Wood County History
By LOU MALLORY - Chairperson, Wood County Historical Commission
Editor's Note: The historic Texas Governor's Mansion burned recently in Austin, possibly the result of arson. It was 152 years old. While initial reports were disheartening, further inspection has indicated, at least according to one report, that the damage to the exterior structure was not as severe as feared, although the inside is badly damaged. Governor Rick Perry has stated that the historic structure will be rebuilt and that Texans are up to the challenge. We will notify you when any information becomes available as to how individual citizens can contribute to this effort. The following article was likely penned either in the late 1980s or early 1990s. It refers to a beautifully restored mansion. Gov. Clements donated money and raised more funds from volunteers to restore the mansion. At the time of the recent fire, pictures and furnishings had been removed for major infrastructure improvements. This article tells of the mansion as it was when Gov. James Stephen Hogg and his family occupied the house. A prominent Wood County citizen, Hogg was elected governor in 1890.
First Family of Texas
Being the first family of Texas must have seemed like a fairy tale to the Hoggs until they moved into their official residence. The Texas Governor's Mansion in Austin was built in 1855. Today it is a restored showplace for Texas history, but in 1891 it was only beautiful on the outside. Inside, the walls were cracked, the furniture was old and shabby, the drapes were ragged and the carpets were worn out.
The mansion posed a challenge to Sallie Hogg's talents as a decorator. Even the children were put to work scraping chewing gum from the furniture and door and window moldings. With fresh paint and clean wallpaper, lace curtains, and a few pieces of new furniture, the place took on the appearance of a comfortable house.
The mansion had 17-foot ceilings, which made it especially cold in the winter. There was no central heat at the time. Warmth was provided mainly by fireplaces, and not all the bedrooms had them. In the kitchen and bathroom were wood-burning stoves, where the Hoggs could heat water in kettles of they wanted hot baths. If a member of Texas' first family merely wanted a cold bath, he or she still had to pump the water up to the second floor by hand. It took many gallons of water to fill the old seven-foot tin tub that had been made for Governor Sam Houston.
For Ima Hogg's mother, who was seldom well, it must have been quite uncomfortable at times to live in such a big, drafty house. Even a talented homemaker such as Sallie Hogg could not do much to change these conditions.
Still, for the young Hoggs, there were many delightful things to do and plenty of mischief to get into at the mansion. Especially for the three younger one, Ima, Mike, and Tom, there was the curving banister of the staircase. The children loved to slide for top to bottom, but Jim Hogg scolded them for this repeatedly. Tom gave his parents a scare once when he fell off about halfway on the journey down and cut his chin badly. Governor Hogg drove nails in the rail, leaving about an inch of each sticking up, and this stopped them.
Outside, there were Sallie's flower gardens, a big vegetable garden and an orchard for the governor. There were stables as well, a cow lot and a barn. From her mother, eight-year-old Ima learned how to grow flowers, arranging her beds by colors so they would make a pretty picture when they began to bloom.
Jim taught the children about soil preparation and planting in the garden. He also showed them how to care for the fruit trees to insure a good crop each summer of peaches, plums, figs and quince.
The Hogg children probably kept more pets at the mansion than any family before or since. They had dogs, cats, birds, raccoons, possums, rabbits, and a Shetland pony. The pony, Dainty, was by far the favorite. They would ride it or hitch it to a cart, or trap, as it was called. Sometimes if they put too many children in the cart, the pony would whirl around and around, spilling them, but no one was ever hurt.
There was also a red-headed parrot, Jane, who followed Governor Hogg about the house and sat on the back of his chair at the table. When Jim Hogg laughed, Jane would throw her own head back and laugh just like he did!
When the circus came to town, Governor Hogg took all the neighborhood children to see the show. Afterward, the playground at the mansion was alive with doing somersaults, turning cartwheels, and practicing all kinds of tricks for a costumed performance set to Ima's guitar music.
Ima sold tickets for a nickel apiece, and she and her friends planned to have a taffy pull with the profits. The Hoggs many pets came in handy when the children tried to stage their own animal acts on the running ground behind the stable. Sallies was afraid they would kill themselves with their antics, but Jim enjoyed all the excitement. However, when he found out about the cost of the tickets, he insisted Ima return each person's nickel.
Every weekend neighbors and friends gathered at the mansion to hear Sallie play the piano and join Jim in the singing of hymns. He loved to sing and he had a resounding voice. As Ima got older, she entertained the guests by playing either the piano, her guitar, or the banjo.
For the young people, there were also dances - square dances, polkas, Virginia reels - and card games in the back parlor.
The governor's mansion was full of high spirits and fun when the young Hogg family lived there.
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