Hurley's Gold

Governor's Mansion arsonist

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  • phatcyclist

    Active Member
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    Feb 22, 2008
    882
    21
    Austin, TX
    Texas Governor's Mansion has storied history

    Extent of damage shocks many.

    By Mike Ward
    AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
    Monday, June 09, 2008
    As houses go, the grand Governor's Mansion is perhaps the most storied in Texas.
    From the 29-foot-tall white columns on its front porch to the hand-hewn pine timbers inside its walls to the upstairs bedroom where Sam Houston once slept, the two-story Greek Revival house across from the Capitol has been an Austin icon for generations, a place where history was made and legends lived.
    "When I first heard about (the fire), I got a terrible feeling — just like that day in February 1983 when I got word that the Capitol was on fire," said former Gov. Mark White of Houston. "This is not just Texas history. It is priceless Texas history."
    Once home to 40 of Texas' 47 governors, the mansion — with its 16-foot ceilings, deep-veranda porch, tall windows and wide hallways that were typical of grand homes in the period in which it was built — was Texas' second executive house, the first after Texas became a state in 1845.
    The original was the "President's House" built in 1842 while Texas was still a republic, but it fell into ruin and was torn down.
    After that, Texas' chief executives lived in hotels and boarding houses.
    Built from 1854-56 by noted Austin master builder Abner Cook, the mansion cost $14,000 — a princely sum appropriated by the Legislature for a "suitable residence" for the governor of the then 11-year-old state.
    Completed on June 14, 1856, the mansion's first occupants were Gov. Elisha Pease and his wife and daughters.
    Initially, thanks to an appropriation of $2,500, the house was sparsely furnished.
    While the Peases brought in some of their own furniture, several bedrooms remained empty.
    Throughout the day Sunday, state preservation officials and sightseers expressed shock at the extent of damage.
    Initial assessment by officials Sunday indicated heavy damage to the upper parts of a sweeping stairway railing that James Stephen Hogg — who became Texas' first native governor in 1891 — had put nails in to keep his children from sliding down it.
    In the downstairs parlors, where Texas' first presidential visitor, William McKinley, was received in 1901, plaster could be seen cracked and broken. Smoke damage was heavy, and windows were broken and charred.
    The dining room — where famed humorist Will Rogers once ate so much chili with Gov. Miriam Ferguson that he had no room for dessert — was blackened and still smoldering.
    The garden-landscaped grounds where some early governors once grazed milk cows and raised chickens were covered with fire hoses and charred debris that firefighters had ripped off the house to fight the flames.
    From the top of a nearby state office building, two of the mansion's five fireplaces were seen tilting precipitously, as smoke drifted from hot spots that remained in a wing added in 1914 by Gov. Oscar Colquitt, in the first significant renovation of the old house.
    Structurally restored in 1980, with additional upgrades made in 1999, the mansion was in the process of an 18-month renovation.
    Jane Karotkin, administrator for Friends of the Governor's Mansion, a nonprofit group that is steward for the mansion's artifacts and tours, was among a covey of officials who gathered early Sunday morning outside the still-smoldering manse.
    Like many others, she said she teared up at the extent of damage.
    "We're just devastated," she said. "It's pretty catastrophic. We're blessed that the collection is in storage.
    "We just hope it can be restored."
    mward@statesman.com; 632-9561


    __________________________

    What kind of sick person does something like this?
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    SteveW

    New Member
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    Apr 2, 2008
    38
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    Austin TX
    I haven't seen anything on TV as to why they are saying that it was arson, but it's the same story on all the stations. If it is arson, I think it has to be something personal against Perry.
     

    Texas1911

    TGT Addict
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    May 29, 2017
    10,596
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    Austin, TX
    I haven't seen anything on TV as to why they are saying that it was arson, but it's the same story on all the stations. If it is arson, I think it has to be something personal against Perry.

    So you burn the Governors mansion that's owned by the state? This is like burning the Alamo because you don't like Davy Crockett.

    People are idiots these days.
     

    Very Texas

    New Member
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    May 13, 2008
    17
    1
    San Antonio
    Truly tragic. For someone to do this and get any satisfaction from it has to be a real sicko!

    I am sure the Texas Rangers are all over this one~
     

    jdh

    Active Member
    BANNED!!!
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    0   0   0
    Mar 2, 2008
    222
    1
    I haven't seen anything on TV as to why they are saying that it was arson, but it's the same story on all the stations.

    Besides the reports of surveilance video showing someone walking up to the front porch and lighting an object then throwing it on the front of the mansion, the rapid spread of the fire, and the fan pattern of the burn marks. Nope, no evidence of arson.

    If it is arson, I think it has to be something personal against Perry.

    Or, perhaps, it could have been a disgruntled ex-worker who had knowledge of how to get past the work site security.
     

    50calRay

    Active Member
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    0   0   0
    Jun 17, 2008
    210
    1
    blah
    Damn, talking about low lifes :mad:


    I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I haven't agreed to the last 3 govenors but to burn the house down is insane! Also, isn't there a tunnel connecting the Capital building to the govenors house? If so, that could have gotten majorly ugly.
     
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