Step Back in Time: Journal as an Occupant

Construction began at what is now known as the Neill-Cochran House Museum late in 1855. From that time until the Cochran family moved out in 1958, hundreds of people passed through the site, either living or working there. In this exercise, we invite you to learn a bit more about some of the residents, and to write a short essay (3 paragraphs) from the standpoint of one of them. You could write about a day in their life, about how they accessed different parts of the site (main house, slave quarters, kitchen, outhouse, cistern, barn, etc…), and/or what you think their life might have been like. 

Think about how big Austin was at the time, and whether there were modern conveniences like indoor plumbing, electricity, and air conditioning. Frederick Law Olmsted (the landscape architect who designed Central Park in New York, among other projects) traveled through Texas right around the time the Neill-Cochran House was being built. He had this to say about Austin:

Austin has a fine situation upon the left bank of the Colorado…. The Capitol… stands prominent upon a hill, towards which, nearly all the town rises. From it a broad avenue stretches to the river, lined by the principal buildings and stores. These are of various materials and styles, from quarried stone to the logs of the first settlers. Off the avenue, are scattered cottages and one or two pretty dwellings. They are altogether smaller in number and meaner in appearance than a stranger would anticipate…. There is a very remarkable number of drinking and gambling shops, but not one bookstore.

Before you read on, watch the introductory site history film on our website. You will learn about our early history and become oriented to the different buildings and spaces within those buildings, which will help you bring your essay to life.