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11. The Fourth Congress
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The Fourth Congress | 117 || Chapter 11 | The Fourth Congress Like many of his fellow citizens, merchant and devout Presbyterian James Burke strove to introduce his own version of civilization to early Austin. Born in South Carolina, the “Sunday School Man” grew up in Tennessee, ran a flourishing business in Natchez, Mississippi , moved to Texas in 1837, and followed Edwin Waller from Houston to Austin in the summer of 1839. He bought six city lots at the first auction in August and a single lot at the second offering November 1, 1839.1 In the November 12 Austin City Gazette2 Burke announced the opening of a public reading room at Congress Avenue and Bois d’Arc Street.3 Inviting all—but especially members of Congress—to his business , Burke promised his guests “many of the most valuable Journals from the U. States, in addition to all the Papers printed in the Republic.” His room would have “all the facilities and conveniences usually connected with such establishments,” and would soon extend borrowing privileges to its patrons.4 Burke’s reading room lasted less than a week. On November 15, four days after opening, the building caught fire and burned to the ground. The blaze also destroyed Burke’s adjacent store. Burke managed to save his merchandise; whether this included his stock of reading material is unclear. The “enterprising proprietor” persisted in the face of this setback and in early December informed his customers that he was back in business .5 How much business awaited him was the question, however, for, while James Burke battled the effects of Austin’s first fire over the fate of “Phoenix Corner,” opposing factions in Austin’s first congressional session battled over the fate of the city itself. “[The City of Austin] has many advantages of location not immediately discernible to the traveller [sic] who does not look beyond the spot itself,” so boasted editor Samuel Whiting in the inaugural edition of the city’s first newspaper, the Austin City Gazette. Two months later his enthusiasm had not abated, as he boasted, “Our city is still improving; new buildings are daily going up as if by magic. The people are gay, cheerful, and appar- Seat of Empire | 118 | Austin viewed from President’s Hill in 1839 or 1841. Congress Avenue runs from right to left. At upper right is the capitol (with flag) at Hickory and Colorado Streets. The other cross street at left must therefore be Bois d’Arc. Note the double log cabin construction of the government office buildings on either side of Congress Avenue between the two cross streets. The land office building struck by Angelina Eberly’s cannon shot sits just off Congress Avenue at the base of Hickory Street below the capitol. The painting is by William Sandusky, one of Edwin Waller’s surveyors in 1839. Reprinted by permission. PICA 01079 Austin History Center, Austin Public Library. [107.23.157.16] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 01:04 GMT) The Fourth Congress | 119 | ently prosperous and happy. Strangers crowd upon us from all parts of the country, and from the United States; and all appear delighted. The weather is fine, streets clean, provisions plenty, and nothing to mar or disturb our enjoyments.” Hundreds of Texans evidently agreed with Whiting, as a January 1840 census counted 856 residents.6 One hundred of the total were children. Men outnumbered women by a nine to one margin. Drinkers and gamblers enjoyed greater variety than shoppers, choosing from a total of thirteen taverns, billiard rooms, and faro banks7 compared to only nine general stores. Sinners and citizens alike patronized the nine groceries. These establishments sold both food and liquor. Much of Edwin Waller’s street grid in the fall of 1839 remained to the imagination. Only Congress Avenue and Pecan Street spanned the entire city, forming a symmetrical cross neatly dividing the town into four rectangular sections. Newcomers beheld a line of government buildings along Congress Avenue, the capitol, the president’s house, and “here and there . . . small houses scattered on lots, bordering on streets that were to be.” Most of the government offices were along Congress Avenue beJulia Robertson based her illustrations of early Austin buildings on the recollections of her aunt, Julia Lee Sinks. The drawings accompanied a series of newspaper articles written by Sinks appearing in the Galveston News in February 1896. This first sketch views the intersection of Congress Avenue and Pecan Street looking east along Pecan. The Delong...