Alamo Cannon Comes Home to Alamo - January 24, 2015

Huge crowd for the January 24, 2015 dedication of the McRae/Alamo cannon

A significant Spanish cannon has been returned to The Alamo. The barrel bears the Spanish royal crest and has the exact damage as other Alamo cannons that have been previously discovered to have been at the battle. Both of the cannon's trunnions have been broken off and the fire hole is not spiked. Researchers believe that this cannon was used by the Alamo defenders in February-March 1836. 

According to the cannon's provenance, it was sent from San Antonio to the French family in Philadelphia sometime in the 1880s as a payment for a debt. Howard B. French displayed the cannon on the lawn of his country estate called Aulderbrook.

Jan DeVault, President of the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy welcomes guests and donors to Alamo for dedication

In 1986, J.P. Bryan heard of the cannon's existence and went to Philadelphia to investigate. Although the cannon had been sold, Bryan was able to locate and buy it from the collector who had purchased it. He then shipped the cannon back to Texas and auctioned it to raise money for the Texas State Historical Association.

Mr. John McRae purchased the cannon and had a carriage constructed for the artillery piece.

McRae Cannon inside the Alamo

The cannon was donated to San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy. Under the direction of Mr. Jim Jobling, the Conservancy had the cannon conserved at the Texas A&M Conservation Research Lab. The cannon is on loan to the Alamo from the Conservancy.

An official dedication and "thank you" to donors will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. at The Alamo. San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy's Dr. Gregg Dimmick will discuss the history of the cannon. All are welcomed.

Contributors to the preservation of the McRae/Alamo Cannon

The San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy is a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve, reclaim, and restore the San Jacinto Battleground and build greater public awareness of the battle of San Jacinto, the culminating military event of the Texas Revolution. No other nonprofit organization is devoted entirely to these goals. In 2010, the San Jacinto Battleground was included on Preservation Texas' Most Endangered Places list. Preservation Texas is the statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To find out what you can do to help, visit www.sanjacintoconservancy.org 

San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy | sjbc-texas@usa.net | 808 Travis, Suite 1429P. O. Box 940536Houston, TX 77094-7536

Article about the dedication of the McRae/Alamo cannon in Rivard Report by Carol Baass Sowa originally published in Today's Catholic.

January 26, 2015 Ceremony Honoring Mirabeau B. Lamar

On Monday, January 26, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. in the afternoon, we will hold the 5th annual memorial ceremony honoring the 2nd President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar.

On this very day, 176 years ago, President Lamar signed an Act reserving three (3) Leagues of land in each county to be used to pay for a public school system in Texas. Even thought it was years before Public Schools came into being in Texas, President Lamar is remembered as the “Father of Texas Education.” In addition, President Lamar reserved 50 Leagues of land for two state supported colleges in Texas, which continue to benefited both the University of Texas and Texas A&M University today. In fact, one of his most popular phrases President Lamar used in his speeches was: “A Cultivated Mind is the Guardian Genius of Democracy,” and this phrase remains the Moto of the University of Texas to this today.

On January 25, 1839, President Lamar signed an Act making the current State Flag of Texas the last flag of the Republic of Texas, and on January 29, 1839, President Lamar signed the first Homestead Act in the world! The Homestead Act keeps the home place from being taken from the widow by the mortgage company when the husband dies. This was a monumental week in Texas history, with three (3) important bills being signed in a five (5) day period, which continue to affect our lives today. Do you know of any other governmental entity that has acted on three important bills in a five-day period?

The ceremony will be at the grave of President Mirabeau B. Lamar in the Morton Cemetery, located just north of downtown Richmond, Texas. This is a historic cemetery with Jane Long also buried just to the south of President Lamar’s grave, and the first Masonic Burial Monument located just to the east of President Lamar’s grave. The major purpose of both the Sons of the Republic of Texas (SRT) and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) is to perpetuate the history of the Republic of Texas and educated our citizens, so please not only mark your calendar to attend this important event, but to forward this News Release to anyone you know who might be interested. P

lease contact Tom Green at 713-340-1965 or TBGreen3@gmail.com if you have any questions.

History Road Rally in Conroe, Texas January 24, 2015

Explore Life in the Past Lane - On January 24, 2015, the Montgomery County Historical Commission will conduct the second annual History Road Rally in historic Conroe, Texas. Check in will be between Noon – 1p.m. at the First Baptist Church Gymnasium located in downtown Conroe at Main & Cochran Streets. The History Road Rally will start at 1:30 p.m. Teams will begin to return at 3:30 p.m. There will be a free meal and team recognition at 4:30 p.m. Teams will be composed of 2-5 participants per vehicle. The pre-registration fee is $30 per vehicle and the registration fee on the day of the event will be $40. There will be trophies and prizes for the winning teams. This historic event will. This event is sponsored by Gullo Ford of Conroe, Gullo Mazda of Conroe & Gullo Toyota of Conroe. For more information, see the Montgomery County Historical Society website at: : www.montgomerycountyhistoricalcommission.com or call 936-525-7311.