|
|
The
Most Visited Historic Site in the State of Texas
Photo by John Troesser, 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. |
 |
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. |
A detail
from the Centennial restoration
Photo by John Troesser, 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. |
|
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. |
 |
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 San
Antonio
Book Your Hotel Here & Save:
San
Antonio Hotels |
 |
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..."
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
|
|
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 Forum
Subject:
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
|
|
|
