Investigators said someone ignited an object and threw it at the then-152-year-old Governor's Mansion exactly one year ago Monday. Who that person was, however, remains uncertain.
After the fire was sparked, in the early hours of June 8 one year ago, not only did a bystander report what he saw, security cameras picked up images of someone running away from the mansion. To date, despite pleas for information and a $50,000 reward, the culprit remains to be found.
"It was such an invasion of privacy, and you really feel violated because someone could do this," First Lady Anita Perry said. "Thank goodness all the collection was out. We were in the middle of a $10 million renovation. All of our personal belongings were stored."
Both the First Lady and the governor were out of the country when the arsonist struck.
Authorities remain hopeful somebody will come forward with information in the case.
"Time changes certain elements in a case," Tom Vinger, with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said. "There may be people that a year ago weren't willing to come forward, and for whatever reason they might be willing to come forward."
Though no arrests have been made, the State Preservation Board, earlier this year, said restoring the home would cost about $27 million.
Following the fire, Mrs. Perry launched an effort to collect donations. Several million dollars in private money has already been raised for the restoration.
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Governor's Mansion Fire
News 8's Bob Robuck tells us how far along crews are in the restoration process, and why there's still no one in jail for the crime.
 
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The first lady hopes at some point true restoration can begin.
"We're in a little bit of a waiting period, but I think we've got a couple of events that are on the back burner that we're working on," she said.
It's taken a year just to get the mansion ready for repairs. Crews took a lot of time shoring things up, and mitigating mold.
So far, the Texas Legislature has allocated $22 million to help rebuild the mansion. Private donations bring that figure up to about $26 million.
