An Introduction for Elementary School Teachers
House on a Hill
The
French Legation Museum looks forward to the coming visit of your
elementary school students and their participation in our House on a
Hill program. House on a Hill has two parts. Part 1 consists of a tour
of the Museum [house, kitchen, carriage house, and grounds] focusing on
Texas history and aspects of art and architecture, science and nature,
and pioneer technology. Part 2 introduces students to educational
experiences and activities of the 1840s through hands on
demonstrations. Students will be involved in such activities as writing
with slate pencils, carpenter pencils, and writing with quill pens.
Guided by staff, the students will compare and contrast the way students
learned in the 1840s and today’s experiences in school. Post-curriculum
materials include facsimiles of period educational materials and a “How
well do you remember?” quiz.
The French Legation
The
French Legation stands on Robertson Hill, just east of downtown Austin.
Perched high on a hill near the Colorado River, the site has served as
home to many over the centuries. Archaeological excavations have
uncovered Native American artifacts 9000 years old.
The
story of the museum begins in 1839. France officially recognized the
young Republic of Texas after Jean
Pierre Isidore Alphonse Dubois came to Austin as chargé d’affaires,
or diplomatic representative. Monsieur Dubois purchased 22 acres of
land in September 1840 to build a legation, or diplomatic outpost.
Dubois may have lived in his new home but for only a short time. After
several run ins with locals such as a feud with a local innkeeper, known
as the Pig War, Dubois left Austin for good in April 1841. The property
changed hands several times. In 1847, Dr. Joseph Robertson, a former
mayor of Austin, purchased the house. He planned to open it as a girls'
school. When that venture failed, the Robertson family moved in the
following year. They stayed for about ninety years. The last family
member died at the Legation in 1940. The State of Texas purchased the
property in 1949. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas became its
custodian. They have operated the French Legation as a museum since
1956.
The House
The main house, the oldest standing frame structure in Austin, is the original 1840 French Legation built by Dubois. It was the centerpiece of a domestic complex surrounded by four outbuildings – the kitchen, carriage house, privy, and slave quarters. The house was built in the common Louisiana Bayou style popular in the southern states. The central hallway with rooms on either side and connected to each other as well as the hall, allowed for maximum air circulation. The unfinished second floor remained an attic. Household furnishings come from the time of Dubois and the Robertson family.
Early Legation residents followed a lifestyle unfamiliar to us. Cooking and plumbing functions took place in outbuildings. Fireplaces provided heat. The walls were covered in cotton canvas, which was stretched and tacked to the framework, then painted in color combinations unusual in today’s homes.
Privacy was not a factor in daily life. Dubois shared the premises with three French servants and two slaves. The Robertsons raised eleven [six girls and five boys] children in the house, in two bedrooms – one for each gender. They used the hall as both a living and dining room, and the children received their early education there. Maria, a slave woman, cooked for the family and cared for the children. In total there were nine slaves (five adults and four children) in the Robertson household as of the 1850 census.
The Kitchen
The kitchen at the French Legation is an outbuilding separate from the main house. This arrangement was typical in Texas and the South until after the Civil War. Detached kitchens fulfilled the same functions as those in contemporary homes: food preparation, preservation, and storage. They also kept heat, cooking odors, and dangers presented by large fires out of the main house.
The present kitchen at the French Legation is a reconstruction, based on evidence unearthed during a 1960s archaeological excavation. The original kitchen had a dirt floor and windows without glass. One-piece rough wood shutters covered the windows during bad weather.
The kitchen building was not painted. It was the workplace of servants and slaves under both Dubois and the Robertsons. The kitchen furnishings reflect the early to mid-nineteenth century and many of the artifacts will not be familiar to your students. Look for them to add lavabo [a wash sink] and panetiere [bread safe] to their vocabularies.
The Outbuildings
There are two other reconstructed buildings at the French Legation, the Carriage House, and a Privy. The Carriage House is a reproduction of one that possibly existed on the grounds. It houses an exhibit and reception area, the gift shop, staff offices, and a meeting room. The Privy served as a restroom and place to dispose of household trash. Many archaeological finds come from old privy sites.
Personalities of the French Legation
Jean Pierre Isidore Alphonse Dubois
Daughters of the Republic of Texas