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Savior of The Alamo...
Remembering Adina De Zava
by
Murray Montgomery | 
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I'm not
sure if some citizens of Texas realize just how much they owe to a handful of
ladies who saved from ruin, our most precious historic structure, the Alamo.
One
of those women, Adina De Zavala, has been credited as the one most responsible
for saving the old mission and if it hadn't been for her efforts, the Alamo might
well have been replaced by a parking lot. It was in her blood to fight for something
she believed in, the lady had an historic legacy - her grandfather, Lorenzo de
Zavala, was the first vice-president of the Republic of Texas. According to The
Handbook of Texas Online, Miss De Zavala organized a group of women who met for
the purpose of discussion and study of Texas heroes. These ladies became part
of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 1893. De Zavala and her group prevented
the destruction of the Alamo chapel, after it had been purchased from the state
by the wholesale grocery firm of Hugo and Schmeltzer Company |
| | Adina
De Zavala
Photo courtesy of Murray Montgomery |
Miss De
Zavala obtained a verbal promise from the company that her chapter of the DRT
would be given the first chance to purchase the Alamo property. In 1903, Clara
Driscoll joined the DRT and De Zavala's group of preservationist women. Driscoll
soon purchased the property from the grocery firm to prevent it from falling into
the hands of another group, referred to as an "eastern syndicate." In 1905, the
Texas legislature authorized the state to purchase the property from Driscoll
and custody was turned over to the DRT.
However, trouble soon began to
brew between De Zavala and Driscoll. The rift was over Driscoll's desires to tear
down part of the old Hugo and Schmeltzer building, as it was her contention that
it had been built long after the famous battle in 1836. Miss Zavala opposed this
action; as she was sure that the building was part of a structure know as the
"long barracks" which was of great historical value. Even though Driscoll's group
won several decisions in state court against De Zavala, it didn't deter this granddaughter
of a patriot from sticking to her guns and fighting for what she believed to be
the truth of the matter.
At one point, in 1908, Miss De Zavala went so
far as to barricade herself inside the north barrack of the Alamo for three days
to protest its destruction. It was her belief that this section was of even more
historical worth than the Alamo chapel. De Zavala's efforts were not in vain,
and history has proved that she was right in her belief about the value of the
old barracks. It has been confirmed that that section of the Alamo grounds is
where much of the fighting took place in the legendary 1836 battle.
Although
the noble lady had saved her beloved mission, she never seemed to venture far
away from the place. In her book, The History and Mystery of the Menger Hotel,
Docia Schultz Williams writes that Adina De Zavala was a resident of the old hotel,
located on Alamo Plaza, from 1926 to 1932. According to Williams, "She must have
lived at the hotel in order to be close to the shrine which meant so much to her."
Adina De Zavala went on to be instrumental in saving the Spanish Governors' Palace
in San Antonio. She organized, in 1912, the Texas Historical and Landmarks Association.
She also wrote several books about San Antonio and the Alamo. She was a member
of the Texas Folklore Society, the Philosophical Society of Texas, and the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, the Texas Women's Press Association, and many other
organizations.
This great lady of Texas died on March 1, 1955, and is buried
at St. Mary's Cemetery in San Antonio.
©
Murray Montgomery |
Murray Montgomery is a photographer and writer based in Hallettsville, Texas
Lone Star Diary appears regularly in these Texas newspapers: The Gonzales
Inquirer, the Hallettsville Tribune Herald, the Moulton Eagle, and The Yoakum
Herald Times
More Lone
Star Diary
April
20, 2004 |
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