Washington Hill, an Alabama veteran of the Mexican War and cousin of former Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar, settled in Austin in 1853, working as a land agent. Mary and “Captain Wash” financially overextended themselves building the house, which may explain the austere Doric order and the unusual use of rubble limestone for the walls, both outside and inside. They quickly sold out and the rough stone never received a coat of concealing plaster. Cook's central-hall-plan house with four rooms on each floor and a detached kitchen is slightly smaller but similar to the Governor's Mansion (
AU4) and was built at the same time. The house was acquired in 1958 by the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in the State of Texas, which has operated the Neill-Cochran House Museum since 1977.