Woodlawn, Austin, Texas
historic place
Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion, is a historic Greek Revival mansion in Austin, Travis County. Master builder Abner H. Cook, who also designed the Texas Governor's Mansion, completed Woodlawn in 1853 for State Comptroller James B. Shaw. In 1859, Governor Elisha Marshall Pease purchased Woodlawn. The original 365-acre estate was a plantation where enslaved people lived and labored. Census records from 1860 show ten enslaved individuals on the property. Later, in 1957, Governor Allan Shivers and his wife acquired Woodlawn. The Texas Historical Commission erected a marker here in 1961. Woodlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970. This site is significant as the largest of four remaining two-story Greek Revival mansions built by Abner Cook in the 1850s. It was home to two Texas governors. Woodlawn reflects architectural, political, and social history in Texas.