Issac Decker, a shoemaker from Canada, moved from Travis County to Montgomery County Texas, reportedly because of hostile Indians in the area. He sold his land to David Browning and Daniel Browning on June 18, 1838. The original Issac Decker land was sold and resold several times. In mid-1850 Sterling Washington (S.W.) Goodrich bought a large part of the Decker tract and established a plantation with about 30 slaves. He came with his large family from Tennessee. His plantation home is what is now Paggi House on Lee Barton Road. Goodrich’s land extended into present day Barton Heights. He died in 1868 and his wife Mary died several years later. Land and financial settlements among their children resulted in land sales and redistribution of the plantation lands. Most of the first homes in the Zilker area were constructed in the late 1920s.
Henry P. Hill was a lawyer and native of Georgia. It is speculated that Henry P. Hill may have returned to Georgia because of the pending hostilities associated with the war for Texas Independence, but he did not sell his land. Following the war, there was considerable chaos within the land grant system and verifying land records was a problem. It took years to convert the Mexican land grant records to a new and usable system. It was under these circumstances that William Barton settled on a labor of land at the mouth of Spring Creek (now Barton Creek) around 1837. In 1838, Barton applied for a patent, but it was never actually granted by the General Land Office, because it was later determined that the land selected by Barton was on the tract already patented to Henry P. Hill. In April 1840, William Barton died. Due to the confusion over the actual ownership of the labor of land, it would take fifteen years before the will was finally settled. In all the confusion over the ownership of League 21, originally granted to Henry P. Hill in 1835, court records show that the land was sold at the courthouse steps against property tax debts several times in the 1850s. The question of the ownership of the labor of land was finally resolved by a decree of the Travis County District Court issued in 1855. The labor of land was then sold on behalf of the Barton heirs to A. B. McGill. Hill’s ownership of the league of land, exclusive of two subdivisions previously made for William Barton’s labor and Wayne Barton’s donation grant IN 1855, was finally resolved by a decision of the Travis County District Court in 1869, in favor of Hill. The original Henry P. Hill land was split up, sold, and resold numerous times over the ensuing years. Much of the west end of Zilker was owned by Vincent Canizzo until the late 1940s when the City of Austin, using eminent domain, forced him to sell the land on which Zilker Elementary currently sits. Shortly thereafter, the remaining land — from Ann Arbor Road to Rabb Road — was split into the Canizzo Subdivision.
This is a work in progress. Feel free to share with us historic events that you feel were important to the development and shaping of neighborhood, and we will consider adding them. Much of the history of the neighborhood is reflected in the history of Zilker Park and Barton Springs. Those events related to the Zilker Park and Barton Springs area are highlighted in green below. The opening and closure of particularly iconic bars, restaurants, and music venues are also included. If there is a icon in the Image column, hover over it to see the image.
Date |
Event |
Image |
1835 |
Isaac Decker is granted a league (4,428.4 ac) of land, which included the eastern part today's Zilker neighborhood, on March 17 |
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1835 |
Henry Hill is granted a league of land (4,428.4 ac), which included the western part of today's Zilker neighborhood, on July 14 |
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1837 |
After his wife Stacy dies, William "Billy" Barton moves his family to the then-named Spring Creek, building a house and settling on the south bank near the main springs |
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1838 |
William Barton files a patent for a labor of land (177.1 ac) and has it surveyed around March or April, but a patent is never actually granted because it was later determined that the land was on the tract already patented to Henry P. Hill |
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1838 |
Isaac Decker sells his land to the Browning brothers on June 18 |
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1839 |
William Barton makes an agreement with Lewis Capt for use of the water from the main spring and land on the north bank of the creek to erect a saw mill |
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1840 |
William Barton dies in April, leaving the property to his six children |
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1842 |
Two Indian attacks were recorded near the springs |
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1845 |
John Grumbles reportedly buys the Barton property though the transaction was not recorded, and lives there through 1853 |
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1853 |
Col. Sterling W. Goodrich purchases 1133 3/8 acres of the Decker tract from John H. Raymond and establishes a plantation |
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1855 |
The Barton labor of land including Barton Springs is sold to A. B. McGill by the Barton heirs after a protracted 15-year legal dispute over ownership |
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1857 |
The Barton labor of land including Barton Springs is sold to Thomas Collins by A. B. McGill |
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1858 |
Thomas Collins sells the portion of the Barton labor on the north side of the creek back to McGill |
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1859 |
Thomas Collins sells the portion of the Barton labor on the south side of the creek to Thomas Tumey |
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1860 |
Thomas Tumey sells the portion of the Barton labor on the south side of the creek and water rights to John Rabb and Rabb builds a log cabin near the main Springs (Rabb's heirs would hold the land for the next century) |
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1861 |
John Rabb dies at his home on June 5, deeding the property to his son Gail, but giving control to his wife Mary until her death |
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1866 |
William C. Walsh, his mother, and three younger brothers move to the north bank of Barton Springs |
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1867 |
Mary Rabb, widow of John Rabb, builds a 2-story limestone house near the log cabin |
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1868 |
Sterling W. Goodrich dies. |
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1870 |
Michael Paggi has arrived and is operating an ice manufacturing business and grist mill at the Old Mill Spring (aka Sunken Gardens or Zenobia Spring) |
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1875 |
Isaac V. Davis and his wife Lucy, daughter of Sterling W. Goodrich, build a house on the bluff above what is now Barton Springs Rd on a large tract of land that had been part of the Goodrich plantation. |
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1879 |
A 3-story flour mill is built adjacent to Barton Springs on an acre of land including water power leased by Michael English, E. G. Dorr and Robert English from Gail T. Rabb |
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1881 |
Wrought-iron Double Intersection Pratt Though Truss RR bridge on limestone piers over the Colorado River completed by IG&N |
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1882 |
Mary Rabb dies but her son Gail Texas Rabb and his wife Isabella continue to live at the site |
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1884 |
Michael Paggi purchases the Sterling W. Goodrich plantation house |
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1886 |
The English Mill adjacent to Barton Springs burns down leaving only the stone foundation, and the lease agreement with the Rabbs is terminated, conveying the mill dam, foundation, race wall and water wheel flume to the Rabbs |
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ca1886 |
G. T. Rabb sells 5.85 acres portion of his land to Jacob Stern, including the Old Mill Spring and the improvements and mill built by Mr. Paggi |
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1889 |
Stone bridge is built across Barton Creek above Barton Springs but will only last for the next 11 years |
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1890 |
G. T. Rabb sold more land on the south bank of the creek, including the creek bed and water power rights but exclusive of the tract sold to Stern, to Richard Wooley of San Antonio |
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1895 |
G. T. Rabb sued Richard Wooley when he did not make the second payment on the land sale and recovered the land |
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1900 |
Stone bridge across Barton Creek above Barton Springs is washed away by flood on April 11 |
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1901 |
Andrew J. Zilker begins acquiring property around the springs, when he purchased about 350 acres on the south bank of the Colorado. |
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1902 |
Iron bridge with wood deck built across Barton Creek below Barton Springs (just below current Barton Springs Road bridge) |
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1902 |
Amphitheater built around Eliza Spring |
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1907 |
G. T. Rabb sells the land along the creek, including the Main Spring, to A. J. Zilker, reserving a tract upstream of the Main Spring for the Rabb residence |
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1912 |
Butler Brick Works is destroyed by fire on September 29 |
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1913 |
A. J. Zilker purchases Walsh Spring and Eliza Spring |
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1916 |
Ida Zilker, wife of A. J. Zilker, dies, ending the plans of Andrew and Ida to build a house on the land, in about the location of the current Zilker Garden Center |
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1918 |
A. J. Zilker donates 35 ac which includes Barton Springs to be used as parkland (to AISD which in turn sells it to the City) |
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1922 |
A two-story wooden public bathhouse and dance pavillion is built at Barton Springs by Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club |
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1926 |
New bridge across Barton Creek is built just a few feet upstream of old iron bridge |
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1926 |
Old iron bridge across Barton Creek removed |
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1928 |
Permanent concrete dam built below Barton Springs creating the pool |
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1929 |
Gail T. Rabb dies but his widow Isabella continues to live at their 2-story limestone house |
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1931 |
A. J. Zilker donates a second tract of land (324 ac) to be used as parkland (to AISD which in turn sells it to the City) |
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1934 |
Isabella Rabb dies, leaving the Rabb homestead and 10 acres surrounding it to her only daughter, Mayme |
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1934 |
A. J. Zilker donates third tract of land (25 ac) to be used as parkland (this time directly to the City) |
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1936 |
Wrought-iron railroad bridge over Colorado River is replaced with a plate girder bridge on the same piers |
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1942 |
South Lamar Bridge, the second bridge over the Colorado River in Austin, opens |
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1943 |
On October 25, a major fire at the Rabb house destroyed a portion of the house |
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1945 |
Barton Springs Road Bridge over Barton Creek is widened |
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1947 |
New bathhouse built at Barton Springs |
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1948 |
Peter Pan Mini-Golf opens |
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1950 |
Zilker Elementary School opens in January |
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1950 |
Butler Pitch and Putt Golf Course officially opens on June 1 |
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1951 |
Kash-Karry supermarket, the first major grocery in the neighborhood, opens at South Lamar and Toomey in April |
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1955 |
City of Austin purchases 29 acres from Mamye Rabb, including the Rabb homestead and house, ending the Rabb family's 95-year influence in the neighborhood |
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1958 |
Lamar Plaza Shopping Center at South Lamar and Treadwell, the first, last, and only shopping center in the Zilker neighborhood, opens with key tenants Handy-Andy supermarket and Beall's department store on March 12 |
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1965 |
Horseshoe Lounge opens on South Lamar |
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1974 |
Mopac Bridge built over the Colorado River and Zilker Park loses 24-acres to Mopac right-of-way |
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1978 |
Split Rail Inn (217 South Lamar Blvd), bar and musci venue, destroyed by fire on December 6. The Split Rail was a favorite music venue for Zilker neighborhood resident, Marcia Ball, and her band Freda and the Firedogs. |
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1982 |
Chuy's restaurant opens on April 16 |
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1988 |
Green Mesquite restaurant opens |
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1990 |
The Saxon Pub, bar and music venue, opens in April |
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1992 |
The Shady Grove restaurant opens |
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1997 |
"Unplugged at the Grove" music series begins at The Shady Grove |
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2002 |
The first ACL Music Festival begins at Zilker Park in September |
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2003 |
Fiesta Mart in Lamar Plaza Shopping center, the last grocery store left in Zilker neighborhood, closes |
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2012 |
Artz Rib House, restaurant and music venue, closes |
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2012 |
Lamar Plaza Shopping Center, the first, last, and only shopping center in the Zilker neighborhood, closes in November, after 54 years of operation, to make way for Lamar Union |
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2013 |
ACL Music Festival increases to two weekends |
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2014 |
Flipnotics, the second oldest coffeeshop in Austin and a local music venue, closes in March |
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2015 |
Horseshoe Lounge, the oldest bar in South Austin, closes in February after 50 years of operation |
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2020 |
The Shady Grove closes, due largely to the 2020 COVID outbreak, ending the 27-year run of the restaurant and 22-year run of the "Unplugged at the Grove" music series |
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Here are a couple of City of Austin promotional videos from the past.