APRIL 2010 April Brings Commemoration, Celebration of 1836 Battle Plans Underway for Ceremony and Festival remember the independence. The speaker will Three days later the guns will battle that be noted Texas historian and again sound at the San Jacinto occurred there author James L. Haley. A Day Festival and Battle on April 21, piquant note will be the presence Reenactment. The festival will 1836. The of Guerry Hohn, who as a Boy run from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., first event is Scout in 1939 laid the first and feature family-friendly Texas the ceremony wreath at the opening of the San fun. Visitors can tour the camps that will take Jacinto Monument. Sam set up by the reenactors from Reenactors set off cannon at the 2008 San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment. Photos by Sandra Yates. place 174 years Houston IV will read selections both the Mexican and Texan wo events at the San to the day from that significant from his illustrious namesake’s sides of the battle, and learn Jacinto State Historic date. At 11:00 a.m., history report of the battle. The Texas about the daily life of a soldier in T Site provide the public lovers will gather to honor those Army will fire a salute to those the nineteenth century. Craft with an opportunity to who fought for Texas’ who fought in the battle. demonstrators See FESTIVAL, page 2 Ship Model, Painting Popular in New Exhibit hen our new previous issue of the San special exhibit, Jacinto News, this seven-foot plus W Reflections of an model is incredibly detailed and Exhibit: Cecil Thomson Revealed, many of our guests find opened on March 12th, visitors themselves spending several to the gallery were impressed by minutes at the case examining the wide array of photographs the minutia of the artifact. The that document the history of our countless hours of work that the region along with many of the builder, Bob Ivy, put into the photos of Cecil Thomson’s ship are evident in every aspect family life. However, what many of the model and we are proud of the guests were amazed by to be able to share it alongside were several of the artifacts on Thomson’s period photos of the display in the show. vessel cruising up the Ship Model-maker Bob Ivy with his masterly creation. Photo courtesy Bob Ivy. The first—a new acquisition Channel. by the museum—is a scale Other artifacts that have posters, the series of films taken after the 1900 hurricane, and the model of the cruiser USS caused comment are the OWI by Thomas Edison’s assistant of Andrew Jackson Houston Houston. Mentioned in the (Office of War Information) a devastated Galveston shortly oversize history painting, March See REFLECTIONS, page 2 FESTIVAL, continued from page 1 The highlight of the day will be the reenactment of the battle, which will begin Festival Sponsors H-E-B at 3:00. The reenactors, with clothing and Pasadena Strawberry Festival accoutrements like those that would have Dow Chemical Company been worn in 1836, will present the Runaway LyondellBasell Deer Park ISD Scrape, the cavalry skirmish of April 20, the San Jacinto Voluteers battle itself, and the surrender of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Mexican soldiers, including Antonio Lopéz San Jacinto Museum of History de Santa Anna. volunteers and free snow cones.” We hope “We couldn’t run this festival without the that you are able to come and enjoy this support of our sponsors, said Larry Spasic, celebration of Texas’ heritage. Museum president. including the Upstairs Studio and the “H-E-B has been Baytown Area Quilt Guild will demonstrate Presenting Sponsor spinning, weaving, and quilting as done in for several years, the 19th century. and the Pasadena As well as these educational experiences, Strawberry Festival visitors can enjoy the performances by supports the entertainers like the Celtairs, K.R. Wood, festival not only Texas Independence Square Dancers, and financially, but by the North Harris County Dulcimer Society. providing Festival-style food can be purchased. Linda Hale, Bert Muston (left), Vernon Johnson, and Monty Monteith (right), officers of the San Jacinto Day Foundation, present a check to Museum president Larry Spasic (center). Sponsors of the San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment, the foundation is best know for its Pasadena Strawberry Festival, which will run from May 14-16 at the Pasadena Fairgrounds. Photo by Sellmark. Gifts to the Museum The Brown Foundation Albert and Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation REFLECTIONS, continued from page 1 to the Massacre. That painting in particular, depicting some A reenactor explains his weapon to an interested young audience. of the 342 Texians who were executed by Mexican soldiers as they marched toward Museum Offers Scholarships the upper ford of the San Antonio River on or the third year, the San Jacinto Doug Owsley, Dr. Andrew J. Torget, James the Bexar road, is rarely on view at the Museum of History is offering W. Paulsen, and Lael Morgan. The museum due to its size (nearly eight feet F scholarships to ten teachers to symposium, in its tenth year, will again be long.) This haunting image illustrating the attend the San Jacinto Symposium. The held at the Hilton Hotel and Conference moments before the massacre at Goliad that scholarships are intended to help 4th and Center, University of Houston, on April 17 would come to rally the Texas troops 7th grade history teachers learn more about from 9 a.m.—5 p.m. Information about the behind the mantra of “Remember the the events surrounding the Battle of San topics that will be presented, ticket costs, Alamo, Remember Goliad!” is paired with Jacinto and help them teach about this and registration information, is available images of the painting taken by Thomson in significant period in Texas History. from the San Jacinto Battleground what we believe is the artist’s studio. The 2010 theme of the Symposium is Association at www.friendsofsanjacinto.org. These special artifacts, along with many “Skulls, Slaves and Sex: Secrets of Early Scholarship applications are at others, will make your visit to see the new Texas.” Speakers include Dr Ron Tyler, Dr. www.sanjacinto-museum.org. exhibit one to remember. SAN JACINTO NEWS APRIL 2010 2 Honoring San Jacinto Veterans ho were W the men who fought at San Jacinto? The composite photo made by P. H. Rose in 1879 is labeled “Veterans of San Jacinto 1836-1879” but not all of the men shown fought at San Jacinto. This does not mean that the men did not play a significant role in the Texas Revolution: Robert Orson William McManus came to Texas with his sister Jane McManus Cazneau in 1832. He joined Capt. William Logan’s White Johnson led a company during the Anahuac Disturbances, and in 1836 with James company on March 6, 1836, and was Grant led a failed expedition of 50 men into Mexico that was captured by Mexican General selected as a scout by Erastus “Deaf” Smith. José de Urrea in San Patricio. Johnson later became the first president of the Texas He did not have time to return to his Veterans Association and wrote a history of Texas. Lewis C. Clemons was in the Texas company before the battle occurred. Francis Army during the Texas Revolution; Waller and DeLesdernier were soldiers in the Texas Republic. The composite photograph made by a well-known photographer should more Today’s Heroes of properly be labeled Texas Veterans Association. San Jacinto: In the coming issues, we will take a closer look at some of the men who fought at San New and Renewing Jacinto. Members Annual San Jacinto Dinner Sold Out Monument Society Mr. and Mrs. Thomas D. Barrow n what is a first-time occurrence, all of the seats for the April 14 San Jacinto Dinner Hon. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. have been sold out, over a month before the event is to occur. Thanks to the efforts Museum Circle of co-Chairs Laurie and Reed Morian and the Dinner Committee, the evening at the Mr. and Mrs. James A. Gilbert I Mr. and Mrs. Eliot P. Tucker Houston Country Club will be one of the most successful fundraising efforts held by the Independence Society San Jacinto Museum of History. Mr. and Mrs. Tim Lomax The evening, honoring Jan and Tom Barrow for their support of Texas history, Family Freedom Society promises to be wonderful. The guest speaker will be Light T. Cummins, who holds the Mr. and Mrs. John C. Dawson, Jr. Guy M. Bryan, Jr. Chair of American History at Austin College. In 2009, he was appointed Mr. Daniel W. Harris the official State Historian of Texas, a two-year appointment. Dr. Cummins’ most recent Mrs. Rosemary McBride Mr. and Mrs. Townes G. Pressler book is a biography of Emily Austin Bryan Perry, the sister of Stephen F. Austin, mother Mr. Rick Surles of a San Jacinto Veteran, and grandmother of the man for whom his chair is named. SAN JACINTO NEWS APRIL 2010 3 San Jacinto Museum of History New Acquisition ur most recent acquisition is the Board of Trustees 2010 truly spectacular gown worn by Robert B. Hixon, Chair Alice Trueheart Johnson at the Hon. Kenneth E. Bentsen, Jr. O 2009 Centennial celebration of Fiesta (1909- Nancy T. Burch 2009.) Ms. Johnson represented the Duchess Hon. Frank W. Calhoun of Victory at San Jacinto at the Battle of Tom M. Davis, Jr. Flowers parade and Fiesta celebrations that Dr. J.