Images of Austin around 1885

Austin, 1889

Historic view of Austin taken from Capitol Dome looking South.

The above image was taken from Capitol Square, looking south toward the Colorado river. Below is a labeled version of the same image, for reference.

Historic view of Austin taken from Capitol Dome looking South with features labeled including Jail, 11th Street, Colorado River, Congress Avenue.

18th & Colorado, 1882

Vintage photograph of Austin residential neighborhood on west side of capital square.

View of typical neighborhood from someone’s porch, just NW of Capital Square.

Same as above, but with color:

Vintage photograph of Austin residential neighborhood on west side of capital square, colorized.

What’s pictured here are called twin homes. It was common for siblings or family to build matching homes right next to each other.

6th Street, 1887

Historic black-and-white photo of Pecan Street with old buildings and utility poles.

This appears to have been taken on East Pecan (6th) but we’re not sure exactly where.

6th & Lavaca, 1890ish

Historic scene on 6th street in front of O Henry Hall with power lines, horse-drawn carriages, and early automobiles.

Colorized for your pleasure.

Convict Laborers in Austin, 1885

Convict workers cutting granite blocks with saws, outdoors in a quarry at Granite Mountain with wooden scaffolding and greenery in the background, part of the construction of the Texas State Capitol 1882 - 1888.

AI Colorized

Congress Avenue, 1890 or 1891

Black and White photo of Congress Avenue during the construction of the street car lines.

In 1891, a streetcar was installed on Congress Ave. This was taken during the construction of the tracks. There was no streetcar during the events of 1885. The tall building on the right is the Walter Tipps building.