History behind the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead.

The Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead was built as a single farmstead in 1844. William S. Wallace and Mary Ann Wallace purchased 200 acres of land from the State of Texas in 1844 where FM 973 and Moore’s Crossing is located today. William S. Wallace and Mary Ann Wallace were slave owners. Several families were influenced by farming culture and agricultural setting in the area. The log cabins were built in 1846. The tenant house and dairy barn were built in the 1880s. House was enlarged in 1900.

The log cabin called Dog Trot Log Cabin was built in 1846. The Dog Trot Log Cabin is a vernacular house from the pre-Civil War era. rnacular house from the pre-railroad era, is easily identified by its one, two, three or four room plan. Each room is rectangular as are the other log cabins. Dog Trot Log Cabin had a chimney. The roof is a front gable roof.

Eventually J.B Moore and the Moore family purchased the farmstead from the Wallace family. Robert J. Moore and Mary Jane Moore along with the Moore family lived in the former Wallace-Burleson-Moore homestead house for nearly 30 years. The Moore children leased the Wallace-Burleson-Moore house to tenants.

J.B. Moore and Elizabeth Moore apparently lost their historic family farm along with other property at Moore's Crossing during the Great Depression in 1936. J.B. Moore faced what other families had face during the era of the Great Depression unwittingly.

In 1936, Arthur Olson and Hannah Olson purchased the farmstead land from J.B. Moore and had established their own dairy farm. 2 years after 1936, the Olsons remodeled the house to its current bungalow-like state of appearance. The Olsons also had enlarged the house. The Olsons had owned the property until 1960 when the farmstead was sold to Helen Steger.

Helen Steger purchased the land from Arthur Olson and Hannah Olson in 1960. She lived at this location from 1960 to 1994. In 1994, she was relocated to a nursing home by relatives due to her declining health. Helen Steger was the last person to have ever owned this home.

On the date of 3/27/1995, the City of Austin purchased the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead land as a part of their Airport Noise Mitigation Program to purchase any residences within 500 feet of ABIA Airport. The Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead and several other homes were within the 1,000 feet range of the ABIA Airport.
On the date of 3/27/1995, the City of Austin purchased the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead land the price of $316,000 dollars along with associated relocation costs of $176,106 dollars for a total of $492,106 dollars.


As of 2017, the homestead, farmstead, and outbuildings around ABIA remain empty. These buildings are rotting away in decay. Some of the roofs on the log cabin caved in overtime from neglect and weather. Some of these buildings are badly damaged from weather. Property is owned by the City of Austin. Property is gated with a chain link fence. The City of Austin plans keeps the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead buildings in an attempt of historic preservation. The City of Austin plans keeps the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead to be maintained as a historic attraction.

[The Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead is known as Site41TV1631 and Site 41TV1635 to all you surveyors and archaeologists out there. Although Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead is commonly referred to as Site 41TV1635.]

The location of the Wallace-Burleson-Moore farmstead is 5820 FM 973 S, Del Valle, Texas, US 78617.