas Capitol. It features Crockett as his legend portrays him, with his rifle and coonskin cap.
Other historical pieces in the library include the sofa which belonged to Governor and Mrs. Pease, the mansion's first occupants. The bust of William Jennings Bryan is the work of Austin sculptress Elisabet Ney during the Sayers administration, 1899-1903. Bryan was a friend of Governor and Mrs. Sayers and was a guest at the mansion. The mahogany shelf clock was also made by Willard in Boston about 1815-1820. The decoration is stencilled and painted on glass from the reverse side.
Dining Room
The state dining room has been used for official state dinners throughout the history of the mansion. European royalty and U.S. presidents have dined in this room.
The beautiful oval mahogany banquet table was purchased with state funds in 1942 under the guidance of Miss Ima Hogg. It was made in England in the late 19th century. Miss Hogg lived in the mansion while her father was governor, and she became a great benefactor to the house. From 1935 until her death in 1975, Miss Hogg served on the Board of Mansion Supervisors. The American Sheraton sideboard was given to the mansion by Miss Hogg. It dates from 1790 and is the oldest piece in the mansion. Above the sideboard hangs a girandole, or convex, mirror made in New York about 1810.
In the 1950s, Mrs. Allan Shivers obtained a legislative appropriation to purchase china and silver flatware for the mansion. The china is the Jefferson pattern by Pickard, with the seal of Texas in gold. The official sterling flatware is the Pointed Antique pattern by Reed & Barton. The state seal is engraved on the front of each piece. The name of the governor during whose administration it was acquired is engraved on the back of each piece. Samples are displayed in the cabinet in the middle entry hall.
Also during the Shivers administration in 1952, central heating and air conditioning was installed in the house, and in 1954, the mansion got its first television set. Electricity was added in 1900.
The portraits over the mantels are of the Wharton brothers, William in formal attire and John in military uniform. They came to Texas around 1830 and fought with Sam Houston in Texas' struggle for independence. The painting on the north wall is of the Texas Military Institute, Austin, by Herman Lungkwitz, the largest and most important of his works. He was a 19th century Texas landscape artist and photographer. The painting was acquired in 1989.
Conservatory
The conservatory was part of the 1914 addition and replaced a covered porch. This room serves as the family's dining room and informal entertaining area. Of particular interest is the hooked rug. The design incorporates the seals of the nations whose flags have flown over Texas--Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States and the Confederate States of America--interspersed with various Texas wildflowers. The theme for the rug was the idea of Governor Clements and Jed Mace of Dallas, an interior designer who worked on the mansion restoration. The rug was made by the New England Guild and took two years to complete.
The Baltimore breakfront is made of mahogany and burl ash. It houses one half of the Governors' Memento Collection established by Mrs. Price Daniel in the early 1960s (the other half is in the large parlor). One item in the collection is the Union Civil War sword which belonged to Governor Edmund J. Davis. A more recent addition is the silver, turquoise, and amethyst necklace and earrings set displayed on the top, left-hand shelf, a memento of Governor Ann Richards, which was a gift to her from a Mexican official.
The gold-framed mirror above the sideboard with the state seal was given to the mansion by Temple Houston Morrow, grandson of Sam Houston. The State Official Ladies Club donated the handsome antique silver coffee urn to the mansion in 1958
Back Hallway
The back entry was at one time a covered porch which provided shelter for the servants coming to and from the semi-detached kitchen.
The back entry has two area rugs, one with the rarely seen reverse side of the Texas State Seal. Depicted are the Alamo, the cannon representing the one used in the first battle of the Texas Revolution at Gonzales, and Vince's Bridge destroyed by Deaf Smith at the battle of San Jacinto. The other rug depicts Texas' state bird, the mockingbird, and branches from the pecan tree, Texas' state tree. An Audubon print of the mockingbird hangs above a mahogany Sheraton serving table. On the walls are prints of the U.S.-Mexican War.
An outstanding collection of commemorative earthenware known as Texian Campaignware is on display in the back entry. It was made in Staffordshire, England, in the 1850s to commemorate the war between the United States and Mexico in the 1840s. The uniforms and settings depicted are unrealistic and were probably taken from European battle drawings rather than American lithographs.
Upstairs Hall
The upstairs hall has been used primarily as a sitting room for the governors' families throughout the mansion's history. The hallway also served as a central gathering place between the four original bedrooms. Since the window above the stairwell originally opened to the outside, the hallway had cross-ventilation when the window and door opposite were open. After the cross-ventilation was blocked by the 1914 addition, Governor James Ferguson screened the balcony as a sleeping porch, and it remained that way for four decades.
The upstairs hall displays a significant portion of the state-owned mansion collection. Most of these furnishings were in the mansion prior to the 1979-82 restoration. The Victorian rosewood Mallard and Belter pieces were given to the mansion by Miss Ima Hogg.
The elaborate longcase clock was given to the mansion in 1943 and was made in Brussels. Legend suggests it once belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte of France. The large oil painting entitled "Richard Barwell and Son" was painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds and was a gift to the mansion in 1952 in honor of Gov. and Mrs. Shivers.
The rug is Rumanian oriental. The inverted pyramid crystal chandeliers hung in the downstairs parlors from 1900 and were moved upstairs in the 1970s.
Sam Houston Bedroom
The Sam Houston bedroom is one of two official state bedrooms. Sam Houston served as governor from 1859 to 1861.
Before the restoration, this room was part of the private living quarters. Today the central piece in the room, and possibly the most historically significant piece relating to the Governor's Mansion, is the Sam Houston bed. It is believed to have been purchased by the state when the Houstons lived in the mansion. The purchase of a superior mahogany bedstead at the price of $30 appeared on a bill dated December 24, 1859. Two children were born in this bed, Sam Houston's eighth child Temple Lea Houston, in 1860, and Sam Houston Allred in 1937.
The canopy, bedspread, and dust ruffle, a period toile fabric, depict scenes from the Texian Campaignware china on display downstairs in the back entry hall commemorating the U.S. war with Mexico in which Texans played a primary role.
Throughout the room are reminders of Sam Houston. The plaster bust of Houston was sculpted by Elisabet Ney in 1900. The painted photograph depicts Houston as an older man and was given to the mansion in 1935 by his descendant, Temple Houston Morrow. There are also letters and documents with Houston's signature.
The photograph of First Lady Margaret Lea Houston was a gift to the mansion from Mrs. Price Daniel, her great-granddaughter. The French Empire loveseats flanking the fireplace were originally used in the French Legation during the days of the republic. They were given to the mansion during the Sterling administration in 1932. For many years they were in the downstairs hallway. The needlepoint cover on the footstool was stitched by First Lady Maud Sterling while she lived in the mansion.
Pease Bedroom
The Pease bedroom was formerly the only official state guest room and was designated previously as the Sam Houston bedroom by Mrs. Sayers in 1900. During the early 1980s restoration, Governor and Mrs. Clements decided to honor the mansion's first residents-- Governor Elisha Marshall Pease and First Lady Lucadia Niles Pease--by naming this bedroom as the second official state guest room.
The four-poster walnut hand-carved beds belonged to the Peases. The desk was used in the mansion by Governor Pease. The portraits of Governor and Mrs. Pease were given by their descendants and restored by the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth. The metal case clock belonged to a Pease descendant. The case was made in about 1925 by Weigl Iron Works in Austin who made many of the decorative iron fences, railings, and balconies seen around Austin today.
On top of the desk is a framed invitation to a levee, the first official social function at the mansion, which took place in August 1856. Mrs. Pease and their daughters were visiting relatives in Connecticut at the time Governor Pease moved into the mansion and hosted this reception. On the reverse side of the frame is the letter Governor Pease wrote to Mrs. Pease telling her all about the party and what a great success it had been. He said 500 people came and 300 stayed for supper.
The quilts on the beds were hand stitched by Texas quilters with designs illustrating Texas themes: the state seal, the mansion, Sam Houston on his horse, Texas wildflowers, and the mockingbird.
The American Empire walnut wardrobe is a Texas-made piece. It is one of the few pieces that have been retained in the mansion through the years, giving it a special historic significance.
The oil painting of Texas hill country bluebonnets is by Porfirio Salinas. The loveseat is part of the six-piece Belter set. On the chest is a shadowbox containing a snuff box which was whittled by Sam Houston for Governor Pease and a small black jewelry box also given to Governor Pease by General Houston. Governor Pease's cane was a gift of Governor and Mrs. Allan Shivers. The photograph of the Governor's Mansion is dated about 1870.
Mansion Gardens
The grounds of the two-acre mansion complex are used extensively for entertaining by the governor and first lady. The grounds are enclosed with brick and wrought-iron fencing. First Lady Nellie Connally established a formal landscape plan in the 1960s. The Connally gardens include a fountain pool, a pergola and colonnade, and brick walkways.
A replica of the 1870s gazebo was constructed on the south lawn during the early 1980s restoration. The Carriage House, now used by the administrative staff and mansion security staff, was constructed around 1900. Where the fence meets the wall is a seam which designates the back of the original house and the 1914 addition.