Texas Heritage Society

Tour of Texas History #6

Historic Times Along "Los Brazos de Dios" - Part 2

Fort Bend 

August 14, 2010

Saturday, August 14, 2010

This tour is free and open to all who enjoy Texas history.

9:00 a.m., Sugarland:  Imperial Sugar Refinery. 198 Kempner, Sugarland, Texas.  Map. Historian Bruce Kelly will show us historic sites including the old Terry sugar plantation that was eventually owned by the Imperial Sugar Co.  Bruce will discuss Ben and David Terry in the the Runaway Scrape, Terry's Texas Rangers, CSA, and later years.  The writer will discuss the Terry family when they were in MS and David Terry's time in California when he became Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.  David Terry fought famous duels and killed a U.S. Senator.

11:00 a.m., Richmond: Lunch in a private room at Sandy McGee's Restaurant.  Bruce Kelly will describe the bloody shootout called the Jaybird-Woodpecker War during Reconstruction times when Ben Terry's son Kyle and others were killed.  Claire Rogers with the Richmond Museum will show us around Richmond: Carrie Nations Hotel, Jaybird Monument, an old saloon, and the Fort Bend Museum.

We will travel to historic Morton Cemetery in Richmond where Mirabeau B. Lamar, Deaf Smith, Jane Wilkinson Long and seventy three Confederate soldiers are buried.  We will have a short memorial service at the grave of Clement Newton Bassett who was wounded three times with Terry's Texas Rangers.  Following the visit to Morton Cemetery, we have been invited to the imposing home of Clement Bassett in Richmond. 

Please contact Hewitt Clarke so that he can get a headcount for restaurant reservations.

Hewitt Clarke - 281-367-2709 or  rebelwriter@pdq.net 

  Texas Heritage Society - June 17, 2010 Meeting

Acclaimed Texas Archeologist, Historian and   Author

Gregg Dimmick

"The Archeology of the Mexican Army in Texas" 

The next meeting of the Texas Heritage Society is scheduled for Thursday, June 17, 2010, at 6:30 p.m.  The meeting will be held at 18 West Shaker Court in The Woodlands.  See map here.  The June meeting will feature Texas archeologist, historian and author, Gregg Dimmick who will make a presentation about "The Archeology of the Mexican Army in Texas." 

Dr. Dimmick is a medical doctor whose avocation for many years has been archeology.  Beginning with his work with the "Sea of Mud" in Wharton County, Gregg Dimmick has done more to advance our understanding of the Mexican Army in Texas during the Texas Revolution than any other historian or archeologist before him.  He is a member of the Houston Archeological Society and the Texas State Historical Association.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground and the Wharton County Museum.

Gregg Dimmick has co-authored two archeological reports regarding the Mexican army for the Houston Archeological Society.  He is the author of the highly acclaimed book, Sea of Mud, which completely modified our perception of the retreating Mexican Army following the Battle of San Jacinto.  He is also the editor of General Filisola's Analysis of Jose Urrea's Military Diary which has also shed considerable light on this period in Texas history.

Dimmick has participated in archeological excavations across Texas at many of the campsites of the Texan and Mexican armies including: Sea of Mud (El Mar de Lodo), Fannin Battleground, San Jacinto, Almonte surrender site, Groce's Plantation, and Madam Powell's.  The artifacts from the Sea of Mud are now the property of the Cushing Library at Texas A and are on display at that location.  Some of the better artifacts are also at the Alamo (in the gift shop) and at the Bullock Museum in Austin.

Gregg Dimmick has appeared on the History Channel, Discovery Channel and Channel 55 (Postcards from Texas).  We have asked Dr. Dimmick to bring some of his books to sell and sign. You do not want to miss this meeting.   

Submitted by Melinda Cagle and Kameron Searle 

Texas Heritage Society Members Participate in DRT Convention Program

The Texas Heritage Society was well represented at the 2010 Annual Convention of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas held this year in Houston.  Pat Spackey, THS Publicity Chair, had organized a program saluting the Lone Star Flag of Texas and Dr. Charles B. Stewart. With more than more than 600 DRT members in attendance, THS members, David Martin and Kameron Searle, put on the program with the help of the "Texas Flag Man," Tom Green.  All three gentlemen were wearing 1836 period attire for their presentation.   

David Martin displays Lone Star Flag of Texas during program at 2010 DRT Convention in Houston, Texas

While Searle discussed the many accomplishments of Texas founding-father Charles B. Stewart, David Martin and Tom Green paraded each of the flags of Texas whose design included a single lone star prior Stewart's world famous design in 1839.  Tom Green then gave a short history of each of the earlier "single-starred" flags of Texas and David Martin discussed his recent historical research regarding Charles B. Stewart's Lone Star flag.  Martin concluded the program to a thunderous round of applause when he described the Texas Lone Star flag as "the most beautiful flag in the world."

Texas Heritage Society

Tour  of Texas Number 5

Day Trip

Saturday, May 8, 2010

"Historic Times Along Los Brazos de Dios"

THS Members Examine the P. Nolan Headstone at Waller County Library in Hempstead, Texas

THS Members at Site of the Bernardo Plantation Home of Jared Ellison Groce Discovered Recently by Archeologists

Click on this link to see the rest of the photos from the Texas Heritage Society's Tour of Texas History # 5

East Montgomery Historical Society Wins Award

2010 Texas Sawmill Festival

Click the image above to see the video

At the 4th Annual Texas Sawmill Festival held on April 17, 2010, the East Montgomery County Historical Society won the Sawmill Blade Trophy for the East Montgomery County Historical Society's museum display. The Texas Heritage Society, Inc. engages in activities and services for the support, development and promotion of the East Montgomery County Museum and Archives, located at New Caney, Texas. Seeing itself as ambassador for the museum, it seeks to strengthen awareness of the museum as an important resource for the study of Southeast Texas history.  Our congratulations go out to the East Montgomery County Historical Society for the much deserved recognition of all their excellent work to preserve and present so much of the early history of east Montgomery County and southeast Texas. 

Texas Heritage Society - September 16, 2010 Meeting

Texas Historian and   Author of the Biography Sam Houston

and the Book Passionate Nation

James L. Haley

More details coming soon.

"Save Texas History Symposium"

Set for November 6, 2010 in Austin, Texas

Texas Heritage Society members need to mark your calenders for the first ever "Save Texas History Symposium."  The inaugural "Save Texas History Symposium" will be held November 6, 2010 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 1700 North Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas.  The "Save Texas History Symposium" will be hosted by Commisioner Jerry Patterson and the Texas General Land Office.  There will be lectures by Texas historians and plenty of other activities.  Click here to read the details of the "Save Texas History Symposium."  The cost to register is $25.00 per person.  You can register by calling 1-800-998-4GLO or by email at archives@glo.state.tx.us .

"Remember San Jacinto!"

Help Save the San Jacinto Battleground

Jan DeVault, the President of the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground, has asked the Texas Heritage Society to inform our members and readers of their efforts to save a portion of the San Jacinto Battleground, which is currently privately owned, from being lost to industrial development. If this land is lost to industrial development, much of the aesthetic beauty of the battleground will be lost forever. President Jan DeVault writes: 

As the president of the San Jacinto Battleground Association, d/b/a the Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and as a fellow lover of Texas history and our shared heritage, I am asking for your help in saving a critical portion of the San Jacinto Battleground.  

As you know, the battle of San Jacinto was the decisive military event of the Texas Revolution. Over the course of two days, culminating in the Texas Army’s assault on the Mexican Army during the afternoon of April 21, 1836, the independence of Texas was secured. Today, the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) stands as a tangible link to the battle. It is one of the state’s most significant cultural landscapes and a National Historical Landmark. 

The San Jacinto Battleground has recently been named by Preservation Texas, the state partner for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to their 2010 Most Endangered Places list. The area around the battleground has changed dramatically since 1836. Development of the Houston Ship Channel and the aggressive expansion of the petrochemical industry have eroded the rural and pastoral setting that would have been familiar to a 19th century Texan.   

Our group was founded in 2002 as the result of a discussion with TPWD and a desire to help establish a “Desirable Facility Boundary” for the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. Areas outside of the state park boundary are known to be part of the battlefield landscape, but are not owned or protected by the state. Developing guidelines and goals for the historic, aesthetic, cultural and biological conservation of San Jacinto became an objective of the Friends and one to which they are committed.   

Since 2002, the Friends has acquired land within the “desirable boundary”---currently holding about 8.5 acres ---and facilitated conservation agreements with surrounding industry on behalf of TPWD. 

A key target for acquisition has been property owned by JMO (late Houston attorney, John M. O’Quinn) Land Holding, Inc.  The land consists of 19.054 acres (11 acres upland and the remainder submersed) and has been marketed since 2000 as a prime “maritime/industrial use” site since it is accessible by water and road. TPWD and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) recognize the historic significance of the JMO tract and TPWD has been attempting to acquire it by donation since 1984.  

In November 2009, the Friends learned that the Port of Houston, the Economic Alliance Port Region, and others had formed a consortium for the development of the JMO property, and a purchase price of $625,000 had been established. The Friends were able to convince the representatives of JMO to give us an opportunity to raise the money to acquire the property for inclusion in the San Jacinto landscape based upon the historical significance of the property and its potential as a nature and wildlife habitat. We have executed a “Real Estate Purchase and Sale Agreement” with a closing date of June 1, 2010. It is our view that any development of the JMO property---other than the re-establishment of its native and natural setting---will make it more difficult to visualize the story of the battle and would separate the battlefield from the ferry site. The surrounding area is in need of more “green space” not less.    

Once we own the property, we plan to enter into an agreement with TPWD for the management of the property, and work with them to develop an appropriate plan to preserve its natural resources. Several companies with facilities in the area have also indicated that they will help reestablish certain native elements, such as grasslands and marsh.    

The Friends is applying for grants from foundations, asking for donations from individuals and corporations, implementing a grass roots effort through personal appeals and the Internet, and hosting several events to provide the funds to purchase this property and protect it from industrial and incompatible development.   

We need your help.  Our organization is volunteer based with no paid staff and very limited resources.  We need to convey the plight of San Jacinto to others and we need donations to purchase the property.   We have opened an account at Sterling Bank, 919 Milam, Ste 115, Houston, Texas 77002 to take donations by check and can also take them, on-line, on our website, www.friendsofsanjacinto.org . Please help by giving---no amount is too small---and helping us to spread the word. 

I have attached additional information on the property, Preservation Texas’ press release, and would be happy to answer any questions that you might have regarding this project or our organization.  

Sincerely, 

SAN JACINTO BATTLEGROUND ASSOCIATION 

d/b/a  The Friends of the San Jacinto Battleground 

Jan DeVault 

President 

713-237-8997 

www.friendsofsanjacinto.org 

TEXAS HERITAGE SOCIETY     

Tour of Texas History No. 4: "REMEMBER GOLIAD!"

February 6, 2010  

Old Photograph of the Presidio La Bahia Years before Restoration

Photo courtesy of Joe and Lynn Keith

Texas Heritage Society First Vice President, Hewitt Clark, has announced the intinerary for the Tour of Texas History #4.  Mark your calendars and keep this date open.

Hotel rooms are available at the Antler's Inn in Goliad, Texas (1013 US Hwy 59 S.).  Telephone 361-645-8215.  Double rooms are $58.  Here is the revised tour schedule. 

Saturday, February 6, 2010: 

12:00 Noon--Meet at the Hanging Tree Restaurant in Goliad, Texas (144 N. Courthouse Square) for lunch and to discuss plans.

1:00 p.m., Walking tour of the historic plaza area with guide Benny Martinez.

2:00 p.m., Travel to General Zaragoza's home for lecture about Cinco de Mayo.

3:00 p.m.,  Presidio La Bahia--Special lecture by the Director  of the Presidio La Bahia about the 1813 Mcgee-Gutierrez Expedition including details about the "bloodiest day in Texas history;" the bloody arm flag and Capt. Dimmit's Declaration of Independence in 1835; and the massacre of 400 Texas soldiers under command of Col. Fannin in 1836. The lecture will be followed by a tour of the Presido. 

6:00 pm, Dinner at the Hanging Tree Restaurant and a talk about the Cart War and Violence in Goliad from 1850-1870 by Mr. Starr, author and local historian. 

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010:

8:00 a.m.,  Breakfast, to be announced

9:00 a.m., Tour and lecture at the Mission.

10:00 a.m., Mass at the Mission for those wishing to participate.

11:00 a.m., Travel ten miles to the Coleto Creek battle site for a lecture by Benny Martinez and relatives.

For reservations and further information please contact:

Hewitt Clarke 

281-367-2709

Rebelwriter@pdq.net 

OUR PURPOSE

The Texas Heritage Society, Inc. is based in The Woodlands, Texas. Its purpose is to discover, preserve, and promote the history and genealogy of Texas, particularly of South and Southeast Texas and to broaden historical knowledge among the general public through programs, projects, and publications, bringing together professionals, independent scholars, writers, educators and researchers. THS, Inc. will launch the publication, Journal of Texas Heritage, in January 2010.         

JOIN US

Dues for the Texas Heritage Society, Inc. are $25/year (Jan-Dec) and may be paid by check or money order to our treasurer: Mrs. Carole Lynn O'Neal, 71 East Kentwick Place, Conroe, Texas  77384. Dues include day trips and a subscription to the Journal of Texas Heritage along with an annual Tour-of-Texas Study Guide.

MEETINGS

PROJECTS

Among the numerous projects that this new organization has embraced is to explore and write the histories of long-forgotten Texas sites like Esperanza and Rusk, now only ghost towns in East Texas. The identification of historic sites for the purposes of study and to obtain Texas Historical Commission markers is one of its primary goals. THS, Inc. maintains a web page at TexasHistoryPage.com, along with a discussion log that encourages the exploration of Texas history and genealogy through dialogue. Projected is the publication of monographs, pamphlets and other works about the history and genealogy of Texas, particularly Southeast Texas.

EAST MONTGOMERY COUNTY MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES

The Texas Heritage Society, Inc. engages in activities and services for the support, development and promotion of the East Montgomery County Museum and Archives, located at New Caney, Texas. Seeing itself as ambassador for the museum, it seeks to strengthen awareness of the museum as an important resource for the study of Southeast Texas history.

STUDY GROUPS

August 8, 2009 — Tour of Texas History # 2

Stopping first at Washington-on-the-Brazos near Navasota, Texas, the group will hear a private lecture presented in Independence Hall, the site where Texas declared its independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. William B. Travis’ “victory or death” letter will be read. A replica of the original building marks the location where representatives met to sign the formal declaration of independence and where the government of the Republic of Texas was established.

The group then will travel to Chappell Hill to the Masonic Cemetery where a toast will be made to Col William B. Travis at the gravesite of his son. There will be a picnic lunch at a former old store in town after which will be a guided tour of the town of Chappell Hill.

The group will leave at 8 a.m. from First Baptist Church of The Woodlands. Bring a sack lunch and drinks; we will stop at a designated park for lunch, returning to The Woodlands by 4 p.m. Bring a hat and wear comfortable walking shoes.

PRIZES, SCHOLARSHIPS, AWARDS

The Texas Heritage Society, Inc. recognizes various areas of historical and genealogical work with funding and special achievement recognition.

THS BOOK STORE

A resource for hard-to-find books about Texans and Texas.

NOTES ABOUT THE WEB SITE

The Texas Heritage Society, Inc. strongly encourages input from all of its members. We hope all members will contribute their many talents to this site. Please email your ideas and suggestions to the webmaster Kameron Searle at ksearle1@pdq.net . We strongly encourage members to submit articles relating to Texas history and genealogy to this web site as well as to the Journal.   The Texas Heritage Society also encourges scholars of Texas history everywhere to submit Texas history articles for publication in the Journal and on the web site. See Contact Us for more information about submitting an article.

Texas Heritage Society Officers 2009-2011

President — Kameron K. Searle, J.D.
First Vice President (Programs) — Hewitt Clark
Second Vice President (Membership) — Carolyn Terrell
Third Vice President (Publicity) — Pat Ellen Spackey
Recording Secretary — Ruben J. Borjas, Jr.
Treasurer — Carole Lynn O'Neal
Editor — Melinda R. Cagle

Directors at Large —

Carrol D. Cagle, M.D.
Barbara Hamilton
Brenda Horton
Cliff May