Downtown Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

French Legation State Historic Site

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, August 10, 2024

1. French Legation State Historic Site Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The French Legation State Historic Site in Austin began in 1841 as a private home for France's representative to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois, after the French monarch officially recognized the Republic of Texas as a sovereign nation. Dubois was promoted to "chargé d'affaires," a diplomat who heads an embassy in the absence of the ambassador, and established an official legation in Texas. When Dubois was unable to find a suitable house, he hired builders to construct the Legation house. The historic structure and landscape provide a cultural destination where people from the surrounding neighborhoods can gather.

El sitio histórico de la legación francesa en Austin comenzó como la casa privada del representante de Francia en la República de Texas, Alphonse Dubois, en 1841, después quel monarca francés hubiese reconocido la República de Texas como una nación soberana. Dubois fue ascendido a "chargé d'affaires," un diplomático que lidera una embajada en la ausencia del embajador, y estableció una legación oficial en Texas. Cuando Dubois no pudo encontrar una casa adecuada, él contrató albañiles para que le construyeran la casa de la legación. La estructura histórica y su entorno proveen un destino cultural donde la gente de la comunidad se puede reunir.

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This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places.

Location. 30° 16.675′ N, 97° 44.341′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. It is in Downtown Austin. It is at the intersection of Congress Avenue and 16th Street, on the left when traveling south on Congress Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Austin TX 78701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Texas.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art / Waterloo Greenway Conservancy (within shouting distance of this marker); Diocese of Austin (within shouting distance of this marker); Gethsemane Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Carrington-Covert House

Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, August 10, 2024

2. French Legation State Historic Site Marker

(about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Moses Austin (about 500 feet away); Site of Swedish Evangelical Free Church (about 600 feet away); State Bar of Texas (about 800 feet away); Texas World War I Memorial (about 800 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Austin.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 240 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 10, 2024, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.