The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986 Page: 236
610 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
The mansion, begun and completed during the Elisha M. Pease ad-
ministration, was the work of master builder Abner H. Cook, whose bid
of $14,500 was accepted by the commission appointed to oversee the
project. According to restoration historian William Seale, whose 1975
consultation report is included as an appendix to the volume, four men
deserve credit for the mansion: Governor Pease, who provided the
general direction and interest for the project; Richard Payne, the archi-
tect who prepared the original plan and elevations; Thomas William
Ward, who made architectural refinements; and Cook, principal con-
tractor and builder.
The authors describe the many modifications that have been made in
the executive mansion since its completion in the summer of 1856.
Almost every occupant made some changes to the interior or the
grounds. In many instances these were made to accommodate new in-
ventions: gas lights were installed during the occupancy of Richard
Coke, the telephone during that of John Ireland, electric lights with
Joseph D. Sayers, air conditioning and mounted television antenna
with Allan Shivers. The most substantial modifications were made
during the administrations of Oscar B. Colquitt, Allan Shivers, and
William P. Clements. The Clements renovation and restoration, requir-
ing two and one-half years and costing $4 million in state and private
funds, was the most extensive in the history of the mansion.
The volume contains much more than a description of the modifica-
tions and furnishings of the building itself. Considerable attention is
devoted to each governor, his (or her) family, and the successes and
failures of the administration. Although there are one or two small
omissions, the authors have done an excellent job in reviewing the bio-
graphical materials relating to the state's governors. This is reflected in
the high quality and objectivity of the text, which is superior in every
sense.
This is a first-rate work of historical research, writing, and illustrat-
ing. The volume is a beautiful companion to the Daniels' earlier Execu-
tive Mansions and Capitals of America and another of the many examples
of their deep love for the history of their state.
Lamar University RALPH A. WOOSTER
Falfurrias: Ed C. Lasater and the Development of South Texas. By Dale
Lasater. (College Station, Tex.: Texas A&M University Press, 1985.
Pp. xviii+296. Acknowledgments, introduction, illustrations,
photographs, epilogue, appendix, bibliography, notes, index.
$22.50.)236
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986, periodical, 1985/1986; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117151/m1/274/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.