The Catterall Mills House
Bryan and Jenni Chester have always loved history
and old houses. In 1999, when they bought the house at 2524 Harris Boulevard,
they knew from the start they were going to restore it back to its original 1937
condition.
Their research began at the Austin History Center. They were able to find old
photographs of the house and contact family members of the original owners. With
the help of local architect Nick Deaver, who specializes in old home
restoration, the house now looks very much like it did close to 70 years ago.
The Caterall Mills House is an Early American Georgian Revival. It is a plain,
symmetrical, wood frame structure covered with red wood siding. The design is
derived from the Early Georgian house (1700-1800). Identified with American
Independence, this type of house was made popular by George Washington’s Mount
Vernon.
The house has some unusual architectural features including a bomb shelter in
the backyard built during the Cold War with Russia. The second owner, Dottie
Bull added an Italian marble fireplace, stained glass windows and front doors
from a church in Bastrop, and tin ceiling tiles in the living room. Shealso
added the front porch and columns and replaced all of the front
first floor windows with french doors. She covered the horizontal red wood
siding with vertical cedar siding. Bryan and Jenni restored many of the original
features of the home
including the horizontal redwood siding and the original oak floors.
 While researching their home,
the Chesters discovered that the first owners, Gordon E. Mills and Margaret
Catterall Mills were very prominent Austinites throughout the mid 1900’s.
Gordon Eldridge Mills was born in Maine in the early 1900’s. He was an orphan
raised by his siblings and educated at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He
married Margaret in 1933 and they moved to Austin in 1935 so he could go to work
for his father-in-law at the Walker Austex Chili Company. It was there that
Gordon distinguished himself as a key business and civic leader. His 20 year
tenure at Austex included Vice President and General Manager.
Many of you may have never heard of Austex Chili, but in the 1930’s there were 3
major businesses in Austin - the University, the Government, and Austex Chili.
Located at 310 San Antonio, it was the largest factory of its kind in the United
States. It played a dominant role in popularizing Mexican style foods throughout
the country.
During World War II, Gordon was instrumental in negotiating a contract to
provide C-Rations (Army) and K- Rations (Navy) for our troops. Gordon Mills
wanted Austin to be
able to compete with the other cities in Texas not only on a business level but
on a cultural one. He and his wife Margaret were very involved in the Austin
Symphony, the local art scene, the Austin Country Club and the Men’s and Women’s
Golf Association. Gordon was a charter
member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.
One of Gordon Mills most notable achievements was his involvement in the
creation of the Austin Humane Society. He organized the drive that raised the
funds to build the Austin
and Travis County Animal Shelter at its current location by the old Missouri
Pacific Depot and served as the General Manager. Margaret shared her husbands
love for animals and they were known to adopt many strays themselves.
Margaret Catterall was born in Galveston, the youngest of the five children of
Fred W. and Elizabeth Catterall. In 1928 she received a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Columbia University in New York. She was one of the first women to attend.
During World War II, Margaret was
very active at the Red Cross, folding bags and parachutes. She was instrumental
in the installation of Austin’s current Civil Defense warning system. Austin was
thought to be a prime
target for a Russian nuclear strike as Bergstrom housed the B-52s. Margaret had
a bomb shelter built in her backyard as a few other Pemberton residents did.
After the war she planted a victory garden in the back of the house. She was a
patriot through and through.
Gordon and Margaret hob-knobbed with Austin’s social elite at the Austin Country
Club back in the fifties and sixties. Their company included the likes of Lyndon
Johnson, Ralph Yarborough, Allan Shivers, John Connally and J. C. Penney to name
but a few. Gordon served as president of the ACC in the early fifties and it was
there that he and his wife chaired numerous fund raisers, benefits, and roasts.
Margaret passed away in 1965 and Gordon followed her in 1972.
|
