To Liberate: The Watson Chateau

 

A Digital Exhibit by Oakwood Cemetery Chapel

Oakwood Cemetery Chapel presents “To Liberate,” a digital exhibit about the Watson Chateau and its owners, some of whom now reside at Oakwood Cemetery. The exhibit is available to view at AustinTexas.gov/ToLiberate.   The Oakwood Chapel 2022 exhibit "To Liberate" reveals the architectural and cultural history of the unique Watson Chateau, believed to have been built in 1853 by Margaret Neville Bowie, Rezin Bowie’s widow, and sister-in-law to Jim Bowie. People who were enslaved by its early owners also lived on the property. Subsequent owners included doctors, land speculators, attorneys, farmers, a hairstylist, a secretary, and lastly, a gay couple. They lived together at The Chateau for almost 50 years, hosting fabulous, well-known parties for the elite of Austin, Texas—and more quietly for the city’s closeted gay men. The exhibit includes some of the history of Austin’s LGBTQ community. The house still stands vacant and is rapidly deteriorating. It is now owned by the University of Texas. A long unanswered question remains about the fate of the Watson Chateau in the midst of new developments. Many Austinites hope that it will be saved, and its history will be liberated for future generations.