SAN JACINTO DAY FESTIVAL AND BATTLE REENACTMENT ON APRIL 21, 2012

The Battle of San Jacinto

Presented by H-E-B

Battle recognized as one of the top ten battles of the world to change history

Houston, TX — Booming cannons, cracking musket fire, thundering hooves and battle cries will resound across the San Jacinto Battleground on Saturday, April 21, as hundreds of history reenactors recreate the events leading up to Texas winning its independence at the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.

This dramatic battle reenactment is the centerpiece of the admission-free San Jacinto Day Festival, held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the grounds surrounding the San Jacinto Monument. Sponsored by the San Jacinto Museum of History, Texas Parks & Wildlife and the San Jacinto Volunteers, the festival is a full day of music, entertainment, food, games and fun set amidst living history.

The battle reenactment, which is the most popular event of the day, begins at 3 p.m. Presented by hundreds of members of the San Jacinto Volunteers and other living history organizations from across the state, the reenactment dramatizes the decisive battle where General Sam Houston led his Texian soldiers to victory over the Mexican Army eventually leading to almost one million square miles of Mexican territory becoming a part of the United States. The reenactors will dramatically interpret the Runaway Scrape (Texians fleeing from the advancing forces of Santa Anna), the cannon duel and the final battle between the two forces.

“It is so important to our mission that we are able to present this living, dynamic reenactment of Texas history for free, and that would not be possible without our Presenting Sponsor H-E-B, as well as The Dow Chemical Company, Vopak, Pasadena Strawberry Festival, and LyondellBasell,” says Larry Spasic, San Jacinto Museum of History President. “Just as important are our partners who help us coordinate this event, including the volunteers from San Jacinto College, Deer Park ISD and La Porte EMS.”

All festival activities are updated continually on the San Jacinto Museum of History website at www.sanjacinto-museum.org. Entertaining and educational activities scheduled as of March 27, 2012 include:

· New this year: Solero Flamenco presents a “fiery, passionate and virtuoso flamenco performance,” led by founders Irma La Paloma and Jeremías García.

· New this year: The Coleman Brothers: The Coleman brothers are true “road warriors” from Texas who have toured with Willie Nelson, Ray Price and many other Texas legends. They had two #1 independent hits last year with “Beer Thirty” and “Down by the Fishin’ Hole,” and are known for their pure true-to-life country music and trademark layered vocals.

· Liz Talley & Texas Swing: A native Houstonian, Liz started playing drums at the age of 14 and performed at dancehalls and clubs all around town. Listeners can expect pure country music, honkytonk and great Texas shuffles. Her music incorporates the sounds of today’s radio and the days of the Texas dancehalls, with twin fiddles and a steel guitar.

· New this year: J.R. Ancira: J.R. Ancira is a solo acoustic singer/songwriter that specializes in country, with a variety of cover songs plus his own originals. J.R. has been singing and playing guitar for the past 20 years and has a “one-of-a-kind” voice.

· Last Chance Forever, The Birds of Prey Conservancy, shows its magnificent birds including hawks, owls, eagles, falcons and vultures.

· The Celtaire String Band performs Americana period music using a variety of instruments including the fiddle, penny whistle, guitar, mandolin, spoons, scrub-board and limberjacks.

· Dan Barth will use his Medicine Show Wagon to tell the tales of special 19th century cure-all elixirs, and entertain with a little magic.

· New this year: Dr. Jesús F. de la Teja—the former State Historian of Texas, and presently the Distinguished Professor of History at Texas State Univ. and a board member of the San Jacinto Museum—will present a talk on “Antonio Menchaca and Santa Anna: An Unlikely Encounter” at 12:30 and 1:30 in the Monument’s theatre. Menchaca is one of the Tejano heroes of San Jacinto who had an encounter with Santa Anna following the general’s capture the day after the battle.

· Phydeaux’s Flying Flea Circus, which is “family-friendly, audience-interactive, historically accurate, educational street theatre” performed by the Flea Meister in period costume. The performance consists of “snake oil, comedy, tall tales, breathtaking feats of Phydeaux’s world famous acrobatic fleas and shameless hyperbole.”

· Blacksmiths, weavers, spinners, quilters and other demonstrators will give visitors a full sense of how life was in the early 1800s. Sutlers (civilians who sold provisions to military posts) will be on hand to sell or show their wares. The Tiny Town Texas display shows how towns were laid out in the 1800s.

· Visitors can wander freely among the Mexican and Texian camps of the reenactors to learn what the soldiers of that day were doing prior to the battle in 1836.

· Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will offer archery classes for young people.

· Visitors can also visit the restored marshlands and look for otters, great blue herons, osprey, mottled ducks and American avocets. The marsh is historically important because it barred the escape of many of General Santa Anna's troops during the 1836 battle.

· Members of the San Jacinto Descendants, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Sons of the Republic of Texas, as well as representatives from the Texas General Land Office and the Texas Independence Trail Region, will be on hand to share their history.

· Texas Independence Square Dancers—square dancers from various groups throughout Texas—will demonstrate square dancing and give lessons.

· Visitors can browse through the vendor area to admire unique hand-crafted items, Texas products and history-related items.

· Music from the North Harris County Dulcimer Society and the Celtaire String Band will entertain folks as they walk along the reflection pool.

· For a slight charge, festival goers can view the Making a Mark, Leaving a Legacy exhibit in the Monument which looks at the tools that have traditionally been used to make a mark, the people that have left a mark on our region, and the symbols that our predecessors used to convey important ideas and concepts.

· Monument visitors can take the famous 489-foot elevator ride to the top of the Monument; enjoy the digital presentation Texas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto; and view the museum’s latest exhibit Making a Mark, Leaving a Legacy. Combo tickets for the elevator ride, the exhibit and movie can be purchased for $12 for adults, $10.50 for seniors, and $8 for children.

· Battleship TEXAS, the first battleship memorial museum in the U.S., is located in the park and open for visitors. Fees for the Battleship TEXAS are $12 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for school and youth groups with a reservation, and free for children 12 and younger.

The Children's Area—sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company and Deer Park ISD—includes:

· A 55' train complete with train whistle and Texan and American flags.

· Make-and-take history activities and crafts created by Gifted/Talented specialists from Deer Park ISD; overseen by volunteer teachers from DPISD and student volunteers from San Jacinto College.

· The Houston ZooMobile with animals native to Texas, interesting demonstrations and nature games.

· Marsha's Petting Zoo with sheep, goats and other friendly small animals.

· In the military camps, a few lucky children will be chosen to stand with the cannon crew and pretend to load the cannons and will be presented with cannon soot to wear on their noses as a badge of honor.

“For the Texans, their victory at San Jacinto led to Texas’ annexation into the United States,” says Robert B. Hixon, Chairman of the Board, San Jacinto Museum. “In the end, the United States would gain not only Texas but also New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming. It is easy to understand why the Battle of San Jacinto is recognized as one of the top ten battles of the world to change history.”

The San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site is located just 22 miles east of downtown Houston. Take Highway 225 east to Independence Parkway north (formerly Battleground Road) and continue for three miles.

Tips to further enjoy the 2012 festival:

· Do not take the ferry on I-10; because there is only one ferry working right now, the wait is long.

· Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets for comfortable viewing of the battle reenactment.

· Visitors should park at the first parking lot they come to and take the shuttle to the festival grounds; buses will stop at the farthest parking lots first, so those visitors will be first to board.

DISCOUNTED LODGING: Discounted room rates of $70 per night are available during the festival weekend, for the nights of April 20 and/or 21, at Hampton Inn Deer Park. For reservations, call 281.930.9091 and mention San Jacinto Day. Breakfast buffet and internet included.

For more information about the San Jacinto Museum of History or the San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment, please call 281.479.2421 or visit www.sanjacinto-museum.org. For more information on the Battleship TEXAS, please contact the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department at 281.479.2431.
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COMMEMORATIVE CEREMONY: Each year the State of Texas officially marks the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21. Open to the public, this San Jacinto Day ceremony commemorating the battle’s 176th anniversary will be held on the northern steps of the San Jacinto Monument at 10 a.m., as the festival opens.

175th Anniversary - Founding of Montgomery, Texas - (1837-2012)

Montgomery, Texas will be celebrating Founders Day on Saturday, July 7, 2012 to commemorate the 175th birthday of the City of Montgomery, Texas. July 2012 marks the 175th anniversary of the founding of Montgomery, Texas.

Celebrating 175 Years of History!  Saturday, July 7, 2012

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Founders Day Breakfast at Lake Conroe Event Center (KOA)
19785 Texas 105 West

Keynote Address: Kameron Searle
Get the history booklet: The Early History of Montgomery, Texas

Video, Presentations, Recognitions

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Lone Star 1st Saturday at the Old Community Center

Farmers Market and Wine Tastings

Slide show of historic pictures inside the building.

NOON - RINGING OF THE BELLS!
Dedication of the China Chapel bell and new bell tower (Fernland).

12:00 Noon - 3:00 p.m. - Founder's Village at Fernland Historical Park
780 Clepper Street

Firing of the Cannons!
Featuring Historical Re-enactments with Rolling Thunder
and the Lone Star Volunteers

Get the history booklet: The Early History of Montgomery, Texas

6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Birthday Cake at the Old Community Center Building!
Downtown

7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Old Fashioned street dance on College St.

Live music by Earlywine

Early settlers that received land grants in 1831 in that portion of Austin's Second Colony that is now western Montgomery County included Mary Corner, John Pevehouse, Archibald Hodge, James Hodge, Owen Shannon, William C. Clark, William Landrum, Zachariah Landrum, William M. Rankin, Noah Griffith, Benjamin Rigby, William Atkins, Jacob Shannon, Raleigh Rogers, John Corner and Anne White. Shortly after their arrival, the area became known as the Lake Creek Settlement.

William W. Shepperd founded the town of Montgomery in the middle of the Lake Creek Settlement in July of 1837. The town was founded at the site of his trading post which was known as "the store of W. W. Shepperd on Lake Creek." The original site of the town was located on 200 acres of land in the north-western most corner of the John Corner League.This original location of the town was under the hill along the creek that would later become known as Town Creek.

The Early History of Montgomery, Texas

W. W. Shepperd founded the town in association with John Wyatt Moody, the First Auditor of the Republic of Texas. W. W. Shepperd provided the land and buildings for the new town.  J. W. Moody provided the political influence in the capital of the Republic of Texas then located in Houston. If a new county could be created and the new town of Montgomery became the county seat of that new county, then the success of the new town would be guaranteed. The advertisement below was placed with the Telegraph and Texas Register newspaper in Houston, Texas on July 4, 1837, and the advertisement ran for the first time in the July 8, 1837 edition of the Telegraph and Texas Register.  Shepperd and Moody were very confident in the success of their project. In the advertisement, they wrote "It is expected that a new county will be organized, at the next session of congress, embracing this section of country, in which event, the town of Montgomery, from its central position, must be selected as the seat of justice."

About 5 1/2 months after the town of Montgomery was founded, Montgomery County was created on December 14, 1837.  The town of Montgomery was serving as the county seat of Montgomery County as early as February of 1838.  Chief Justice Jesse Grimes was holding court and County Clerk Gwynn Morrison was filing documents.

On February 26, 1838, W. W. Shepperd purchased 212 additional acres of land from John Corner due south of the original site of the town. This new site was located on the hill. On March 1, 1838, the first Montgomery County Commissioners' Court meeting was held.  Through his agent C. B. Stewart, W. W. Shepperd donated a one half undivided interest in 200 of the 212 acres of land he had purchased on February 26, 1838, to the County. The commissioners accepted the donation and voted to "move the place of the town" from its original location below the hill to the new site on top of the hill.  The town of Montgomery prospered at this location as the county seat of Montgomery County for several decades.

Note: Montgomery County will also be 175 years old on December 14, 2012.

Click here, for more information about the first annual Montgomery Texas Founders' Day Celebration.  The 175 Montgomery, Texas 1837-2012 logo a trademark of Historic Montgomery Business Association, HMBA. All rights reserved.

Texas Instruments and the Microchip

Most people don’t know the microchip started in Texas. In 1958, Texas Instrument’s Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit, forever changing the world as we know it. The integrated circuit paved the way for the microchip, which is the basis of all our super-portable technology today. But how did he start? What made one little semiconductor company turn into the innovator it is today?

How did Kilby come up with his innovative idea? Like many inventors, he wanted to solve a problem. In this case, the problem was called "the tyranny of numbers." For almost 50 years after the turn of the 20th century, the electronics industry was controlled by vacuum tube technology. But vacuum tubes had intrinsic restrictions. They were delicate, large, unpredictable, power hungry, and created substantial heat. It wasn't until 1947, with the development of the transistor by Bell Telephone Laboratories, that the vacuum tube issue was solved. Transistors were a huge step. They were smaller, faster, lighter and stronger than vacuum tubes. But they still had one problem. They needed individual wires to be soldered together over multiple points, and each solder was a potential failing point in the future. But how do you overcome something like that? The Army had the idea of creating snap-together components of pre-soldered parts, but that still meant millions of soldering points that could fail at any time.

Kilby decided he’d figure a way around the problem. Deciding that the only thing a semiconductor house could make cost effectively was a semiconductor;

"Further thought led me to the conclusion that semiconductors were all that were really required — that resistors and capacitors [passive devices], in particular, could be made from the same material as the active devices [transistors]. I also realized that, since all of the components could be made of a single material, they could also be made in situ interconnected to form a complete circuit," Kilby wrote in a 1976 article titled "Invention of the IC."

He started writing down his idea in July of 1958. By September 12, 1958, he was ready to demonstrate a working integrated circuit built on a piece of semiconductor material. What he used was a sliver of germanium, with protruding wires, glued to a glass slide. It was a rough device, but when Kilby turned it on, an unending sine curve undulated across the oscilloscope screen. His invention worked.

Using this innovation, Texas Instruments became the powerhouse it is today. Texas Instrument's analog chips are used in electronics ranging from portable ultrasound equipment to set-top boxes, from eBooks to computer servers, and from robotics to LED streetlights. No matter what industry you imagine, Texas Instruments has had a hand in making it what it is today.

Guest Author Bio: -

Coleen Torres, blogger at phone internet, save money on home phone, digital TV, and high-speed Internet by comparing prices from providers in your area for standalone service or phone TV Internet bundles.

When Was the Town of Danville, Texas Founded?

Over the years, I have been amazed to meet so many 5th , 6th and 7th generation Texans whose ancestors originally settled in the area in and around the town of Danville, Texas in Montgomery County.  Don't waste your time looking for Danville, Texas on a modern map however, you won't find it.  Danville has been a ghost town for a long time.  The road sign for Old Danville Road and the cemetery on Shepard Hill Road are about all that remain of a town and surrounding area that produced so many descendants in Texas.

A number of histories report dates for the town of Danville as early as the 1830's.  However, there do not seem to be any primary historical sources to support those histories.  So, when was the town of Danville, Texas actually founded?  Let us to look at some primary source documents and reason together. The earliest newspaper reference to a place called Danville that I have located was in the March 21, 1846 edition of The Texas Democrat published in Austin, Texas.  See Volume 1, No. 12, page 2.

The article above is in regard to an attempt to establish a postal route through a place called Danville. A couple of weeks later a second newspaper mentioned a place called Danville in a list of polling places in Montgomery County.  See the April 8, 1846 edition of the Democratic Telegraph and Texas Register, Vol. 11, No. 14, page 2.

These newspapers prove that the name Danville had come into usage by March and April of 1846 to describe a place in Montgomery County. The first newspaper article references the attempt to get a postal route to go through a place called Danville.  The second article refers to a polling place called Danville in Montgomery County. But did the town of Danville actually exist in early 1846.  From 1845 to mid 1847 several land transactions occurred within the area that would eventually comprise the town of Danville, but the deeds do not make any mention of a town or place called Danville. 

But what other primary sources can we consult to determine if the town of Danville had an earlier origin.  The cemetery does not provide an earlier date.  The earliest marked grave in the Shepard Hill cemetery is that of Mary Susan Spiller which reports her date of death as August 6, 1850.

My wife and I have been transcribing the Montgomery County Commissioners' Court Minutes for a couple of years now.  So far we have transcribed the minutes for the years 1838-1845.  When published, the Montgomery County Commissioners' Court Minutes, 1838 to 1845, will be an excellent primary historical source for historians researching the early history of Montgomery County, Texas.

During this process, we have seen references by the Commissioners' Court to the town of Montgomery, the town of Huntsville, the town of Cincinnati, the town of Carolina, etc.  But in the years between the first Commissioners' Court Meeting in 1838 through the last meeting in 1845, no mention whatsoever was made of any town, community or place called Danville.  This absence of a place named Danville strongly suggests that no such place existed between 1838 and 1845 within the territory of Montgomery County.

When the town finally came into being, the town would be located on the Joseph Lindley League. Though no mention is made of a town, community or place called Danville in the 1838-1845 minutes, Joseph Lindley and his property are mentioned many times throughout the 1838-1845 Montgomery County Commissioners' Court Minutes. For instance, on page 187, at the January 1844 Commissioners' Court meeting, the minutes provide the following:

Ordered by the Court that A Gallitin  J C Smith  - McDanil - J W Barrett  F Cotton  Jno Hume - J Spillers - J B Chesire - be appointed Commissioners to Review & mark out a road from Jos Lindleys to Huntsville  & report at the next term of this Court

From the January 1845 Commissioners' Court meeting we find the following minutes on page 204:

Ordered by the Court that John Park  Jonathan H Ridgeway - A H White - Richard Williams and Joseph Lindley be and they are hereby appointed to mark and lay out a road commencing near Joseph Lindleys - running to Burches ferry on San Jacinto and make report of their actings and doings at the next term of this Court-

On August 19, 1847, Daniel Robinson became the first postmaster of Danville, Texas.  [See Postmasters and Post Offices of Texas 1846-1930, Volume 2, D-H, compiled by Jim Wheat].  Daniel Robinson did not file the plat of the town of Danville ["Original Plan of the Town of Danville"] until July 10, 1848 [Montgomery County Deed Vol. O, page 231].This plat was prepared more than two years after the March 21, 1846 and the April 8, 1846 newspaper articles above.

Based on these primary sources, it would seem that a tentative thesis can be made that efforts were underway to develop a town called Danville in early 1846.  However the total lack of references to the town or town lots in deeds dating from 1845 and 1846 strongly suggests that Danville may have been more of an idea or wishful thinking by land speculators than an actual town in 1845 or 1846. For more information about the early history of Danville, Texas see the excellent article Journey to Danville by Karen "Candy" Lawless.

If you have a primary source that proves Danville, Texas was established in either 1845 or 1846, please send me an email or add your comments to this page. I would also like to hear from you if you have primary sources that prove the town of Danville was actually founded in 1847 or 1848.

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.

Obedience Smith To Be Remembered With Texas Historical Marker - September 10, 2011

Historian, Audrey B. Cook, and Marker Dedication Chair, Debra Blacklock-Sloan, of the Harris County Historical Commission invite everyone interested in the early history of Texas and its earliest settlers to the historical marker dedication in honor of Obedience Smith, which will be held at the Lanier Middle School on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 10 a.m.  You will want to put this one on your calender. Marker dedication planners are already expecting up to 200 attendees to remember this historic Texan and the many accomplishments of her family in early Texas history.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett will be one of the speakers and there will be a number of other government dignitaries present. So far about 20 descendants have acknowledged that they will be present: some from the Fort side of the family and some from the Frank Terry of Terry's Texas Rangers, CSA, branch of Obedience and David Smith's family.

We hope you and your family can join us on this important day. Obedience Smith arrived in Texas in February 1836, a mere few weeks before the Texas Declaration of Independence, so she shares a 175th milestone anniversary with the Republic. The Obedience Smith land grant includes a portion of what is today downtown Houston and extends down toward present day Rice University taking in thousands of acres in between.
For additional information, contact Marker Historian Audrey B. Cook at 713-522-9398.

William Ware Surprised Me One Day in Utopia

For the past decade I have been researching the early history of Montgomery County, Texas for a book I intend to finish (sometime) in the next few years.  In doing the research for the book, much of the newly discovered history in the book focuses on a community in Stephen F. Austin's Second Colony that preceded the founding of the town of Montgomery, Texas.  This community, forgotten by historians for more than 100 years, was known as the Lake Creek Settlement.  A number of the primary documents I have relied upon in my research mention an early Texian named Captain William Ware who recruited volunteers for the Texas Revolution from the Lake Creek Settlement.

In July, my wife and I were vacationing in the Texas Hill Country.  We both recently read and thoroughly enjoyed David L.Cook's wonderful book, Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia.  It is a wonderful book to read, even if you do not golf.  The book has been made into a movie starring Academy Award winner, Robert Duvall, and Lucas Black.  The movie, Seven Days in Utopia will open in theatres on September 2, 2011.

Just for fun, we decided to take a detour and visit the town of Utopia as well as the golf course and the cemetery which are sites central to the story in the book. We ate breakfast at the Lost Maples Cafe and then headed out to the golf course.  On the way out, we passed a Texas State Historical Marker on the side of FM 187.  As we passed the sign, I glanced at it as I so often do. I immediately asked my wife, "Did that marker say WILLIAM WARE!"  She said she thought that it did, so we turned around to read the marker and here on the other side of Texas, hundreds of miles from the site of my research, was a marker dedicated to a figure important to my early history of Montgomery County, Texas as well as the early history of the Republic of Texas.

When we got to the Waresville Cemetery which is located next to the Utopia Golf course, we found another Texas State Historical marker and the graves of many of members of the Ware family.

Before we left, my wife and I decided to hit a bucket of balls on the driving range just for fun.  We mentioned in the pro shop that the reason we had come out to Utopia was because of David L. Cook's book.  As we finished hitting our bucket of balls, we got one more big surprise.  David L. Cook, who had come out to the golf course while we were practicing our driving, came out to say hello! 

Lots of useful history for my research and the opportunity to meet the author of a book my wife and I had both enjoyed very much all on just one day in Utopia.

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)

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.

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/ .