Daughters of The Republic of Texas
Although I missed many of the activities at The Alamo in recent weeks when they were celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the battle, I have to tell many of you there is another fight brewing over the Alamo…..although it may be 
just simmering right now.
It has been proposed that the State of Texas take over management of The Shrine of Texas Freedom from the longtime custodians, The Daughters of the Republic of Texas. The proposal is to put the building and grounds under the umbrella of the Texas Historical Commission. What a mistake.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that the current budget crisis in Texas will probably prevent that from taking place. In fact, in Governor Perry’s budget, the Texas Historical Commission might be effectively abolished.
A little history lesson here: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas are the oldest patriotic woman’s organization in the state and in the nation. The organization was founded with members who were direct descendants of those persons who had founded The Republic of Texas. Mary S. M. Jones, widow of the last president of the Republic of Texas, agreed to serve as president. The motto chosen was “Texas, One and Indivisible”. The name first chosen for this group was Daughters of Female Descendants of the Heroes of ’36; the association was renamed Daughters of the Lone Star Republic, then Daughters of the Republic of Texas at the first annual meeting in April 1892.
I have many favorite stories of the saving of the Alamo structure itself, but two of my favorite characters in preserving the shrine were Adina de Zavala and Clara Driscoll. In 1903, Adina Emilia De Zavala, daughter of Texas Vice President Lorenzo de Zavala, enlisted heiress and philanthropist Clara Driscoll to join the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and chair the De Zavala fund raising committee to negotiate the purchase of the long barracks owned by wholesale grocers Charles Hugo and Gustav Schmeltzer. The asking price was $75,000, most of which came out of Clara Driscoll’s bank 
account.
It was later on that Ms. de Zavala was said to have chained herself to the columns of the long barracks to prevent their destruction and demolition, thus preserving an important part of the history of the Alamo and its grounds. Clara Driscoll again dipped into her personal bank account for the purchase and/or preservation of more of the immediate Alamo grounds.
During the years, the Alamo has been used as a Spanish Mission chapel, housing for Indians, Tejanos, and just squatters, San Antonio’s first hospital, an Army supply depot, a Masonic Lodge, a jail, commercial store, warehouse, and now a tourist attraction and public area. The Alamo belonged to the Catholic church and the church turned it over to the state of Texas, who then turned it over to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.
Over the years, several politically motivated historians have not agreed with the image the Daughters have tried to maintain of the Alamo and the defenders and they have apparently wanted the image to reflect a more ‘politically correct’ and ‘culturally diverse’ image to suit their versions of history. During my days as an historian and Texas History teacher, I always included ALL the heroes of the Alamo and their contributions to Texas regardless of their race, ethnicity, place of national origin, or any other detail about them. But I didn’t try to rewrite or change history.
The way we were back then was the way we were. Jim Bowie was a knife fighter and an slave trader. Sam Houston was a drunk, but brilliant. The Frenchman Moses Rose was a coward, and that the first name on the Alamo Cenotaph, the monument that lists the names of the heroes, is Juan Abamillo. History can’t change who were were, but it can recognize who we were despite our shortcomings and choose to focus our positive contributions.
So, a budget crisis may help keep the Daughters of the Republic of Texas firmly in control of the Alamo as they rightfully should. How lucky we are.
Remember the Alamo!
God Bless Texas!ee
God Bless the Daughters of the Republic of Texas!
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A great big AMEN from me.
GOD BLESS THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS
Gee Dave, you just get started on some really good Texas history and then you stop. You, being a history teacher, should know that those of us who treat Texas History as manna from a good Texas thunderstorm, were left hanging. Please write an add-on somehow. If you write it, we will come…
You may want to check your facts… the DAR (1890) is 5 years older than the DRT (1895). And I find it interesting that you don’t comment on why you think the DRT should continue today… the stories you bring up are works of what they did almost a century ago.
Thanks-I left out a few words; “are one of the oldest”. However, I covered exactly why I think the DRT should continue to administer activities and the direction the Alamo should take. Are you aware of a state agency that would take as good a care of the Alamo rather than the DRT?
Let me know if you can recommend one.
As a member of the San Jacinto Chapter of the DRT, I absolutely LOVED your post. Thank you for bringing this latest battle of the Alamo to light. Government is rarely inclined to leave well enough alone. The DRT ladies in San Antonio have done a wonderful job of preserving and promoting our state’s most revered monument. It’s because of them that the venerable building still stands today.
I appreciate hearing your opinion. However, if you knew the bottom line regarding the amount of funding that the DRT handles on behalf of “The Alamo”, you would be shocked, and amazed at how little is spent on preserving our Alamo. The DRT is a wonderful organization, however they are not business minded individuals. Someone needs to remind them of their focus/goals and the fact that they aren’t keeping track of “Monopoly” money…it is real!!
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