Think west campus is changing now? We interpret 100 years of Austin history starting with the house's construction in 1855 in the (then) Austin suburbs.
The Neill-Cochran House Museum is a treasured part of Austin's history. The historic house was built in 1855 by Abner Cook, the Master Builder who also designed the Texas Governor's Mansion and several other important historic buildings around Austin. The House has survived, largely unchanged, through several tumultuous periods in American History, not only as a residence, but also, at times, as a
06/01/2026
How does our garden grow? Quite well, thank you. With purple hull peas, okra, plumbago, and basil... that we didn't actually plant but came back from last year.
Ok, so we need to work on our poetic meter. But our dinner plates are looking very promising!
05/30/2026
"Nearly 500 years ago, a Moroccan man, known to us now only as Estevanico (or Esteban), walked thousands of miles from Florida to the Pacific Coast, becoming the first known outsider to see the American West."
"Between 1528 and 1536, Estevanico walked roughly 2,250 miles west from Florida to the Pacific Coast of Mexico, completing what is widely believed to be the first recorded crossing of North America in history and predating Lewis and Clark's overland expedition to the Oregon Coast by nearly 300 years. Along the way, he was captured by Native Americans, learned their languages and became a healer before journeying an additional 1,300 miles south with the three other shipwreck survivors from the Gulf of California to Mexico City. He then embarked on a separate 1,500-mile odyssey north, and became the first known non-Native American to enter modern-day New Mexico and Arizona."
How an enslaved, shipwrecked African became the US's first great explorer Nearly 500 years ago, a Moroccan man walked thousands of miles from Florida to the Pacific Coast, becoming the first known outsider to see the American West.
The Neill-Cochran House Museum is honored to announce that it is the site of the 36th Toni Morrison Society “Bench by the Road.” This national program places commemorative benches at locations around the world that hold significance to the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Each bench serves as a place for reflection, remembrance, and dialogue.
The name "Bench by the Road" is taken from Morrison's remarks in a 1989 interview with World Magazine where she spoke of the absences of historical markers that help remember the lives of Africans who were enslaved and of how her fifth novel, Beloved, served this symbolic role:
“There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves . . . There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath, or wall, or park, or skyscraper lobby. There's no 300-foot tower, there's no small bench by the road. There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence or better still on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn't exist . . . the book had to.”
The NCHM was chosen as a bench site because it preserves the only intact, publically-accessible slave quarters remaining in Austin, Texas. Built in the 1850s, the quarters stand as a rare and powerful witness to the lives of the enslaved people who labored in and around the property. Today, the Museum works to tell their stories honestly and compassionately, expanding the public’s understanding of Austin’s early history and the people who shaped it.
The Bench will be dedicated at a ceremony during our annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 21, 2026. This free community day will feature free lunch, live music, guided tours, and will conclude with a dedication ceremony with the Toni Morrison Society. Learn more at nchmuseum.org
Voiceover: Toni Morrison at the dedication of the 6th Bench by the Road at George Washington University, Sept 21, 2011.
05/27/2026
2026 AYA Symposium
Saturday, June 6 | 9:00am - 3:45pm + Closing Reception
Trinity River Audubon Center
6500 S. Great Trinity Forest Way, Dallas TX
Register now: https://clayhes.regfox.com/2026-aya-symposium
This year’s annual symposium theme: "Preserving Our Forty Acres: Retain, Reclaim, Reuse"
We will begin with an exploration of the origin of Forty Acres as a symbol of dreams deferred and realized with regard to Black land ownership in the 19th and 20th centuries. The focus will then shift to developing strategies for maintaining and strengthening that ownership legacy - both rural and urban - into the future.
Presented in association with The Texas Freedom Colonies Project
Visit www.ayasymposium.org for updates and information!
Aya Symposium The Aya Symposium is the outgrowth of a five-year-old Symposium, held in conjunction with the Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival located in the historic Freedom Colony of Shankleville in Deep East Texas.
05/26/2026
The big magnolia tree in the north yard has a nice big flower.
05/25/2026
Today, the Neill-Cochran House Museum honors the brave individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. As a historic site dedicated to education and patriotic service, we remember their courage today and every day.
On May 18th, the NCHM and the NSCDA in Texas hosted A Night for Our Nation, an evening honoring U.S. veterans and American heroism. Lt. General Marshall "Brad" Webb was awarded the Patriotic Service Award and all attending veterans were celebrated for their service, while we also reflected on the bravery of those who paid for our liberties with their lives.
We are grateful to all the sponsors and everyone at the NSCDA-TX who worked so hard to make this event a success.
This is a good time to remind you that the Neill-Cochran House Museum provides free admission to Blue Star Families year round – an active service member or veteran and up to 4 family members. We are open Wed-Sun, 11am-4pm.
Photography by Kelly Treybig
05/24/2026
Jack White Retrospective Opening Reception
Saturday, June 13 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Neill-Cochran House Museum
2310 San Gabriel St, Austin TX
FREE EVENT - FREE PARKING
Learn more here: www.nchmuseum.org/nchm-events/jack-white-reception
The Neill-Cochran House Museum is honored to present a retrospective of the career of Jack White. Over a career that spanned more than seven decades, Mr. White explored the world around him as well as his African heritage through naturalistic drawings as well as abstract collages, totems, and paintings. He taught studio art classes over much of his career and spent many years working with incarcerated individuals in the New York State penitentiary system, particularly at Auburn Correctional Facility.
Jack White arrived in Austin in 2006 and spent the final years of his career and life here. The pieces shown come from his widow's private collection in the home they shared and bring together more than twenty examples of White’s work that are diverse in subject matter, style, and medium.
This reception is free and open to the public. Stop by anytime between 4:00pm and 6:00pm, enjoy a complimentary cocktail, and view this expressive, rarely-seen work.
Jack White Retrospective will be on display at the Neill-Cochran House Museum from June 3 through September 6. The Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11:00am until 4:00pm. The exhibition is included in the price of general Museum admission.
Last week the Neill-Cochran House Museum welcomed three Internet influencers each with a diverse community of followers who love Texas culture, food, and history.
We're so glad to meet Letty (), G Mayne () and Sam Collins, III (), and join them for some delicious meals at the historic Victory East Grill and the legendary Stubb's Barbecue. We were honored to be a part of their Austin visit and introduce them to Visit Austin Tour Ambassador Harrison Eppright. Eppright led the trio on a tour of Black West Austin history including the Haskell House in Clarksville and the NCHM Slave Quarters, Austin's last intact slave dwelling.
The trio of Texas influencers concluded their visit with the NCHM's new Slave Quarters Augmented Reality Experience that populates this space with living historians. The Experience brings to life the stories of the people who lived and worked in this small 1856 building – stories that rarely make it into the history books. It is history felt, not told.
Preserving the many layers of history that exist in our precious built heritage is important. But equally important is sharing that history, and those special places, with everyone. Thank you to Letty, G Mayne and Sam Collins, III, for introducing us to your many fans.
The NCHM Slave Quarters Augmented Reality Experience is available now with general admission to the Museum, and is supported in part by the Heritage Tourism Division of the City of Austin Office of Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment.
05/21/2026
The final Stories of the season was a real winner. Stories on the Lawn: Victory welcomed five wonderful local storytellers to the NCHM Front Porch telling tales of personal triumphs big and small.
And there was a sixth storyteller with us, Sara Laas, who debuted as a storyteller at the Neill-Cochran House Museum in 2022 and sadly passed away this April at the age of 95. We all took a moment to reflect on the memory of a gifted storyteller who loved to share her wit and wisdom with the world.
Stories on the Lawn will return to the NCHM in September. Stay tuned for details, and if you are interested in becoming a storyteller, visit us here to learn how:
https://www.nchmuseum.org/stories-on-the-lawn
Storytellers: William Holleman, Abel Lomas, Carol Ramsey, Hari Rao, Amanda Smith and Humaria Zafar.
Producers: Susan Mack and Mike Mournighan.
Cocktails courtesy of Banner Distilling Co.
05/15/2026
On Monday evening, the NSCDA in Texas and the Neill-Cochran House Museum will host A Night for Our Nation, an elegant dinner honoring American veterans and American heroism.
If you are not able to join us for A Night for Our Nation, you can still participate in our online/silent auction and bid for some fantastic items like a two-night trip to Round Top, a spa day, wine, artwork, tickets to Longhorn and Astros games, and much more!
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/nationalsocietyofthecolonialdamesofamericaintexas-auction
The auction is live now and will conclude at the end of A Night for Our Nation, on Monday, May 18 at approximately 9:00pm.** Event attendees will bid on items at a silent auction, but those who can't attend can still join the online auction and put in your bid to win!
**NOTE: Online bidders will be emailed 10 minutes before the end of the auction to lock in their final bids.
| Wednesday | 11am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 4pm |
| Friday | 11am - 4pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 4pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 4pm |