Historic cabin restoration at Rosewood Park included in Austin Juneteenth celebration

AUSTIN, Texas – Very few visitors took notice of a small wooden structure on a shaded hill at Rosewood Park. So, it was understandable people also didn’t notice the small plaque that identifies it as the Henry Green Madison cabin.

“I’d love to see more. You know, I actually used to work in art museums, so I’m a teacher now. So, you know, I think having just more information available and more engaging information that catches people’s eye,” said Jess Rosenthal, who recently moved to Austin from Houston.

The cabin was built by Henry Madison, a former slave who moved from Memphis to Austin. The announcement of the cabin’s renovation is part of the upcoming Juneteenth celebration. 

Design work has already started, according to Sarah Marshall. She is the Historic Preservation & Tourism Program Coordinator with the Austin Parks & Recreation Department.

“It’s quite remarkable that we think that Madison built this cabin before Juneteenth. We think it was around 1863, 1864, and that he was able to do this in Austin,” said Marshall.

Henry Madison and his wife Louisa Green lived in the one-room cabin. They eventually built a larger house around it to raise their eight kids. 

The couple was active in the early days of Austin. They were part of reconstruction after the Civil War. He was the city’s first African American council member, and a police officer. He also took part in the 1868 Texas Constitutional Convention.

“He was just a remarkable man. And when you think of this man who goes from enslavement to giving so much back to his community and uplifting his people, that’s a story that we really need to get out there,” said Marshall.

The cabin was originally located near what is now 11th and I-35, essentially where a high rise apartment complex now stands. The cabin was found when the house that was built around it was demolished in 1973. It’s an example of how progress can pave over history, and why it’s so important to save that history.

“With everything that’s going on in the world, just seems like a lot of history has been taken from us,” said Amberia Rivers.

Rivers remembers hearing stories about the cabin growing up in East Austin. She hopes the repair work, which is to start in 2024, will be more than a patch.

“I’ve seen a lot of places have like pictures and stuff on the outside or a sign standing up or, you know, something. Make it noticeable…where we can know more into detail about it,” said Rivers.

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The project, according to a news release, is being funded with a $30,000 grant from the City of Austin’s Heritage Preservation Grant Program, and $55,000 from the Austin Parks Foundation. Additional grant money was provided by Preservation Austin and the Texas Preservation Trust Fund of the Texas Historical Commission. 

Design work is being lead Donna Carter with Carter Design Associates.

The city plans to expand the restoration into a bigger project, according to Marshall. The goal is to provide more information about Austin’s early African American community and why parks like Rosewood remain special places.

“This story is absolutely fantastic, and it’s a very, very special way that we can kind of use this cabin and use Rosewood Park itself as sort of portal into that history of reconstruction and the importance of that. So it’s not just about Madison, but it’s about the history and what how Austin was developing right after emancipation,” said Marshall.

Residents are invited to gather at the cabin Saturday, June 17, and share family history. That information could help the city’s effort to win a national designation for Rosewood, which may provide more funding for more restoration. 

The gathering at the cabin will start at noon and last until 9 p.m.