Henry G. Madison Cabin Restoration

The Henry G. Madison cabin located in Rosewood Neighborhood Park

About the cabin

The Henry G. Madison Cabin was built in approximately 1863 by pioneering Austin civic leader Henry Green Madison. Originally located at 807 East 11th Street, the cabin was the home of Madison, his wife Louisa Green, and their nine children. Madison eventually built a larger home around the original cabin, which was rediscovered by a demolition crew in 1963.

The cabin was donated to the City of Austin, where it was reassembled in Rosewood Neighborhood Park in 1973. The cabin was Designated as a Texas Historical Marker in 1974 and a City of Austin Landmark in 1976.

Austin Parks Foundation, in partnership with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, is leading the restoration effort of the historic log cabin structure. The design phase is being led by Donna Carter, FAIA, principal of Carter Design Associates. 

Learn more about the Henry G. Madison Cabin Restoration Project here.

HENRY G. MADISON'S LEGACY
Henry Green Madison (1843-1912) was Austin's first African American city council member. Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1843, made his way to Austin as a freedman by the early 1860s.

Madison was a Unionist, serving as president of the Austin chapter of the Union League and an active participant in post-Civil War Reconstruction. He was appointed an assistant at the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1868-69 and also served as a captain of an African American unit in the Sixth Regiment of the Texas State Guard.

On February 1, 1871, Governor Edmund J. Davis appointed Henry Madison as city alderman, an office he held until November 28, 1872. He went on to serve as a porter, policeman and farmer before passing away on May 31, 1912. Madison is buried in Austin at Oakwood Cemetery.
Image
Henry Green Madison (image courtesy of Austin History Center)

scope of restoration

To preserve the cabin for future generations, the entire structure requires architectural and structural improvements, including: 

  • Window and door restoration
  • Repairs to log walls and chinking
  • Roof replacement
  • Lighting improvements
  • Site and landscape improvements to address Texas Accessibility Standards (TAS) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance
  • Sidewalk and hardscape improvements
  • Operational improvements supporting venue flexibility for future programming
Donate to the Parks
DONATE TO SUPPORT PARKS PROJECTS LIKE THESE

this project is made possible by:

Austin Parks Foundation contributed initial funding of $55,000 to initiate the design phase, as well as securing generous additional funding:

Image
Image
Image
Image

gallery

A black and white photograph of Henry G. Madison and his wife, Louisa Green
Henry Green Madison and his wife Louisa Green
A photograph of a log cabin underneath a tree
Location of the cabin in Rosewood Neighborhood Park
three black and white photographs of a log cabin under a tree in Rosewood Park in Austin, TX
Historical photographs of the Henry G. Madison Cabin