Governor's Mansion rich with history

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) - The 152-year-old Governor's Mansion wasn't the first official home to a Texas Governor, but it remains one of the longest-lasting historic homes in the country.

When construction of the current Governor's Mansion began in 1854, the state's first family was living in an Enfield home now known as the Pease Mansion.

 Despite that fact, the current Governor's Mansion still holds the title as the fourth-oldest Governor's mansion in the country that has been continuously occupied.

Both the Pease Mansion and the Governor's Mansion were designed and built by architect Abner Cook. The current mansion was completed  in 1856 at a cost of $17,000. It remains the oldest Governor's mansion west of the Mississippi River.

In 1856, Gov. Elisha Pease and his family became the mansion's first residents. The original mansion blueprint included 6,000 square feet and was divided into 11 rooms and no bathrooms inside the main house. 

Five years later, tension was still high over the Civil War, but the dining room of the Texas Governor's Mansion was the site of a symbolic healing when Gov. Joseph Sayers, a confederate veteran, hosted an dinner for President William McKinley,  a former Union officer.

Twenty years of wear-and-tear took its toll, and in 1914, the home got its first major renovation when the footprint was increased to 8,920 square feet, with 25 rooms and seven bathrooms.

The floor plan today comes from that remodel.

"I can't believe it. It's beyond my comprehension to think why anyone would want to destroy an icon like that. It would be like someone setting fire to the Alamo," said Terrell Blodgett, amateur museum historian.

 Blodgett's late wife Dorothy devoted her professional life to cataloguing the history of one of Texas' most historic homes. Blodgett has tales to tell about the historic home.

"(Gov.) Preston Smith and Mrs. Smith came from fairly modest means in Lubbock," Blodgett recalled. "The Board of the Comptroller at that time was in charge of the mansion, and they asked Mrs. Smith what they would like to have -- they wanted to be sure it was comfortable -- and Mrs. Smith replied, 'This is the nicest house we've ever had. I don't know of anything we need.'"

And most people don't know that then-Gov. Price Daniel faced a brush with death in the mansion. A 24-pound chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling and landed beside him.

"It could well have been fatal," Blodgett said.

Blodgett also tells the tale of early Gov. Jim Hogg's four young children roaming the halls of the Governor's Mansion in the 1890s.

"They used to slide down the banister," Blodgett said. "Fortunately, they didn't pick up any splinters along the way."

Hogg stopped that by putting nails in the banister, Blodgett said.

Over the years, the Governor's Mansion has had extensive renovations and additions but only on three occasions. The first expansion of the mansion quarters came in 1914. In the 1960s, then-First Lady Nellie Connally landscaped the gardens. And in 1979, then-Gov. William Clements did significant structural repairs on the building.

The current renovation, with a price tag of $10 million, should have been completed by next spring. The project was intended to abate lead paint, upgrade the plumbing and add a fire suppression system to the historic building.

For those who speculate about the suitability of the Pease Mansion, it is still maintained. Gov. Allan Shivers bought the mansion in 1957. Some considered it a more "family friendly" building for a governor's residence, but historians thought "swapping out" governors' mansions would decrease the historical significant of the current mansion.

To date, 40 governors have occupied the mansion.