William Braxton Barr House, Austin, Texas
historic place
The William Braxton Barr House, located in Austin, Travis County, is a historic place. It was built in 1898 for cotton merchant William Braxton Barr and his wife, Matilda Birdwell Barr. Austin architect Charles Page designed the home. William Braxton Barr named the surrounding community, Sprinkle, after his grandfather, Captain Erasmus Sprinkle. Barr and his grandfather built a cotton gin and a general store in Sprinkle. The town of Sprinkle began to decline after cotton prices fell in 1920. The house features ornate Eastlake styling. It remained in the Barr family until 1980. The Texas Historical Commission erected a historical marker here in 1983. This house represents a period of agricultural commerce and architectural style in Travis County.