The Property
The property surrounding the house included an entire city block and was beautifully landscaped with flowers, fruit trees and sculptures. Mrs. Wooten landscaped her lawn with formal gardens containing tree wisterias, azaleas, tulips, a large formal rose garden with a central fountain, as well as an aviary with parakeets. As her reputation as a gardener gained notoriety, the first spring garden pilgrimage in Austin was organized to see Mrs. Wooten's gardens.

More on Mrs. Ella Newsome Wooten
Born in 1878 in McKinney, to a wealthy and well-known banking and planting family she married Goodall Wooten in 1897. She moved to Austin where she lived until her death in 1972. She and Goodall had two children Lucie and Tom. Ella was very active in the life of the Austin Community. During World War I, she was the chairman of surgical dressings for the Travis County Chapter of the Red Cross. During World War II, she clocked over 8,000 hours working with the Red Cross. She organized the local "Bundles for Britain" project in the pre-Pearl Harbor days of World War II. She was a director for the Texas Fine Arts Association and a member of the board of Brackenridge hospital. She was the first woman to serve on the Austin Chamber of Commerce. An avid gardner, she planted the first azalea bushes in the city and eventually had up to 1800 bushes along with tulips, pansies, zinnias and camellias…the home was famous for its beautiful gardens.