Neill-Cochran House Museum Slave Quarters, Photo Credit: Tara Dudley
The Background
The Slave Quarters building at the Neill-Cochran House Museum is the only intact and publicly accessible slave dwelling located within the boundaries of Austin's original townsite. As stewards of the Slave Quarters, the NCHM has a responsibility to preserve and share the building's history.
Why does THIS place matter? Through the Slave Quarters, all who live in and visit Austin have the opportunity to walk in the steps of the people, enslaved and free, who built this city. No matter our backgrounds, we can observe and experience the past through their eyes in an immersive and tangible way impossible to replicate anywhere else in the city.
Photograph of Rufus Howard, longtime employee of the Cochran family, before 1926. Neill-Cochran House Museum, Cochran Family Collection.
Here, we have the opportunity to share a more truthful and complete story of the Slave Quarters by identifying people who lived there and engaged with our site, and by telling their stories. These people included Lam (an enslaved boy who the trustees of the Texas Blind Asylum leased from his enslaver to teach the white boarding students how to weave baskets in the 1850s), Jacob Fontaine (the founder of one of the first Black newspapers west of the Mississippi, who lived a block away), Rufus Howard (a man who worked as a gardener both for the Cochrans and for the University of Texas in the early 20th century), and Maggie (a member of a family of laundresses who worked for the Cochran family and whose handmade soap was prized by the Cochran girls).
Lam, Jacob Fontaine, Rufus Howard, Maggie, and many others who lived and labored at this site or nearby, played incredibly important roles in the life of our city, roles that have been ignored as Austin has patterned itself as a progressive — yet overwhelmingly segregated — metropolis. Reckoning with the Past: The Untold Story of Race in Austin honors the contributions of every man, woman, and child connected to our site and brings their lives forward as evidence of Austin's difficult as well as inspiring history.
Light coming through the original opening between the first and second floors.
The Project
Over a 24-month period from April 2022 through April 2024, the Neill-Cochran House Museum went through a process to restore the Slave Quarters at our site, the only intact and accessible structure of its kind left in the City of Austin.
Restoration
The Slave Quarters, while structurally sound, required restoration to return the building to its antebellum appearance to reflect its historical function as a work and living space. The work stabilized the chimney, removed false ceilings on both the first and second floors, and reintegrated the interior connection between the first and second floors through the original opening along the east side of the building.
Interpretive Plan
Along with restoration, the NCHM produced a new Interpretive Plan for the whole site, culminating in the installation of a series of six interpretive panels that take our visitors on a journey through 500 years of Central Texas history. The site’s interpretation now contextualizes the Slave Quarters building as a place of enslavement and as a building used by free laborers.
The April 2024 installation of new interpretive panels does not complete our story, but rather serves as a new beginning for expanding narratives for years to come.
Images from the Restoration project:
Reckoning with the past Sponsors
Reckoning with the past DONORS
RECKONING
The Still Water Foundation
RESTORER
Cathy Brown
Marian Casey
Jane Hilfer and Alec Rhodes
Susan and Bob Morse
CULTURAL AMBASSADOR
Joyce Statz
GENERAL
Ms. Andrea Abel
Ms. Anissa Allbritton
Ms. Susan Altgelt
Ms. Rebekah Dobrasko
Ms. Judy Farrell
Ms. Allison Kaylor-Flink
Ms. Suzanne Labry
Ms. Cynthia Leigh
Mr. Charles Mandelbaum
Mrs. Virginia Miracle & Mr. Jed Miracle
Ms. Sue Moss & Mr. Craig Bell
Dr. Karen Pope
Ms. Penny Riordan
Ms. Mary E. White
Mr. Wendell Williams
Learn more - Purchase the book!
To learn more about the slave quarters, the experience of life at this site, and the broader narrative of the way race has played a role in Austin history, you can purchase a copy of our book, Reckoning with the Past: Slavery, Segregation, and Gentrification in Austin from our online gift shop. The media coverage of the project is on the Press & Media page of our website.
Become a part of the project!
The Neill-Cochran House Museum continues to fundraise for Reckoning with the Past: The Untold Story of Race in Austin. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please open the case statement, and/or contact Development Officer Cristina Feldott at cfeldott@nchmuseum.org or (512) 478-2335.
Photo credit Laura Ullman, Reporting Texas.
A Weekend for Community
On the weekend of April 23rd, 2022, the Neill-Cochran House Museum welcomed Mr. Joe McGill, the founder of The Slave Dwelling Project and the History and Culture Coordinator at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, SC, to experience our historic site and the only intact slave quarters building in Austin.
Mr. McGill raises attention to slave dwellings around the United States by overnighting in the structures and leading public community events. The museum hosted a moderated panel discussion the afternoon of April 23rd that focused on the important role historic preservation can play in the pursuit of racial equity in the present. On April 24th, the Museum welcomed the Austin community for a day of learning and celebration of the contributions of people of color to our site’s history.
Links to both panels appear below.
Executive Director Rowena Dasch moderated the Saturday panel with panelists Joe McGill, Dr. Nell Gottlieb, and Dr. Tara Dudley.
On Sunday afternoon, Joe McGill shared The Slave Dwelling Project with NCHM visitors.
Weekend for community event Sponsors
Weekend for community In-kind sponsors
Weekend for community DONORS
RESTORER
Ms. Cathy Brown
Ms. Marian Casey
Ms. Jane Hilfer & Mr. Alec Rhodes
Mrs. Susan & Mr. Bob Morse
CULTURAL AMBASSADOR
Ms. Joyce Statz
GENERAL
Ms. Rebekah Dobrasko
Ms. Suzanne Labry
Ms. Cynthia Leigh
Mr. Charles Mandelbaum
Ms. Sue Moss
Ms. Penny Riordan
Ms. Mary E. White
Mr. Wendell Williams
An Evening with Three Iconic Austin Chefs
On the March 4th, 2023, the Neill-Cochran House Museum hosted an exclusive and intimate evening with three transformational Black chefs who bring their heritage to their work. Chefs Tavel Bristol-Joseph (Canje), Damien Brockway (Distant Relatives), and Amanda Turner (Olamaie) shared their culinary expertise, their professional journeys, and the role that history has played in their craft. Guests dined on chef-created bites at an all-inclusive cocktail reception under the stars and enjoyed a panel discussion with the chefs.
TAVEL BRISTOL-JOSEPH
Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph left Guyana for the United States as soon as he graduated high school. Almost 25 years later, he is turning back to his home country for inspiration as he and his partners in the Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group prepare to open Caribbean-inspired restaurant Canje this fall at 1914 E. Sixth St. in East Austin.
DAMIEN BROCKWAY
Chef and pitmaster Damien Brockway graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 2003. He has worked at nationally-recognized establishments in Boston, San Francisco, and Austin.
Damien’s culinary project, Distant Relatives, started in 2021, is inspired by the textures, flavors, heritage and narrative of the African diaspora within the United States and as such employs strong elements of Pecan and mixed hardwood smoke, heightened spice profiles, traditional preservation methods and a nose to tail, root to stem approach utilizing products from our local food system.
AMANDA TURNER
Chef Amanda Turner is the definition of a rising star. She has worked at Uchi, Odd Duck, Juniper, and since 2021, she has served as chef de cuisine at the fine dining Southern cuisine restaurant, Olamaie.
Olamaie will be the first time Chef Turner has worked in the milieu of Southern cooking, which she said she consciously avoided throughout her career because she felt like it was the stereotype that people expected from her. But now, Amanda says she wants to "really dig in and explore what that means historically, but the big picture is the South is a melting pot, and I think we have a lot of opportunities to explore the ways that immigrant cultures in general have affected Southern cuisine."
VIRGINIA CUMBERBATCH (Panel Moderator)
As a storyteller, racial justice educator and organizer, Virginia’s work sits at the intersection of community advocacy and creative activism. With a heart to elevate the voices of people of color whose stories are often siloed or ignored, she co-birthed Rosa Rebellion, "a platform for creative activism by and for women of color," - creating space for the brilliance and thought leadership of women of color in media, policy and community organizing. Beyond Rosa Rebellion, Virginia supports the development of a culture and ethos of equity for organizations, as a racial justice educator and writer, working with brands like Bumble, the World Economic Forum, lululemon and more.
Iconic Chefs Event Donors
Ms. Sonia Wilson & Ms. Kathy Johnson
Mr. Chris & Ms. Susan Mack
Ms. Laraine Gilmore
Ms. Judy Farrell
Mr. Peter Maxson
Ms. Eileen Moody
Iconic chefs in-kind Sponsors
Kai-Simone Winery
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Thirsty Planet Beer
Milam & Greene Whiskey
Iconic chefs EVENT SPONSORS
Dr. Tara Dudley leads a tour that includes the newly restored NCHM Slave Quarters
NCHM Juneteenth Celebration
On June 22nd, 2024, the Neill-Cochran House Museum welcomed over 600 visitors to a day of celebration and reflection. Tours of the newly restored and re-interpreted NCHM Slave Quarters building shed new light on the stories of the people who built Austin.
Fellowship and Song
Distant Relatives provided a wonderful lunch and gospel choir Christopher D. Spivey & Co. filled our hearts with song. Buffalo Soldier living historians shared fascinating insights on the all-Black cavalry troop. Then we ended the day with an opening reception for the premier exhibition of Sarah Bird’s exhibition of 1970s Black rodeos, A Juneteenth Rodeo.
Media Coverage
THE HEART OF AUSTIN BEATS HERE: VISIT CITY'S ONLY INTACT SLAVE QUARTERS - Austin American-Statesman
NEILL-COCHRAN HOUSE MUSEUM CELEBRATES IN OBSERVANCE OF JUNETEENTH - The Daily Texan [podcast]
PRESERVING HISTORY: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROWENA DASCH AND DR. TARA DUDLEY - Spectrum News
Images from The NCHM Juneteenth celebration:
NCHM Juneteenth Celebration 2024 sponsors
Reckoning with the past Sponsors
RECkoning with the past DONORS
RECKONING
The Still Water Foundation
RESTORER
Cathy Brown
Marian Casey
Jane Hilfer and Alec Rhodes
Susan and Bob Morse
CULTURAL AMBASSADOR
Joyce Statz
GENERAL
Ms. Andrea Abel
Ms. Anissa Allbritton
Ms. Susan Altgelt
Ms. Rebekah Dobrasko
Ms. Judy Farrell
Ms. Allison Kaylor-Flink
Ms. Suzanne Labry
Ms. Cynthia Leigh
Mr. Charles Mandelbaum
Mrs. Virginia Miracle & Mr. Jed Miracle
Ms. Sue Moss & Mr. Craig Bell
Dr. Karen Pope
Ms. Penny Riordan
Ms. Mary E. White
Mr. Wendell Williams