The Neill–Cochran House Museum is a historic home in north-central

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. Master builder

Abner Cook Abner Hugh Cook (March 15, 1814 – February 22, 1884) was a self-taught Texas architect and general contractor responsible for the design of several historic and notable buildings in Texas, particularly Austin, such as the Texas Governor's M ...

designed and built the house in 1855 as a suburban estate many years before the surrounding area was settled by other homes and businesses. The two-story

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

home features prominent Doric columns and Mr. Cook's signature "sheaf of wheat" balusters.

History

The house was built on northwest of town for Washington and Mary Hill, although they never occupied it. In 1856, it was leased to the Texas Institute for the Blind, currently known as the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, to serve as its first home until Abner Cook finished the school's campus across town. Subsequently, the House was leased by Lt. Governor

Fletcher Stockdale Fletcher Summerfield Stockdale (c. 1823 – 4 February 1890) was an American politician, lawyer, and railroad official who served as the acting governor of Texas in 1865 and as the ninth lieutenant governor of Texas from 1863 to 1865. Early li ...

and, it is believed, former Provisional Governor

Andrew J. Hamilton Andrew Jackson Hamilton (January 28, 1815 – April 11, 1875) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 11th governor of Texas from 1865 to 1866 during Reconstruction., retrieved 2008-12-20 Early life Hamilton was born in Huntsvil ...

. At the end of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Federal troops converted the House into a hospital. General

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

was stationed in Austin during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

, occupying the blind school and, no doubt, visit the Neill–Cochran House. In 1876, the home was sold to Colonel Andrew Neill, a Confederate veteran. Neill lived there with his wife Jennie Chapman Neill, who stayed on after Neill's death and in 1893 rented the home to Judge Thomas Beauford Cochran. Cochran purchased the home outright in 1895 for his family and expanded and modernized the home. In 1958, the Cochran family sold the property to

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America (often abbreviated as NSCDA) is an American lineage society composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1776, and whose services wer ...

in The State of Texas. The NSCDA operates the home today as a historic house museum. The Neill–Cochran House Museum is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is a

Texas Historical Commission The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the U.S. state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas. The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Histor ...

landmark. In 2007, White Rabbit Adventure Games published a walk-through computer adventure game based on the Neill–Cochran House. The game, "Sterling's Gift", features a fictional story based on published memoirs and diaries that helps the player solve a 150-year-old mystery involving George Custer's wife Libbie. Royalties from the sale of this unique game go to the Neill–Cochran House Museum.

Gallery

File:Neill-Cochran House 12.jpg, Neill–Cochran House Museum atrium File:Neill-Cochran House 16.jpg, Neill–Cochran House Museum bedroom

References

External links

Neill Cochran House Museum

Sterling's Gift Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neill-Cochran House Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas Houses in Austin, Texas Historic house museums in Texas Museums in Austin, Texas Greek Revival houses in Texas National Society of the Colonial Dames of America National Register of Historic Places in Austin, Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks City of Austin Historic Landmarks