Mayfield Park, Austin

Location: 3505 W. 35th Street in Northwest Austin

This 22-acre park on Barrow Brook Cove at Lake Austin is also a preserve.Grounds include gardens and lily ponds, peacocks and hens, and trails meander among them through woods and over creek bridges and foot stones.

On display is an early 1900s home representative of suburban lake cottage retreats during the turn of the 20th century. Allison Mayfield, both Chairman of the Railroad Commission and Texas Secretary of State, purchased the 23-acre property in 1909 as a summer and weekend retreat for his family. His daughter Mary Frances married University of Texas History Department Chairman Milton Gutsch. The couple designed gardens and received peacocks as gifts from friends.

The park was left to the City of Austin in 1972, and descendants of the first peacocks strut through the park today.

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