Weed House 4th Street: from Victorian Gothic to Colonial Revival to parking lot.

April 24, 2022 ·

The residence of Valentine O. Weed (300 E. 4th Street), location of the murder of Mary Ramey. Earliest photo circa 1900, later re-modeled in the colonial revival style circa 1940, and finally demolished, as a parking lot 1997.

weed house 1900

PICH 00103 Austin History Center.

PICH 02612 Austin History Center.

4th street 1997

300 East 4th Street. 1997.

I took the photo of the location in 1997. For some reason I thought I could wander around the locations of the murders and find…I don’t know what. If I had realized the remnants of the original retaining wall were there I would have taken a brick as a souvenir.

A hotel is currently located on the site.

Previous Post

Theft of Governor's Pants - March Mischief - Police Calls

"Officer Sendry reports that someone entered Gov. Ireland's room last night and stole a pair of pants and one dollar in the pockets." -- 17 MAR 1885. Austin Police Calls. Gov. John Ireland The above incident is the perfect metaphor for…
Read
Random Post

The Hancock Inquest - Graphic Details - Suspicions - Nightmares

The Hancock Inquest is a fascinating document filled with peculiar details, opinions and suspicions about the murder of Susan Hancock that were never published.  I thought it would be worthwhile to transcribe the handwritten document in full in order to…
Read
Random Post

Mystery Train to Austin

One-time Austinite Steven Saylor tells the story of the Servant Girl Murders through the eyes of one-time Austinite O. Henry in the novel A Twist At The End. You think you know people, but you don’t.  A Twist at The…
Read
Random Post

Google Maps

1885 locations of the servant girl murders now in Google Maps!
Read
Random Post

6th Annual Save Texas History Symposium: In the Shadow of the Dome: Austin by Day & Night

The sixth Annual Save Texas History Symposium will take a look at the history of Austin in a whole new light. In the Shadow of the Dome: Austin by Day & Night will examine diverse aspects of Austin’s history, including…
Read
Random Post

The Great Bat Slaughter of 1885

Austin, Texas is the seasonal home to a large population of Mexican free-tailed bats who spend their summers under the Congress Avenue bridge on the edge of downtown.  According to Wikipedia it is the largest urban colony in North America,…
Read