Austin History

Austin has changed, a lot. Much of the history of Austin has been paved over in the name of progress. But for all that Austin has changed, there remains some remnant of the way things were. This section of Austin Explorer highlights historical sites in Austin. Not museums, but relics and ruins that might not have been fully preserved for posterity. These ruins provide two benefits. First, they usually require that the visitor get out outdoors and walk or bike around to see them. Secondly, they provide interesting backdrops for some of the lesser known stories of Austin's history

Features

Nau's Pharmacy
A neighborhood convenience store features one of the only authentic soda fountains in Austin.

Haile Airport / Howard Nursery
After 94 years in business, Howard Nursery is closing down. The closing of this Austin gardening institution will also have ramifications for the remains of Haile Airport.

Crockett Gardens
This oasis along modern day Lake Georgetown was a working vegetable farm and grew the first strawberries in Williamson County.

O'Henry Hall was Austin's first permanent post office and also hosted the trial of noted short story author O'Henry on embezzlement charges.

Latest Logs

Milkshakes and Root Beer Floats at the Counter - swedegirl5 visited Nau's Pharmacy
Cute cottage or mobile home? - Austin Explorer visited O'Henry House
looking for information on Historic Austin homes - rebecca kohout visited Seiders-Peterson Home
A book has been published about the Coxville Zoo - dthompson visited Coxville Zoo
Beautiful, crisp way to start the New Year - critmcdonald visited Crockett Gardens

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Austin Then and Now (Then & Now)
by William Dylan Powell
List Price: $18.95 Our price: $11.55 Buy Now
Twenty-first century Austin has a reputation as a quirky, hip, culturally-diverse town that’s home to the world-famous South-by-Southwest music festival and the University of Texas Longhorns. It’s come a long way since Spanish explorers arrived circa 1709. Austin Then and Now rounds up all of the hot spots in a unique photographic history of Texas’ capital city.

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