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The
Most Visited Historic Site in the State of Texas
TE photo, April 2001 |
San
Antonio is the number one tourist destination in the State
and the Alamo the most visited historic site. Even if it's not the sole reason
for visiting San Antonio, an effort should be
made to see it before leaving town. The same goes for the Mission
Trail. They are each important stops on the Texas Grand Tour.
Forgive
us for not getting into the details of the events that took place here from February
23rd to March 6th 1836. Much has been written
about them, and just last year (2000) four or five more books were published. |
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We
will, however, wade into the Alamo's history before it became the symbol of Texas
to the world.
The word Alamo is Spanish for Cottonwood and it is believed by some
that the name originated from a nearby cluster of such trees.
During
the Mexican War for Independence, Spanish troops occupied the buildings for several
years and the soldiers were from a place called Alamo del Parras, Coahuila.
This provided another version of the name's origin.
The cornerstone
was set in place on May 8, 1744, although the "Mission" was founded years
earlier. The Mission was formally called the San Antonio de Valero Mission
and its primary purpose was to convert the Indians to Christianity and educate
them. |
The
frieze above the doors of the Alamo
Museum
TE photo, April 2001 |
Touring
the Alamo Grounds
For
such a busy place, there are several corners of the Alamo complex that are quiet
and tranquil. One of them is this fountain. The four sides are engraved with the
names of four of the defenders. Bonham, Bowie, Travis and Crockett. Squirrels
are plentiful and so are doves and other birds that visit the fountain for water.
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| Alamo
Courtyard
Te photo, 2006 |
The
courtyard and fountain
TE Photo, April 2001 |
An
old photo of the same fountain c. 1945
Photo Courtesy TxDoT |
The
interiors of several buildings are filled with displays showing artifacts, weapons
and diagrams of the fight. Tour guides can be heard explaining the history to
their respective groups and if you wait long enough you can hear the story told
in English, French, German, Spanish and even Vietnamese.
Japanese goldfish
swim in the channels that once provided irrigation. Look for the stone marker
inscribed with calligraphy - a gift from a Japanese professor who drew parallels
between the Alamo's defense and defeat with a similar one-sided battle in Japanese
history. |
The
Cenotaph
In
front of the Alamo and to the right, you'll see the Centopath. This is a monument
with bas-relief figures of the Alamo defenders sculpted by Pompeo Coppini, who
was a resident of San Antonio for many years.
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The
Second Battle of the Alamo by Charley Eckhardt
... But what about
the Alamo itself? Not the symbol or the fight, but the physical structure that
stands in downtown San Antonio today. What’s happened to the physical basis of
the Shrine of Texas Liberty since March of 1836? This is the story of the other
battle of the Alamo—how Texas almost lost it forever, who saved it for Texas and
how, why we still have it, and who we have to thank for that.
What’s
in downtown San Antonio today is not the Mission San Antonio de Valero, but merely
the mission’s chapel and a portion of an old convento or apartment known today
as ‘the long barracks.’ Everything else on Alamo Plaza postdates the Texas Revolution.
The original mission’s compound took in most of the land around the site... more |
1930s
photo of the Alamo
TE Archives |
©
John Troesser
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library and Museum
Also on the Alamo grounds. The library is open to the public Monday through Saturday
9 to 5.
P.O. Box 1401 San Antonio, Texas 78295-1401
Telephone: (210)
225-1071
Their website: www.drtl.org
Official website for the Alamo
- www.thealamo.org
See
Alamo Museum | San
Antonio
Book Your Hotel Here & Save:
San
Antonio Hotels |
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Remember
the Alamo, Battle of the Alamo Reenacted
by Terry Jeanson 3-10-09
Susannah
Dickinson
by Linda-Kirkpatrick
"...Susannah picked up Angelina and followed the
officer into the courtyard. It was then that she viewed a site that history books
can never describe. The air was still and there was a deafening hush all around.
The bodies of the brave dead Texans lay stacked in piles, later to become funeral
pyres spreading smoke and history to the sky above..."
The
Women of 1836, Part III, Mary Millsap
by Linda-Kirkpatrick
"... Mary Millsap, wife of Isaac Millsap, Gonzales
Ranger. Isaac was the oldest defender at the Alamo and Mary was now one of the
oldest widows..."
Letters
from the Alamo
by Murray Montgomery
"...I've also had a desire to get my information
from the original sources - that is, those folks who actually lived, loved, fought,
and died during those turbulent times of early Texas..."
Line
in the Sand by Mike Cox
"By March 5, 1836, Col. William Barrett
Travis had known for several days that his situation inside the old Spanish mission
called the Alamo had become hopeless..."
Did
Davy survive?
by Bob Bowman
Did Davy Crockett survive the battle of the Alamo, only to be
sent to Mexico as a prisoner and forced to work in a mine? The possibility was
raised in an edition of Southwestern Historical Quarterly in April of 1940... |
New
Alamo Letter
Our Initial Correspondence
from Mr. David London:
"I am sending a copy of a letter
written by William B. Travis at the Alamo that has been in my family for over
160 years... We have never offered it for sale... It had never been published..."
more |
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ALAMO
LETTER:
From Travis' hand to the State Archives
or Is there a Graphologist
in the house? by
John Troesser
The
Spirit of Sacrifice, aka The Alamo Cenotaph
by John Troesser
Joe
by Mike Cox
The man who witnessed Travis' death at the Alamo
Alamo
Monument by
Mike Cox
In 1912, a San Antonio group began raising money to build a monument
to the defenders of the Alamo. But the memorial they wanted for Alamo Plaza would
not be any run of the mill monument. It would be Texas-sized and then some, an
architectural wonder...
Alamo
Hero by W. T.
Block Jr.
Isaac Ryan
Killer's
Trail of Thread
by W. T. Block
Some Alamo Heroes Fought Twice for Texas
George
C. Kimble and Almaron Dickinson, Heroic hat makers at the Alamo
by Murray Montgomery
Savior
of The Alamo... Remembering Adina De Zava
by Murray Montgomery
"If it hadn't been
for her efforts, the Alamo might well have been replaced by a parking lot."
Eyewitness
to the Battle of the Alamo - An Unidentified Mexican Soldier's Personal Account
of the Historic Struggle by
Murray Montgomery
Alamo
Letters by Mike
Cox
The impassioned letters Col. William B. Travis sent by courier from the
Alamo are dramatic pieces of writing, but they are not the only surviving words
of someone who died in the old Spanish mission on March 6, 1836.
Alamo
Ghosts by James
L. Choron
Dawn at the Alamo
A ghost encounter, and chilling tales of ghostly
experiences at the Alamo.
The
Alamo's Red River Connection
by Bob Bowman
Alamo
Marksman by
Bob Bowman
Juan's
Cabin by Bob
Bowman
When Juan Antonio Badillo left East Texas in 1836 and enlisted for
six months service with the new Republic of Texas, he left two legacies. One,
he was one of only a handful of Tejanos - Mexicans born in Texas - who died at
the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Two, he left a still-standing log cabin that could
be among East Texas' oldest structures...
Alamo
Cowards
by Mike Cox
Alamo
Survivor Enrique Esparza
- Historical Marker. Enrique Esparza is buried in the El Carmen Cemetery in Losoya
February
8, 1836 Cartoon
by Roger T. Moore |
Alamo
ForumSubject:
William Wells Sr-Alamo Defender
I am the ggg grand son of William Wells S r-- We have a cemetery east of Lindale
Texas called Damascus -- His son Willian Jr was buried there in 1882. Thanks.
- Bill Wells, Lindale Tx, March 15, 2006 | |
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