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New
For The Year 2011
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These
Pens Are Made Exclusively For
The
French Legation Museum
802
San Marcos Street
Austin, TX 78702
www.frenchlegationmuseum.org
Funds
Are Used in sustaining the French Legation Museum's meaningful
presentation of Texas history, which provides an entertaining
educational experience for Texans of all ages.
A
Limited Edition
With Certificate Of Authenticity
Available Only From The
The French Legation Museum
802
San Marcos Street
Austin, TX 78702
To
Order, Call
Phone 512-472-8180
SCROLL
DOWN
TO SEE
THE HISTORY OF
THE FRENCH LEGATION
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Pens
From The
French Legation Museum American Elm Tree
Thick
Cross Style French Legation Elm Tree Pen
French
Legation Museum Elm Tree
Austin, Texas
The
American Elm from which this pen was made took root on the
grounds of the French Legation during the 1920s. Like her
mistress, Miss Lillie Robertson, the American Elm welcomed
visitors to the French Legation for almost 90 years and
provided shade and comfort for the Robertson Family and
those seeking tales of the Frenchman who built a mansion
on the frontier.
Miss
Lillie was one of 11 of the Robertson family who occupied
the house for almost a century. Very likely, she spent many
hot afternoons under the shade of this magnificent tree.
The mansion itself was built in 1841 by Alphonse Debois,
the French diplomat sent by King Louis Phillipe to recognize
the independence of the Republic of Texas. The Elm’s
memory is only eclipsed by that of the historic structure
itself, which turned 170 in 2011.
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THE FRENCH LEGATION IN TEXAS
On
March 2, 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico.
David G. Burnet immediately served as interim president
of the newly established Republic of Texas. That fall, Sam
Houston became the first official President of The Republic
of Texas, setting up his government’s capital in Houston.
In 1839 the government of King Louis Philippe, constitutional
monarch of France, sent a representative to this new nation
to determine whether it should be officially recognized
as a sovereign nation through treaties with France. The
representative was a young man named Jean Pierre Isador
Alphonse Dubois de Saligny, a secretary at the French Legation
in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.
Dubois quickly recognized that The Republic of Texas could
be a source for France's sparse cotton supply and that a
future relationship with the Texians would provide “a
glorious opportunity” for France. A Treaty of Amity,
Navigation, and Commerce was signed on September 25, 1839,
officially recognizing The Republic of Texas as an independent
nation and declaring the two countries to be allies. For
his part in the process, Dubois was promoted to “chargé
d’affaires” to The Republic of Texas.
Dubois
claimed to have visited both San Antonio and Nacogdoches
during his first visit while also visiting New Orleans,
Louisiana. He soon returned to The Republic of Texas
to establish a Légation de la Republique Française,
or French diplomatic post, in the Capital City. By the
time he reached the new capital in September, 1840,
Mirabeau Lamar had become the second elected President
of The Republic of Texas. President Lamar created
a new city at Waterloo to serve as the seat
of government. This Capital
City, renamed Austin, was a new frontier for
the Texians and for Dubois.
Austin in 1840 was a town of unpaved
streets, tents, and log cabins. Dubois tried
to live and work in European style, seeking to
inspire the Texians and encourage other European nations
to become allies. Dubois successfully negotiated
new terms of trade between France and Texas while in
Austin. He also campaigned to push through the acceptance
of the Franco-Texian Bill of 1841, which would create
a corporation to explore and settle West Texas, importing
more than 5,000 French colonists within eight years.
Despite his efforts, the bill was never passed. Most
of his diplomatic work was completed while living in
a rented cabin near the intersection of Guadalupe and
Pecan (6th) Streets. During this time, he purchased
22 acres just east of downtown and began construction
of a fine, wood-framed, pine structure to serve as his
Legation and home.
Construction was slow and the French Legation remained
a work-in-progress for some time. In the spring of 1841
the structure and outbuildings were completed, however,
due to the political and diplomatic issues, Dubois left
Austin before settling in. Within nine months, Sam Houston
was re-elected President of The Republic of Texas and
soon reinstated Houston as the Capital City. Dubois
restablished his Legation in Houston, sharing
rented space with the English chargé d’affaires.
In December 1842, Houston’s agents attempted to
retrieve all governmental records from Austin, an incident
known as the Texas Archive War. Two years later Anson
Jones, original owner of the French Legation property
(Outlot One), became the final President of The Republic
of Texas. He negotiated the annexation of The Republic
of Texas by the United States of America in December
1845. In February 1846 all power was transferred to
the State of Texas and the United States of America.
As a state in the union, Texas was no longer the host
for foreign diplomats. Dubois returned to France until
his next assignment without ever returning to Austin.
The French Legation structure remained standing in central-east
Austin. The home served as headquarters and residence
to Father Jean-Marie Odin while he worked to regain
Texian missions for the Catholic Church in the 1840s.
Other private owners inhabited the home until 1940,
including the Robertson family who owned the home for
over one-hundred years. Miss Lillie Robertson kept the
home open for curious visitors and hosted many meetings,
including those for The Daughters of The Republic of
Texas, within the walls of the former French Legation.
In 1949, the State of Texas purchased the French Legation
from the Robertson heirs and, under the custodianship
of The Daughters of The Republic of Texas, the French
Legation Museum opened to the public in 1956.
THE
PIG WAR
Alphonse
Dubois de Saligny was involved in a skirmish in town as
he was diligently fundraising and advocating for the Franco-Texian
Bill and other diplomatic matters. Austin’s downtown
innkeeper Richard Bullock, who lived a few blocks from
the Frenchman's rented quarters at Guadalupe and Pecan
Streets (now Sixth Street), kept several pigs which roamed
freely, unpinned, through the town. The pigs soon discovered
a store of tasty corn in Dubois’ stables and his
Parisian chef’s culinary gardens. The pigs often
broke down the fence surrounding Dubois’ cabin to
enjoy the outdoor buffet. Dubois and his entourage were
left making costly daily repairs to the fence and gardens.
The pack of pigs also frightened his horses, creating
dangerous stampedes within his stables.
Bullock’s trespassing pigs also discovered an entry
point to Dubois’ cabin home. The pigs destroyed
fine French linens, diplomatic paperwork, and other belongings.
To stop the destruction of his property Dubois ordered
his servant, M. Pluyette, to kill any pigs that entered
his yard. The exact number of animals that were destroyed
is uncertain. Dubois and Pluyette admitted to killing
five or six pigs; Bullock claimed that the count was between
fifteen and twenty-five. In his letters to the government,
Dubois noted that the trespassing swine did not “wear
the name of their master on their backs,” proving
that he had not singled out Bullock’s property;
he was simply defending his own. While Dubois continued
to battle through diplomatic routes and letter-writing
campaigns, Bullock had other intentions. On February 19,
1841, the "Pig War" broke out as Bullock and
Pluyette came to blows on the street. Dubois wrote an
angry letter to James Mayfield, The Republic of Texas
Secretary of State, demanding government protection for
Pluyette and claiming Bullock had threatened the diplomat
with death by gun.
Although Mayfield regretted Bullock's actions, he insisted
that the matter belonged in a court of law. The matter
came to trial on February 22, 1841. Dubois refused to
allow Pluyette to testify, claiming that, in accordance
with the September 25 Treaty and Laws of Nations, a foreign
national should not be subject to a Texas court. Bullock
was released on bail until the next session of the District
Court, to be held in November.
Dubois wrote more letters to Secretary Mayfield, protesting
Bullock's release. Matters came to a head on March 24,
1841, when Dubos attempted to pay a visit to his American
counterpart, the chargé d'affaires of the United
States government in Texas. The representative of the
United States lived in Bullock’s Inn, and Bullock
refused to let Dubois enter the building. After a public
argument, the Frenchman retreated.
Eventually, due to unrest, allegations, and domestic strife,
Secretary Mayfield was moved to write a letter to George
McIntosh, The Republic of Texas chargé d'affaires
in Paris, ordering him to ask for the recall of Dubois.
The letter was written on April 8, 1841 but had not been
approved or endorsed by Republic of Texas President Mirabeau
Lamar. By April 29, 1841, Alphonse Dubois de Saligny,
frustrated with the legal and social climate in the Capital
City, left Austin and his newly completed French Legation,
never to return.
ROBERTSON
HILL
Alphonse
Dubois de Saligny may never have lived in the house
that we know as the French Legation but it served as
his Legation for a time. Dubois purchased the property
(Outlot 1) from Anson Jones in September 1840, began
construction in December of that year, and had
completed the project in the spring of 1841. Dubois
left Austin in April 1841, never to return. It is unknown
whether or not Dubois settled into his fine new home
before leaving. His belongings, archives, and entourage
remained in Austin and served the Legaiton in Dubois'
absence. The unique house was built according
to his orders and was designed to provide an appropriate
setting for European diplomatic duties, dinner
parties and entertainment. The structure was surrounded
by more than 22 acres, stretching from today's 7th Street
to 11th Street and from San Marcos Street to East Avenue
(the southbound frontage road of IH-35).
Father Jean-Maire Odin, a French priest, purchased the
property and its buildings from Dubois. By 1842,
the house was the home and headquarters for Fathers
Odin and Father Timon, who were working to reclaim Texian
Missions for the Catholic Church. Though the city of
Austin was nearly abandoned by this time, the French
Legation remained one of the few permanent structures
in town.
In 1847, after the annexation of Texas to the United
States, the French Legation property was
sold to Moseley Baker, a hero of the Texas Revolution.
He quickly sold the home and property to Dr. Joseph
W. Robertson in 1848. Dr. Robertson envisioned the site
as the location of a school for girls, to be run by
his friends C.W. and Maria Howell. However, the school
never came into fruition and Dr. Robertson moved his
family into the house.
Dr. Joseph and Lydia Lee Robertson raised eleven children,
including Dr. Robertson's son from his first marriage,
in the house on "Robertson Hill." Sarah, the
fifth child of Dr. and Mrs. Robertson,
was the first to be born in the house in 1850, and the
last to die there in 1940. Sarah's older sister, Julia
Robertson, painted a charming picture of the home as
it existed in 1858. The painting created by twelve-year-old
Julia still hangs in the girls' bedroom at the French
Legation Museum. It was their sister, Miss Lillie Robertson,
who tirelessly kept the memory of the old French Legation
alive. She lived in the home for nearly 84 years and
offered tours to guests daily, which she and many other
Austinites called "The French Embassy." As
an early member of The Daughters of The Republic of
Texas, she was active in maintaining the nearby State
Cemetery as well as working with other women’s
and civic organizations.
In addition to the thirteen members of the Robertson
family, there were other residents living on Robertson
Hill during their time. The French Legation Museum is
currently researching these people and their lives to
complete the story of the site.
It is known that Dr. Robertson was a slave owner before
the Emancipation Proclamation of 1865. In the 1850 and
1860 Census Slave Schedules, nine individuals were listed
as "slaves" under his name. The names of these
enslaved people are not written and remain largely unknown.
Within the 1850 deed records for Travis County, one
man is named Manuel in a bill of sale between Wm.
B. Burditt and Dr. Joseph Robertson. Manuel was sold,
guaranteed to be a "Slave for life,"
for $850.00.
By 1870 and 1880, freed African-American people were
listed on the Census Records for the Robertson household,
including Eliza Bell and her family and Polly &
Grant Jarrett. In 1910, Nancy Jarrett was interviewed
by the Dallas Morning News Magazine during a visit to
the "French Embassy." Over time, the Robertson
family would sell many parcels of land to free African-Americans
in East Austin. These communities were called Pleasant
Hill and Robertson Hill. Robertson Hill would eventually
absorb the area known as Pleasant Hill and would become
a very diverse neighborhood.
Parcels of the original 22-acre tract were sold
to the Robertson children, in-laws, and other Austinites.
Some of the first people who purchased pieces of Outlot
1 were:
Wm & Jane Oliphant
Bernhard Lindemann
D. W. Doom
L.S. Simpson
J.S. Simpson
THE FRENCH LEGATION MUSEUM
After
the deaths of Miss Lillie Robertson in 1939 and Sarah Robertson
Smith in 1940, Robertson family heirs decided to
honor their Aunt Lillie by turning the home into a historic
house museum. Miss Lillie protected the home and interpreted
its history for the public for most of her 84 years.
She treated the French Legation not only as her residence,
but as a structure that, in her words, belonged to the
public. Visitors were invited into the home and she
hosted many meetings for local patriotic, genealogic,
and philanthropic groups.
In this spirit, the Robertsons agreed to sell the French
Legation site to the State of Texas in 1949. Under the
auspices of Mrs. Walter Prescott Webb, the property
was placed under the custodianship of The Daughters
of The Republic of Texas, who have operated the site
as the French Legation Museum since 1956. From 1952
onward, The Daughters of The Republic of Texas and other
local organizations have worked tirelessly to preserve,
protect, and restore this priceless historic site. Original
restoration included conservation of the historic home
by architect Raiford Stripling and the creation of a
French-inspired landscape plan designed by C. Coatsworth
Pinckney.
The French Legation Museum today represents a conscientious
effort to return to details authentic to the Dubois
and Robertson eras. Many pieces remain from the Robertson
family's ownership of the home in addition to items
from Dubois’ Legation. The reconstructed French
country kitchen, designed by architect Raiford Stripling,
is notable for its extensive eighteenth and nineteenth-century
equipment. Further archeological study also provided
the location of the privy/outhouse site; there is now
a recreation of this outbuilding on site.
The staff and governing committee of the French Legation
Museum are devoted to sharing the site’s past
and the rich cultural history of Texas with visitors.
Since 1956 the French Legation Museum has been open
to the public and continues to be a living part of Texas
history.
ARCHITECTURE
The
French Legation was a unique structure in early Austin.
While most Austinites resided in tents and cabins, Alphonse
Dubois de Saligny would build a framed structure with
milled lumber, using rough, hand-hewn local timber
for the unseen foundation. All framing and finishes would
be completed with milled loblolly pine ("the lost
pines"). While the exterior design is Louisiana-Bayou
influenced, the interior floorplan follows the dog-trot
style with a large central hallway running through the
entire living space.
The Legation’s beams, floors, and other pine lumber
may have been milled at the Austin City Steam Saw Mill
in Bastrop. According to the 29 July 1840 Austin City
Gazette, Yates & Company was operating this mill in
Bastrop and was willing to send materials into Austin.
Additionally, his finished pine lumber could have been
ordered from the Copperas Creek Steam Saw Mill three miles
below Bastrop; this mill was advertising its operation
in the 24 October 1840 edition of the Texas Sentinel.
Below the home, Dubois dug a full wine cellar through
the hard clay and rock. The home included an unfinished
attic that allowed hot air to be vented up and out of
the home through the upper dormer windows but may not
have been intended for daily use.
Dubois left Austin in 1841, never to return. According
to the diary of William Bollaert, by 1843 the French Legation
was “empty, its doors and windows open, palings
broken down and appearing as if it would soon be in ruins.”
Within four years the Legation was sold to Mosley Baker
and later Dr. Joseph W. Robertson. Dr. Robertson’s
brother-in-law, D. Abram Lee, drew the earliest known
image of the house, a simple sketch of the south façade,
in 1850. The drawing highlights the new six-over-six sash
windows installed by the Robertsons as well as Dubois’
original 9-light dormer windows and French doors as well
as the impressive main entrance. In this image the grounds
are enclosed with a lattice gated fence. The roof is shown
to be wood shingles, supported by the front porch’s
double columns. Eight years later, young Julia Robertson
would paint the house in a similar state.
The Austin Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of 1900 shows a
different structure. By this time, the Legation had a
one-story kitchen/dining addition on the north side of
the home. The roofs were described as “non-combustible,”
metal instead of wood, and the outbuildings included the
privy and stables north-west of the home. Soon photographs
included another addition, an enclosed toilet, on the
north-east corner of the home. As time went on, the inhabitants
made small adjustments to make the home more comfortable
but never disturbed the principal features of the house.
By 1934, the house was documented by the Historic American
Building Survey (HABS). Available through the Library
of Congress, this file of history, descriptions, photographs,
and construction documents clearly showed the home and
its additions. After the home was sold to the State of
Texas in 1949, The Daughters of The Republic of Texas
(DRT) began restoration and rehabilitation of the oldest
home in Austin.
In 1950, the Legation had remained closed since the deaths
of Miss Lillie and Sarah Robertson. Mr. Carl Stautz, architect,
donated the first restoration services and used the 1934
HABS survey as a primary resource. The next year, the
attic was “cleaned,” the home was treated
for pests, and new cedar posts were installed to reinforce
the building’s foundation. Additionally, the DRT
renovated the gardens, restored and repaired the interiors,
replaced the roof, painted, and gained support from the
Violet Crown Garden Club, National Society of the Colonial
Dames of America, and other organizations. In 1954 the
Robertson additions were removed due to their dilapidated
condition and a caretakers’ house was constructed
with the salvaged material. Architect Raiford Stripling
joined the project in 1955, the same year the Pittsburg
Paint Company sampled the home’s interior paint
and finishes. By 1956 the home was ready to be opened
to the public as the French Legation Museum.
The study and appreciation of this Louisiana-Bayou-style
Texian home continues today. The French Legation was a
Recorded Texas Landmark in 1967, was published in the
National Register of Historic Places in November 1969,
and was designated a City of Austin Historic Landmark
in 1974. The site was then designated as a Texas State
Archeological Landmark in 1981. Members of the Texas Historical
Commission developed the French Legation’s State
Archeological Landmark Architectural and Archeological
Preservation Plan in October 1985 and a Historic Structures
Report was completed by Volz & Associates in August
1997. A recent structural and architectural assesment
project has provided groundwork for upcoming
structural restoration. Ongoing planning and preservation
continue to support and preserve this unique structure
and the collections it houses.
802 San Marcos Street
Austin, TX 78702
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Odessa, TX 79761
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