04/15/2026
Taylor Conservation & Heritage Society
Celebrating Taylor and 150 years. Preservation, Community, and Poster Quest Come Together at
Marcella Schoener Award Event
As Taylor marks its 150th anniversary, the Taylor Conservation & Heritage Society is bringing together historic
preservation, community engagement, and downtown participation through this year’s Marcella Schoener
Award event.
The Society’s 4th Annual Marcella Schoener Award Reception, set for Thursday, May 7, will honor Jarod West
for the restoration of the historic Booth House, now widely known as the West Mansion. The home at 2112
Lake Drive is listed by the Texas Historical Commission as the Booth House, a Recorded Texas Historic
Landmark. The Commission identifies it as a late-19th-century residence and lists the landmark address as 2112
Lake Drive in Taylor.
“As a community, we need to recognize the people willing to invest real effort and resources in saving old
places before they disappear,” said Mike Kaspar of the Taylor Conservation & Heritage Society. “When a house
like this is restored, it helps keep Taylor’s history visible.”
The award event also serves as the backdrop for the Society’s “150 Years of Taylor Poster Quest,” a downtown
activity inviting residents and visitors to explore local businesses and discover era-themed posters tied to
different periods of Taylor’s history. Participants look for hidden symbols within the posters and complete a
quest card for a chance to win prizes.
Poster Quest cards are available at
KINCL House of Antiques, LLC, 200 W. 2nd St., Taylor, TX 76574.
“We wanted to create something that would get people walking through downtown, stopping in local
businesses, and thinking about Taylor’s past in a fun and visible way,” Kaspar said. “History ought to be
something people can still see, talk about, and enjoy.”
In addition to recognizing West’s restoration work, the May 7 event will include a silent auction and a
performance by the Stage Presence Players centered on Taylor’s history. The broader goal, Kaspar said, is to
support preservation while giving the community another way to celebrate the city’s identity during its
sesquicentennial year.
For the Society, the event is about more than a single property.
“Our hope is to keep Taylor’s history not just as a memory, but as something people can still experience,”
Kaspar said. “That is what preservation at its best really does.”
About the Posters:
Victorian-style Poster Quest poster featuring the Booth House/West Mansion. One of several posters placed in
downtown businesses as part of the “150 Years of Taylor Poster Quest,” a community activity connected to the
Marcella Schoener Award Reception. The Booth House at 2112 Lake Drive is recognized by the Texas
Historical Commission as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Click on the QR Code to get tickets and donate now!
Taylor Conservation and Heritage Society-150 years of Taylor Texas Country Reporter Bullock Texas State History Museum Moody Museum Heritage House Museum Pflugerville Texas Elgin Depot Museum Texas Historical Commission Williamson County, Texas - Government The Williamson Museum Austin American-Statesman KINCL House of Antiques, LLC Ripple & Rose
