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Description: Built in 1853, the historic Watson Chateau hides on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Also called the Arthur Pope Watson House or The Chateau, it looks abandoned, haunted. Its walls keep the secrets of past owners and local communities: old Austin, LGBTQ, African American, and wild west.
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Even in daylight, it is easy to imagine Nancy Drew tiptoeing through this old house with her flashlight. But the Watson Chateau spent decades as a bright Austin gem. Today is stands empty, neglected, forgotten.
Normally, having 170 years of Texas and Austin history embedded in a structure would deem it important enough to be significant to the community. But the Watson Chateau, built in 1853, has the rare ability to also bring to light the undertold history of Austin’s LGBTQ community, African Americans, and women. Additionally, tendrils from the home’s owners fan out to hundreds of significant local and Texas histories and people.
Watso.com - Site Name Reserved