Question: What Texas businessman was the last private owner of Barton Springs in Austin?
Answer: Andrew Jackson Zilker. Born in Indiana in 1858, he moved to Austin at the age of 18, working as a dishwasher, a construction worker, and an icemaker. After acquiring his own ice manufacturing plant, he began buying land between the Colorado River and Barton Creek, using the water from Barton Springs for his plant. In 1917, as president of the Travis County School Board, he entered into an agreement to give Barton Springs and the land around it to the school district. The 350-acre tract was eventually developed into Zilker Metropolitan Park, which hosts an annual kite festival and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
