Tuesday, May 31, 2011

2011 Texian Navy Day



Texian Navy Day


Honoring

Commodore Edwin Ward Moore

and the

Republic of Texas Navy

Saturday, September 17, 2011

11:00 AM

Battleship Texas


USS Texas (BB-35)


Battleship Texas State Historic Site

3527 Battleground Road

La Porte, Texas 77571


Speaker: Dr. Archie P. McDonald

Professor of History

Stephen F. Austin State University


Ceremony organized and hosted by:

The Sons of the Republic of Texas


SRT sponsored by:

The Battleship Texas Foundation


With assistance from the staff of the
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Contact: David Hanover / 903 372-6190 / dhanover@suddenlink.net

(http://www.srttexas.org/ for additional details)

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park Dedication - April 21, 2011

On San Jacinto Day, April 21, 2011, 175 years after the victory of the Texas army over the Mexican army on the field of San Jacinto, the much anticipated dedication and opening of the Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park was held in Conroe, Texas.  More than a thousand people were there to help celebrate the opening of the park and remember the wonderful history of Texas.

Huge Crowd for Dedication of Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park

Lone Star Volunteers Fire Rolling Thunder to Salute the Raising of the Lone Star Flag of Texas


Official Souvenir Program
Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park
Unveiling and Dedication Ceremonies
April 21, 2011

Boy Scouts Assist in Unveiling The Texian

The Texian Comes into View

Sculptor Craig Campobella Waives to Crowd Following the Unveiling of The Texian

The Texian

The Texians who volunteered to fight were a rag-tag, undisciplined and opinionated bunch not good with taking orders and certainly not well trained in military tactics.  Some like Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, William Barrett Travis, and Jim Bowie would become household names.  But the common man that fought for freedom is who we honor today.  The bronze sculpture before you represents a veteran of the Texas Revolution three years after the Battle of San Jacinto and on the day the Lone Star Flag became the official flag of the Republic of Texas. He has walked up a hill, dressed in a mixture of his best and some from his fighting days.  The red sash is from the newly formed Texas army.  They tied their sashes on the right hip; every other army tied theirs on the left. He plants his flagstaff into the ground remembering bitter defeats, fallen brothers, countless struggles and that final victory as he looks into the uncertain distant horizon as if to say: 
"Come and Take It."

The Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park was made possible by the contributions of many sponsors and the efforts of many volunteers.

Grand Sponsor
Spirit of Texas Bank
The Friends of the Flag Foundation recognize Spirit of Texas Bank for their exceptional generosity as the Grand Sponsor of the dedication and unveiling ceremonies.

Boy Scouts Prepare to Assist in Unveiling the Bust of Charles B. Stewart

Contributing Sponsors
Art Foundary Carpino/Butch & Betty Bateman/Jimmy C. & Lana Beathard/Brock Agency/Bleyl & Assoc./Buckalew Chevrolet/Burditt Associates/Campobella Fine Art Bronze/ Donald Carter/City of Conroe/Randy & Janet Councill/Conroe Courier/ Conroe Outlet Mall/Dosey Doe/DWC Photography/The Eckstrum Family/Fairweather Group/Golf Cars of Housotn/Carlos &Maggie Guterrez/HEB/Bruce & Diane Henry/Karen Hornbeck/Alton Hues/Impact Printing/Charlie & Tracy Irvine/Jason's Deli/Roger & Karen Koerner/Mike & Katie Kowalski/The Lanier Family/Guy Martin/Rusty McLaughlin/Col. Leopold Ortiz, USAF Ret. & Nina Tannenbaum/Coca Cola/JCS Granite/Joe Kolb Art/John Weisner, Inc./K-Star 99.7 F.M./KJ Web Designs/Kroger/Webb & Beverly Melder/Clifton & Peggy Miller/Montgomery County/Naren & Hansa Patel/Toby & Vanessa Powell/David & Rose Roberts/Signs Etc./Signature Limo/Silver Rock Productions/Teligistics/Wal-Mart

The Bust of Texas Founding Father Charles Bellinger Stewart Was Also Unveiled

To see the biographical text on the Charles B. Stewart Marker, see Charles B. Stewart Bust Unveiled in Conroe.

Descendants of W. W. Shepperd the Founder of Montgomery, Texas

Descendants of Dr. Charles B. Stewart

Texas History Page Editor, K. K. Searle, and Texas Recording Legend, Mr. Gary P. Nunn, following the Concert. Gary P. Nunn Wrote the Classic Country and Western Song, London Homesick Blues.

Monday, May 02, 2011

Texas! The Exhibition Continues at Houston Museum of Natural Science

Celebrate the 175th Birthday of the Lone Star State in a wonderfully fun and educational way at Texas! The Exhibition.  The Texas! exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston, Texas which has been an overwhelming success since opening on March 6 continues through September 5, 2011. Crowds for this exhibit have been huge.

There is something for everyone. The history of Texas is presented in one of the finest gatherings of Texas primary historical documents and artifacts ever put on public display in one single place.  The Texas! exhibit presents different aspects of Texas history including:
  • Texas Earliest Inhabitants
  • Early Explorers
  • Spanish, French and Mexican Rule
  • Texas Colonies and Empresario Grants
  • Stephen F. Austin
  • Texas Revolution
  • Sam Houston
  • Republic of Texas
  • Texas Rangers
  • Civil War Texas
  • Texas Cowboys and Cattle Drives
  • Texas Oil Boom
There is literally something for everyone. For instance, the exhibit contains the most complete collection of Republic of Texas currency, scrip, notes and bonds ever displayed anywhere. Specimens of the only coins ever minted in Texas [among the rarest coins in the world] are part of the exhibit [See the jola 1/2 real coins minted in San Antonio de Bexar 1817-1818].  The exhibit is very eclectic.  Davy Crockett's fiddle as well as portions of the actual handwritten minutes of the Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos are also on display, along with art, flags, cannons, saddles, spurs, pistols, religious artifacts, photographs, oil drill bits, etc...

This special exhibition was organized by the Houston Museum of Natural Science with assistance from The Heritage Society in Houston, The San Jacinto Museum of History, The Dallas Historical Society, and The Torch Collection in Houston.

There are many activities associated with Texas! The Exhibition in May, June and July including:
  • Stars Over Texas at the Burke Baker Planetarium
  • Texas, The Big Picture at the IMAX Theatre
  • Behind the Scenes Tours
  • Cultural Feast
  • Distinguished Lecture Series
  • Historical Site Excursions 
If you were born in Texas or got here just as soon as you could, I can't recommend Texas! The Exhibition highly enough. Don't miss it!  Tickets for the Texas! exhibition are $25/adult and $18/child or senior for non-members and $12/adult or child for HMNS members.  For more details, call the Houston Museum of Natural Science at 713-639-4629.  Or, see the Houston Museum of Natural Science web page at http://www.hmns.org/ .

Texian Navy Day on Battleship Texas: September 17, 2011

Dear Friend of Texas History:

Perhaps you are aware that the Texas Legislature in 2005 created Texian Navy Day to be the third Saturday in September each year, beginning in 2006. It has since then been memorialized in activities by various organizations in Texas who enjoy preserving and celebrating aspects of Texas History and, in particular, recognizing the value of the Texas Navy of the Republic of Texas, which existed as an independent nation 1836-1846.

This year, the Sons of the Republic of Texas will celebrate this renown holiday on September 17, 2011 on board the Battleship Texas by the Battleship Texas Foundation! This is SRT's way of honoring Texian Navy Day. It is not a state-sponsored celebration belonging to SRT, but rather one, hopefully, of many similar celebrations to take place across Texas on that day by the various heritage and history organizations of Texas.

It is my privilege to have served on the Texas Navy Committee of the SRT since 2008, and I urge you to make special plans to attend this or some other ceremony on this September 17 in honor and remembrance of our beloved Texas Navy. Suzanne and I will be at the Battleship Texas event.

Look for advertisements later in the year about time and directions. Most likely, it will be a late morning event that Saturday. I would be happy to entertain any inquiries you may have bout it.

D. A. Sharpe