In 1839, Austin was chosen to be the new capital of the Republic of Texas.
What you may not know is according to the Austin History Center, more than 100 slaves were brought in to construct the first buildings here, so the government of the Republic would have a place to stay.
Much of Austin's history is built on the legacy of African-Americans families who -- known and unknown -- helped make it what it is today.
Inside the Austin History Museum Downtown, ordinary moments -- frozen in time -- help tell the story of African-Americans in and around the capital city.
Mike Miller is one of the city's archivists. It's his job to collect and save photos and documents that tell the city's story.
He said African-Americans feature prominently in Austin's history.
"We want to tell the whole story of Austin," he said.
One of those who helped shape the city is the Rev. Jacob Fontaine.
He was born a slave in Arkansas in the early 1800s. Jacob and his master, Rev. Edward Fontaine moved to Austin, where Jacob preached to slaves.
"After Emancipation, Jacob went on to found a number of churches in Austin including the First Baptist church, colored as it was called at the time, and it was actually in this spot where the Austin History Center stands right now," he said.
Fontaine also started the city's first African-American newspaper.
For many years, his decedents continued to call Austin home.
"It's kind of great that we can tell that whole story over multiple generations of the impact that they had on Austin," Miller said.
When you see a certain part of East 6th Street, you may not realize that's where former slave and entrepreneur E.H. Carrington owned a bustling grocery business.
"There was a brief period of time after the civil war where whites and blacks lived in relative harmony and businesses could thrive next door to each other, that lasted up until about 1874, 1875," Miller said.
The Carrington's and the Lyons family intermarried, and the Lyons took over the business.
For many years the building was also used for social functions for the African-American community.
The store closed in the 1940s.
"The Carringtons, the Lyons, they're still around, here in Austin," Miller said.
These are just a few of the African-American families who've left their mark on the place we call home.
"We could do a five hour documentary on the contributions African-Americans have made in Austin, Travis County," Miler said.