Anson Jones History - Holland Lodge #1 A.F. & A.M.

Texas History Page Blog master, Kameron K. Searle, will be the guest speaker at Holland Masonic Lodge #1 in Houston, Texas on March 14, 2012 at the regularly stated meeting. This meeting is open to all Master Masons. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. and the lodge meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. The subject of Kameron Searle's talk will be Brother Anson Jones and his important roles not only in the founding of Masonry in the Republic of Texas but also his essential role in Texas becoming a State. If you cannot attend this meeting, click Anson Jones History for a complete transcript of the lecture. Holland Lodge #1 is located at 4911 Montrose in Houston, Texas.

Anson Jones - Last President of the Republic of Texas

Rolling Thunder and The Texas Army at Washington-on-the-Brazos March 3, 2012

Rolling Thunder Fired in Salute of Texas Independence Day

Special thanks to Eric Scott of Bray Controls for these wonderful shots of Rolling Thunder and The Texas Army at this year's celebration of Texas Independence Day at Washington-on-the-Brazos. This year's celebration of the 176th anniversary of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico was held on March 3 and 4, 2012.  Click on images to enlarge.

The Texas Army Fires Cannon

The Texas Army Fires Black Powder Salute



Treasure Hunter by W. C. Jameson - Book Review

I recently had the opportunity to review W. C. Jameson’s book Treasure Hunter. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be a modern day Indiana Jones, then Treasure Hunter is the book for you. Texan, W. C. Jameson, and his treasure hunting partners, Slade, Poet, and Stanley, traveled across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico in search of lost Spanish mines and buried treasure. They often found it and sometimes they even got to bring some of it home and cash it out. In his book, Treasure Hunter, W. C. Jameson is ready to take you along for the ride.

These treasure stashes were located primarily by doing extensive historical research in Mexico in old Spanish archival records. Then Jameson and his partners would go searching for the treasure and that is where the adventures would begin. To get some idea, just ask yourself, “How would you retrieve hundreds of pounds of gold or silver bars out of an old abandoned mine in Mexico and get it across the United States border without having the gold stolen from you by Mexican bandits or confiscated by the Mexican or United States governments?”

I enjoyed reading Treasure Hunter very much. I found it to be very entertaining and lots of fun as Jameson takes you along vicariously on several of his treasure hunting adventures. If you decide to go along, don’t forget your leather jacket, fedora, bullwhip, and your gun. You will need your gun!

Treasure Hunter: Caches Curses and Deadly Confrontations by W. C. Jameson. Treasure Hunter is available from Amazon.com for $14.95. For a few dollars more, copies signed by the author are available at the publisher Seven Oaks Publishing Company.

Texas Cannon Rolling Thunder Rolls On With New Wheels

On November 12, Rolling Thunder, the cannon of the Lone Star Volunteers, came home with a new set of wheels.  The Lone Star Volunteers attend Texas historic events all over the State of Texas demonstrating Rolling Thunder.  Rolling Thunder is a three-quarter scale replica of an 1841 Mississippi field cannon and is similar in size to the 6 pound Twin Sisters cannons used by the Texians to win their independence from Mexico in the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.  As you can see in the photograph above, Rolling Thunder is a real firing cannon.  The picture above is a picture of Rolling Thunder taken at the Texian Navy Day Celebration held at the Battleship Texas in the San Jacinto State Park near LaPorte on September 17, 2011.

It looks scary since that is about 2500 degrees of fire coming out of the end of the barrel and also the primer hole at the rear. That is the reason all the gun crew members are wearing heavy gloves and ear protection. On this occasion, the Lone Star Volunteers were firing directly into the wind and the burnt powder was blown back on them. That is one of the reasons the gun crew wears the red shirts made of 100% wool, which is a requirement for outerwear for this type of gun handling. Their ever-ready water bucket is in front, and they were joined by four other cannons from the Texas Army.

Recently the Lone Star Volunteers discovered that Rolling Thunder's 160 year-old wagon wheels were coming apart at the seams from the dryness of our recent Texas drought and the summer heat. It was customary during the Revolutionary and Civil War eras to pull the cannons down into a creek to let the water soak into the hubs and spokes of the wheels, so the cracks in the wood would swell and close up.

Rolling Thunder was machined from a solid billet of steel about 25 years ago by a local oil field worker as a hobby project, and the wood carriage that supports it was handmade to fit. Rolling Thunder's wheels came from a 160 year old wagon.  Rolling Thunder It has been hauled around, fired and shown off all around Texas making appearances in many places. When they discovered there might be a problem with the 160 year old antique wheels, they asked a wagon manufacturer to take a look to see what could be done to repair them. It was decided that the wheels had deteriorated too far for repairs, and the decision was made to have new wheels made. It took three months to have the new wheels made from scratch. Yes, The wheels were made in Texas.

However, 2011 is the 175th anniversary of Texas independence from Mexico, and the whole time the wheels were being fabricated, the Lone Star Volunteers were still taking Rolling Thunder to historical events all over Texas, firing it and showing it…but being very careful whenever they had to move it. But they never held back. The only time they had to draw the line was when it was suggested that they put Rolling Thunder on the bow of the Battleship Texas using a helicopter since there is no passageway wide enough to allow for it to roll onto the Battleship Texas. Consequently they fired salutes to the Texian Navy beside the bow as shown in the picture above.

New Wheels on Rolling Thunder Cannon (Click to Enlarge)

 On Saturday, November 19, Rolling Thunder showed off its new wheels at the Tomball Holiday Parade in Tomball, Texas.  The cannon has been attending this parade for 11 years…it hasn’t missed one yet and doesn’t plan to miss one in the future. May Rolling Thunder roll on for another 160 years on her new wheels and continue to preserve Texas history.

New Wheels on Rolling Thunder Cannon (Click to Enlarge)

Article and photographs courtesy of Fred Mead.

Passing of Dr. Wesley Weeks Williams

We report the glory of graduation to heaven on November 17 of an esteemed Methodist Pastor and long time member of the Ephraim M. Daggett Chapter #36 of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, Dr. Wesley Weeks Williams, age 88. As many of you know, he was the father of current active chapter member and past chapter president, John Wesley Wiliams. Memorial services will be held Monday, November 21, 2011 at 3:00 PM at the First Christian Church, 601 Southwest Johnson Avenue, Burleson, TX, 76028-5805 Office: 817-295-4123.  An obituary can be found in the Fort Worth Star Telegram for November 19, 2011.

Our special thanks to Ephraim M. Daggett Chapter #36 webmaster, D. A. Sharpe, for providing this important information to the Texas History Page.

Fernland Historical Park Has Grand Opening

Ribbon Cutting by Gareth Westlake and Dana Gibson in front of the 1846 Arnold-Simonton House at the Grand Opening of Fernland Historical Park

The Grand Opening of Fernland Historical Park was held  on September 17, 2011 in historic Montgomery, Texas.  The park features numerous authentic Republic of Texas and Civil War era homes, a museum focusing on the early history of the town and a teaching center for students of early Texas history.

Sam Houston State University President Dana Gibson

The ribbon was cut by Dana L. Gibson, President of Sam Houston State University, and Gareth Westlake, President of the Fernland, Inc. Board.  Fernland Historical Park is located on Clepper Street in Montgomery, Texas located in western Montgomery County. The Fernland Historical Park is the product of a group effort of several entities including the Tharp Family, Sam Houston State University, the City of Montgomery, Texas, the Montgomery Historical Society and Fernland, Inc.

Guest Entering the Arnold-Simonton House to View Fernland Museum Exhibits

The Fernland Museum has already had 27 different collections of artifacts and archival documents donated or loaned to the museum. The museum curator is Melinda Cagle and she will be glad to assist you with the donation or loan of historical items, artifacts and/or documents to the museum's collections now that the museum is officially open.  The collections focus on the history of the Montgomery, Texas, Montgomery County, Texas, the early Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas.  Mrs. Cagle has already begun cataloging the museums collections to make the collections accessible to historical researchers and other students of the history of Montgomery, Texas and the State of Texas. If you are visiting Montgomery, swing by the museum and walk among the all the historic Texas buildings, cabins and homes in Fernland Historical Park.

Photos courtesy of Billy Ray Duncan.

Fernland Historical Park Grand Opening - Saturday, September 17, 2011

The new Fernland Historical Park will have its grand opening in Montgomery, Texas on September 17, 2011.  There will be a ceremony at 11:30 a.m.  The park will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The Fernland Historical Park features authentic Republic of Texas era cabins and houses which can all be seen in one location.  The Fernland Historical Park museum will also be opened to the public for the first time today.  Two exhibits are featured: The Early History of Montgomery, Texas and Annexation: 150 Years of Texas Statehood.

San Jacinto Chapter SRT Meeting - September 1, 2011

The next meeting of the San Jacinto Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas.will be Thursday, September 1, 2011, at the Post Oak Grill, 1415 South Post Oak Lane, Houston, Texas at Noon. Many attendees arrive by 11:30; be there by 11:45 a.m. to ensure you get a good parking spot and a seat. The cost of lunch is $22.00, payable at the door by cash or check. Parking is free in the garage - enter restaurant from the rear door in the garage.

September's speaker will be award winning author, Jim Bevill whose topic will be "Avenging the Cruiser U.S.S. Houston - A Houstonian at Okinawa." Given the WWII theme of Texian Navy Day to be celebrated aboard the Battleship Texas on Saturday, September 17, 2011, the meeting this week will be an appropriate time for award winning author and SRT Honorary Member Jim Bevill to share with us a true story.

Jim will tell the story of a twenty-two year old man from the Heights who answered the call of duty to avenge the sinking of the heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) on March 1, 1942 by enlisting in the U.S. Navy on Memorial Day in 1942. That man was James Barner Bevill, (right) whose personal stories of naval service to his son were later formed into an oral history project for the Texas State Historical Association focusing on Houstonians in World War II. This presentation gives the unique perspective of a young sailor from the Heights, who served on board an Auk Class Minesweeper in the South Pacific and reminds us of the terrible consequences of war, and that many of those survivors who returned home did so only by narrowly cheating death itself. This is his story.

PHI Oil History Symposium - Houston, Texas - March 8-10, 2012

The next Oil History Symposium and Field Trip will be held in Houston, Texas, March 8-10, 2012. In the past, PHI has held the symposium in Oil City, PA, Long Beach, CA, Wichita, KS, Shreveport, LA, Lafayette, LA., Oil Springs, Ontario, and in WV.  Mission of PHI: To pursue the history, heritage, and development of the modern oil industry from its 1859 inception in Oil Creek Valley, Pennsylvania, to its early roots in other regions in North American and the subsequent spread throughout the world to its current global status. www.petroleumhistory.org. PHI also publishes a yearly journal, Oil-Industry History. Our membership includes geoscientists, engineers, historians, museum curators, authors, etc.

The Petroleum History Institute (PHI), in collaboration with the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program, held its 2011 annual symposium and field trip at historic Marietta, Ohio, on the banks of the Ohio River. Participants were treated to a wide variety of talks and poster presentations ranging from the history of oil and gas in Ohio to the many contributions to the industry from Baku. On the field trip the group visited the Thorla-McKee Well, a salt water well drilled in 1814 that produced the first commercial oil in Ohio, as well as seeing an old, but still operating, natural gas engine attached to a very large band wheel driving several pump-jacks (shackle line) – still producing Ohio crude after about 100 years, and a wonderful stop at the Parkersburg Oil and Gas Museum in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The trip ended with a tour of the Petroleum Engineering Department at Marietta College.

PHI looks forward to another stimulating symposium next year at the Houston meeting, March 8-10, 2012. The abstract deadline is January 15, 2012, so start thinking about your subject and send the abstract to Bill Brice, wbrice@pitt.edu. For more information contact Jeff Spencer (spencerj320@gmail.com). Plans are to hold a meeting soon for those interested in serving on the 2012 oil history symposium committee.

2011 Texas State Genealogical Society Conference - November 4-5, Houston, Texas

The genealogical conference From Allen's Landing to the Moon Landing : Destination Houston will be presented by the Texas State Genealogical Society and the Clayton Library Friends in Houston, Texas on Friday and Saturday, November 4-5, 2011.  The conference will be held at the Houston Marriott South located at 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, Texas 77017, 713-943-7979.

The featured speaker at the conference will be Paula Stuart-Warren who will speak on the following subjects: "Finding and Using Manuscript and Special Collections Repositories;" "The WPA Era: What It Created for Genealogists;" "Southern Deeds: More than Land Deeds;" and "Railroad Records and Railroad History: Methods for Tracking." A number of other speakers include: Karen Matheson "An A+ Source: School Records" and "Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor: U.S. Immigration & Ships' Passenger Lists;" Charlie Gardes"What Did GreatGrandpa do in the Civil War? - Tracing Civilian Ancestors;" Debbie Parker Wayne "DNA and Genetic Genealogy in 2011;" James Harkin "Genealogical Resources at the Texas General Land Office;" Cindy Forman "Genealogical Chaining of Artifacts;" Randy Whited "It's All Greek to Me, Working with Foreign Records when You Don't Know the Language;" and Lynna Kay Shuffield - "Civil War Research Digitally: Find the "War" at Home."

For registration questions contact: scottfitzgerald@tyler.net or call Scott Fitzgerald at 903-539-5572 or go to the TSGS site.  You can also click here for a copy of the conference registration form.

Pattison Area Heritage Society - August 29, 2011 - Methodist History

The Pattison Area Heritage Society announces their August 2011 PAHS speaker, William "Bill" Carson Hardt.  He has wonderful presentation about the circuit preacher during the 1930's who maintained the congregations of the Fulshear, Brookshire and Pattison Methodist Churches.  The title of the presentation is titled: "Hard Times: A Pattison Preacher in the Great Depression."

Mr. Hardt is a published author on Texas history and currently volunteers with numerous historical affiliates: President-Texas United Methodist Historical society, Chair-Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History, Vice-Chair- Austin County Historical Commission and Tour Guide Bellville historical Society. See his blog at Bill's Texas Methodist History Blog.

The Pattison Area Heritage Society will meet Monday,August 29, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Pattison Area Volunteer Fire Department located at 2950 FM 359 in Pattison, Texas.