French Legation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

French Legation
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)
The French Legation now serves as a period museum and host to a variety of community events.
Location:	Austin, Texas, USA
Coordinates:	30°16′01″N, 97°43′56″W
Built/Founded:	1841
Added to NRHP:	November 25, 1969
Governing body:	Daughters of the Republic of Texas

The French Legation is a historic legation building in east Austin, Texas, built in 1841 to represent the French government in the new Republic of Texas.

[edit] History

Following Texas' declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836, France was one of three countries (the other two being the United States and United Kingdom) to officially recognize Texas as an independent state. This was sealed in the 1839 Treaty of Amity, Navigation, and Commerce between the two countries. France subsequently assigned Monsieur Jean Pierre Isidore Dubois, a secretary in the French Legation in Washington, to be the new chargé d'affaires of his majesty Louis Philippe, the King of the French to the Republic of Texas. Dubois was to remain in Austin to maintain an official presence there. When Dubois arrived in September, 1840, he had added de Saligny to his name and declared himself a count

The legation structure was completed in mid-1841, approximately a half-mile east of the city center, and was a truly lavish abode compared to the standards of Austin at that time (temporary log structures were the norm). Dubois de Saligny was rather notorious among the people of Austin for his haughty attitude and non-payment of bills; his conflict with Austinites even came to blows in the so-called 1841 Pig War, when his servant fought with a neighbor whose pigs had been eating Dubois de Saligny's corn.

After the young nation's capitol was moved to Houston in 1842, the legation buildings were abandoned and deteriorated rapidly. The mansion was later occupied by John Mary Odin, first Bishop of the Diocese of Galvestion, and then Moseley Baker, hero of the Texas Revolution, in 1847. Dr. Joseph W. Robertson bought the estate from Baker and generations of his family resided there until 1940. The State of Texas purchased the site from Robertson's heirs in 1945. At that time, the state placed the property in the custody of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DAR), who established the French Legation Museum in 1949. The DAR restored the legation building and grounds and opened the site to the public on April 5, 1956.

It is the oldest extant frame structure in Austin. The building and surroundings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.