Posted on 08/20/2009 12:47:13 PM PDT by kingattax
SAN ANTONIO -- There's a new battle under way for control of the Alamo -- and just like the Texas legend, neither side shows any sign of surrender.
For more than a century, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas -- nearly 7,000 women who trace their pedigrees back to the origins of the Texas Republic -- have had total control of the Alamo, the state's most revered historic site. They maintain what's left of the old mission, manage its historic exhibits and run the gift shop. They don't charge admission, and the site doesn't cost the state government a penny.
Now a small group of renegade Daughters has broken away, saying the Daughters' outmoded traditions and iron grip on the "Shrine of Texas Liberty" are holding back progress and preventing much-needed preservation work from moving ahead. They liken their declaration of independence to Texas's own split from Mexico in 1836.
"We're still fighting for the same things," says Erin Bowman, the 60-year-old leader of the breakaway group, called Friends of the Alamo. Ms. Bowman's family has owned the same ranch in Independence, Texas, since the days of the Republic more than 150 years ago.
The Alamo has long inspired passion among Texans. Built in the 18th century by Spanish missionaries looking to convert the local Indians, the Alamo gained its place in Texas history in 1836, when about 200 Texas settlers died trying to defend the fort from Mexican forces. Among the dead: soldier Davy Crockett, famed knife-fighter Jim Bowie and Lt. Col. William Travis, who promised never to surrender or retreat. The battle cry, "Remember the Alamo!" helped inspire Texans to defeat the Mexican army a month later, securing Texas's independence
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Ya think?? I'd have gone out in the parking lot and opened a vein.
OK, we now officially know:
B-Chanz is a guy.
dmz is a gal.
You can tell from the website that there is not much to see inside the place. A drive-by w/pictures was sufficiant for us.
I'm a Texan, and I have been a couple of times. I'm always impressed because its...The Alamo.
Well, mainly just the chapel. I suppose it might be more impressive if all the stuff inside was removed, and the gun platforms with some non-firing cannon were re-installed, to give a feel of what it was like in 1836. The gift shop could be in a separate building.
Also, I recommend going to see the IMAX film Alamo: the Price of Freedom and then walking over to see the Alamo itself. Also, it might be more impressive to visit John Wayne's set in Brackettville, where you can see a full-scale version of the fort.
I’ve seen the same territorial bragging rights in women’s car clubs and in roller derby leagues. It isn’t uncommon to see them drum out the founders.
But in this instance, there is only one Alamo (they can’t leave to go establish a new organization).
I’m grateful for these organizations. Time was that San Antonio thought about tearing it down.
Gee. If he'd been a slave and black, he'd be the only fellow I've ever heard of who'd be eligible for reparations.
Still alive today?
That's because there's no longer any land around it.
Is there a plaque in the alley across from the Alamo?
IS there even still an alley across from the Alamo?
LOL.
Wrongo, Brookhaven. Don’t know about b-chan, though.
I had some freepmail exchange with b-chan a few months ago and I seem to remember she being a her.
I do remember clearly that he/she took me school for questioning his/her tagline. I still have the welt (and deservedly so for being snarky without an ounce of knowledge on the topic).
I wonder which group Abuela Castillo belongs to?
The old timers I’ll bet
Men gave us the Alamo and men gave us Texas.
No. There was some hoopla back when he was alive, not today.
I gather that tongue in cheek comments on a Texas/Alamo thread are entirely unwelcome.
All of those men you speak of were born to women. That ought to count for something, eh?
And if men gave us the Alamo and Texas, then why in God’s name are all those men allowing a bunch of women to run the damn place in the first place?
I still don’t get your point, what is it?
The DRT is doing a fine job. Bowman is off the reservation and should be launched out of the organization.
The Alamo is not physically impressive as it was a small fortified church out in the middle of nowhere, but the story is compelling and is truly memorable. Texans, especially men, talk in hushed tones when going through the ruins and it is rare to see one with the their cowboy hat on their head.
When the SHTF, the Alamo is, for Texans, “The Gathering Place” and will always remain so.
Remember the Alamo.
** Remember the Alamo!! **
- - - -
To my Texas list:
Ping! Ping! Ping!
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