OCTOBER 2010

Park Entrance San Jacinto Star Award Fee Ended Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison To Be Honored at Dinner tarting September 1, n November 11, the has represented for have made an impact on U. S. Texas Parks and San Jacinto Museum seventeen years in the Senate, history. S Wildlife has ceased O of History will honor with assignments on the This year the guests at the charging a $1 Senator Kay Committee on Commerce, annual dinner will again enjoy a per person Bailey Science, and Transportation, the special exhibit of artifacts, good admission fee Hutchison for Committee on Appropriations, company, and a rare opportunity to enter the San her service to the Committee on Banking, to view the lights of Jacinto Texas and to Housing, and Urban Affairs, and and the Ship Channel from the Battleground the United the Committee on Rules and Observation Floor at night. State Historic States at Administration. For information about this Site. The fee, A Special A descendant of Texas annual dinner, and to reserve which was Evening With Declaration of Independence your seats, please contact implemented in Texas History. signer Charles S. Taylor, Carolyn Campbell at February 2006, Senator Hutchison is the author of 281/479-2421. was used toward Hutchison several books on women who operating and maintenance costs in the park and at the San Jacinto Curator Answers Questions Monument. s many of our resident of Pearland, who after Herbert Hoover and his Instead, Texas Parks and members are viewing the photos from the campaign to provide “a car in Wildlife is considering raising A undoubtedly aware, 1928 Democratic National every garage and a chicken in entrance fees by $1-$2 to the our current special exhibit, Convention held in Houston at every pot” easily won his party’s Battleship Texas; any change Reflections of an Exhibit: Cecil the Hall on June nomination and, eventually, the in fees would likely take place Thomson Revealed, was designed 26–28, wanted to know where presidency. around the beginning of 2011. to answer the wide range of the Republican Convention was Another question concerned According to superintendent questions that the previous held and who won. the Cruiser Houston and the Russ Kuykendall, “the pain exhibit of Thomson With the popular Calvin location of a monument threshold for the $1 per photographs had engendered. Coolidge’s somewhat surprising dedicated to her crew. One of person fee for all visitors age While the current display has decision to step down from the our visitors from Plano enjoyed 13 and over to see the not fostered as many inquiries, a presidency after only one term, the photos and the model of the Battleground was too high, number of visitors have sent in the Republican Party needed to ship on view in the show and after being free to the public questions, comments and many maintain the success that its remembered hearing that there for 170 years...even with these “I remember whens…” political machine had built up in was a monument erected slight fee increases, Battleship Some of our guests wished the previous decades. When recently in Houston to honor Texas remains a huge bargain for related historical facts. An they met in Kansas City, the crew. She wanted to know if for families.” example of this comes from a Missouri from June 12–15 it was on the park grounds. See U.S.S. HOUSTON, page 3 Letter from the President

Dear Friends, monuments, and plantings, as well as enhanced esplanades, tunnels, In 2003 a first-of-its-kind economic summit was conducted in East ferries, parks and unifying entrances to local communities will ensure Harris County to develop a strategy to promote the extraordinary coordination of the aesthetic aspects of the district. Attendance at the shared heritage of the 16 cities surrounding the San Jacinto Battleground unveiling was high as was the enthusiasm of attendees from both public State Historic Site. The San Jacinto Monument was chosen as the and private sectors. unifying symbol to represent the hub that would tie area improvement The strong support for this project demonstrates that history is projects together. The San Jacinto Texas Historic District was formed and important and relevant to the industries and communities located around 26 significant historic sites to visit were identified and incorporated into San Jacinto. It certainly embodies our mission of promoting Texas history Project Stars, a master plan to provide a strong brand to tie together the directly in the community, and I felt it was certainly worth noting to our entire region. The on-going implementation of Project Stars is members who may not live in the areas impacted. transforming our region into one of the world’s most truly unique places As the holiday season arrives, remember that you can show your and an area that honors its rich historical past, while embracing the strong support for Texas history by giving the gift of a museum present and future. membership to a friend or relative—a gift that lasts all year round. As Epic Art paintings of scenes of Texas history measuring 40 by 60 As always, thank you for your support. feet in size appear on storage tanks along the roads leading to San Jacinto, the attention of tourists and local citizens is drawn to the rich heritage of Texas, especially the region along the . Unveiled on August 26, at the Pasadena Convention Center, uniform Larry Spasic corridor standards that have been accepted by all participating President, San Jacinto Museum of History communities were introduced to the public. These standards for signage, Lobby Exhibit Looks at Pointed Weapons lbeit wepons aswel offensive as defensive be infinite… I affirme, night could well mean a challenge on Saturday morning and death that amongst al the wepons used in these daies, there is none more on Sunday. By the time of the Civil War, dueling had begun an A honorable, more usual or more safe then the sword. irreversible decline, even in the South and Texas. Not surprisingly, - Giacomo di Grassi, His True Arte of Defence. 1594. public opinion, not legislation, caused the change. What once had The Code Duello, covering the practice of dueling and points of been a formal process designed to avoid violence and amend honor, was drawn up and settled in Ireland in 1777 and prescribed grievances had deteriorated into cold-blooded murder. for general adoption throughout Ireland. Soon after, the Code was Many of the swords and knives on view in the lobby of the followed with some variations in Europe and later, in America museum were used to defend the lives and honor of the early where the principal rules were followed, though variations often led settlers of Texas. Those blades, along with an impressive array of to more bloody outcomes. If swords were used, the parties battled Bowie knives, halberds, arrowheads and formal dress swords are on until one drew blood, a party was disabled, or disarmed, or until display until the holiday exhibit—featuring the 2009 Fiesta Texas after receiving a wound, the aggressor begged pardon. gown of the Duchess of Victory at San Jacinto, Alice Trueheart For every man who gloried in the duel, there were many who Johnson—goes on special exhibit in November. feared it. A word or two passed in private company on a Friday

Cavalry sword and scabbard owned by Joseph Conklin Eldredge.

SAN JACINTO NEWS OCTOBER 2010 2 San Jacinto Veterans Also Dueled ecause in many ways the men who fought at San Jacinto in 1835, and came to are a microcosm of the men who lived in North America Texas where he fought B in the nineteenth century, it is no surprise that several of at Goliad, them participated in duels, using a variety of weapons. Veteran Concepción, and Joseph Rhodes killed John Pollard in Houston in 1837. A year Bexar in 1835, was later, James W. Tinsley died following a knife duel with Eugenio sent from the Alamo Navarro, killing his opponent with his pistol after being mortally as a courier, missed wounded. Benjamin McCulloch, who manned one of the cannons the battle of Coleto at San Jacinto, was severely wounded in the arm by Reuben Ross in and the Goliad a dispute over McCulloch’s election to Texas’ Congress in 1839; Massacre as he was McCulloch and Ross later became good friends. Deveraux Jerome acting as a scout, and Woodlief’s duel in 1854, said to be his ninth, also arose from heated served under Patton at political discussion, but followed the formal protocol for a duel; the battle of San after insults, blows, a formal challenge, seconds, unaccepted Jacinto. Walker apologies, and a failed reconciliation, Woodlief and his opponent Baylor was one of the Achilles Kewen left the city confines of San Francisco for Oakland, “horse marines” who where Woodlief died from a rifle shot at forty paces. captured the schooners Ben McCulloch, by H. B. Marks. One of the most interesting San Jacinto veterans who Watchman, Comanche, and Fanny Butler carrying supplies for the participated in a duel was John Walker Baylor, who, according to a Mexican Army in June 1836. He died at the home of his uncles in letter written by his brother George Baylor in 1912, “was a cadet at Alabama on September 3, from a wound to his thigh that he West Point during the administration of Andrew Jackson. received at San Jacinto but did not report as he considered it minor. Unluckily, he got into a quarrel with another cadet, named One duel took place between two San Jacinto veterans, shortly Freeman, and then concluded to settle it by duel with naked after what is known as the Council House Fight in 1840. William bayonets. Walker, proving quicker at the art of fencing, punching Redd came to Texas in 1836 with Mirabeau B. Lamar, who secured more holes in Cadet Freeman, than army regulations allowed, and a captain’s commission for Redd in 1839. Lysander Wells joined was dismissed. His father, Dr. John W. Baylor, was an intimate Sidney Sherman’s company in Kentucky in 1835, and served as a friend of President Jackson, and when the matter came to his major at San Jacinto. Wells was appointed colonel by President attention he restored Walker and remarked that he did believe Houston in 1838. According to Memoirs of Mary A. Maverick, Wells that fighting wasn’t any drawback to a soldier. Instead of accused William Davis Redd of cowardice and feminine influence. returning to the academy and resuming his studies, as he should The accusations became public, and “Redd challenged Wells to have done, Walker merely went back and showed his restoration mortal combat, and one morning at six o’clock they met where order to the Commandant, and then left for his home …” Ursuline Convent now stands. Redd said: ‘I aim for your heart,’ Baylor then studied medicine with his father until Dr. Baylor’s death and Wells answered: ‘And I for your brains.’ They fired. Redd sprang high into the air and fell dead with a bullet in his brain. Today’s Heroes of San Jacinto Wells was shot near the heart, but lived two weeks, in great New and Renewing Members torture, begging everyone near him to dispatch him, or furnish

him with a pistol that he might kill himself and end his agony… Sam Houston Society These men were both brave and tried soldiers! What a sad ending Vopak to their young and promising lives...”

U.S.S. HOUSTON, continued from page 1 There is a U.S.S. Houston memorial, but it is not on the grounds Association have met at the monument on the Saturday nearest of the San Jacinto State Historic Site. The U.S.S. Houston March 1 for a memorial service to honor their lost fellow crew Foundation of the Texas Commandery of the Naval Order of the members. United States dedicated a beautiful marble monument capped by We encourage you to keep sending your questions and the ship’s bell to the Houston and her crew in 1995. The monument comments about the exhibit. We always enjoy hearing from you is located in Sam Houston Park in downtown Houston. Since its and appreciate the memories that these exhibits have brought to dedication, as many as two hundred members of the Survivors’ mind.

SAN JACINTO NEWS OCTOBER 2010 3 San Jacinto Museum of History Finding Aids to Manuscripts Shared on Board of Trustees 2010 TARO Robert B. Hixon, Chair hanks to a grant from the Fondren Hon. Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. Foundation, the Albert and Ethel Nancy T. Burch Herzstein Library has been able make Hon. Frank W. Calhoun T its manuscript collections better known. A Tom M. Davis, Jr. project to encode the finding aids, which Dr. J. Frank de la Teja describe the individual manuscript collections, James B. Earthman, III is placing information about each collection Dorothy Knox Howe Houghton on the Web site for Texas Archival Resources Susan Booth Keeton Online, known as TARO. Ann H. Kelsey “The Texas Archival Resources Online Mike Lamb represents the incredibly rich evidence of Douglas McLeod history that researchers can find in libraries, Chad Muir archives, and museums throughout the state. This 1845 land grant to John Morton signed by Anson Jones, a Urban O’Brien recent acquisition, was donated in the name of Kermit V. Lewis, a Scholars, students, genealogists, as well as the relative of Morton, who was a veteran of the . Risher Randall general history lover, will find TARO to be a gold considered an extended table of contents that James A. Reeder, Jr. mine of information that can help direct their describes the unique materials available only at the Arthur Seeligson pursuit of knowledge,” says Brenda Gunn, individual repositories. Hon. Mark White Associate Director for Research and Collections, At press time, two thirds of the Herzstein

CONTACT INFORMATION: the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, Library’s finding aids may be searched online at San Jacinto Museum University of Texas at Austin. Thirty-one archives http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/index.html; the of History Association in Texas currently share their collection remainder should be up by the end of October. One Monument Circle descriptions on TARO, including all of the major “We know that the project has already had an La Porte (Houston), TX 77571-9585

state and university libraries. The site can be impact in visibility of our collections,” says Lisa

Phone: 281/479-2421 Struthers, Library Director. “Three days after the Fax: 281/479-2428 Gifts to the Museum finding aid to the Champe Carter Papers appeared E-mail: [email protected] on TARO, we received an inquiry from an excited Web: www.sanjacinto-museum.org Edward H. Andrews Foundation researcher who had just learned about the The Elkins Foundation The San Jacinto Museum of History collection.” Association was chartered in 1938 to preserve and revisualize the early .

SAN JACINTO NEWS OCTOBER 2010 © 2010 San Jacinto Museum of History 4

San Jacinto Museum of History Association One Monument Circle La Porte, TX 77571-9585

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