Posted on 06/10/2005 11:40:36 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
County open to ideas to recognize its role in start of Texas Revolution
GONZALES - Gonzales County leaders are asking state and regional agencies to help polish a jewel in Texas' historical treasure trove - the county's role as the birthplace of Texas freedom.
With the help of state Rep. Edmund Kuempel, Gonzales County Historical Commission on Wednesday was host to more than two dozen representatives of state and regional agencies for a bus tour of historic sites that commemorate the first shot fired in the Texas Revolution.
The meeting was designed to let each person see Gonzales' potential as a state tourism destination through the eyes of their respective agency, said Bob Burchard, who chairs the local historical group.
Burchard welcomed and introduced the group, which included local leaders and representatives from Gov. Rick Perry's office, the Alamo Committee, Texas Historical Commission, Texas General Land Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas A&M University, Texas Commission on the Arts, Texas Independence Trail, Texas Department of Agriculture and regional utility providers Guadalupe Blanco River Authority, Lower Colorado River Authority and Guadalupe Valley Electric Coop.
"We are obligated to each other to tell this story. This is our story. We have a duty to tell it, and the consequences of that first shot. This is why we are free Texans," Burchard said. He is hopeful that the agencies involved can help Gonzales realize its potential as a destination for people who want to learn about Texas history.
The tour included two monuments that are off the beaten path. The first is located six miles southwest of Gonzales on state Highway 97 and was funded during the state's centennial in 1936. The large monument includes a bas relief by Waldine Tauch, a foster daughter of sculptor Pompeo Coppini, who created the Minuteman monument in Gonzales' Heroes Square. One of the figures in the relief depicts George Washington Davis, one of "The Old Eighteen" who defied Mexican troops when they arrived in Gonzales to retrieve a cannon provided to colonists as protection against Indians. The likeness was provided to the artist by Davis' granddaughter, Lucinda Davis Robinson.
The second monument was erected by Gonzales school children in 1903 at a site on the Guadalupe River identified by the son of one of "The Old Eighteen" as the location of the Battle of Gonzales, where the colonists fired the cannon on Oct. 2, 1835, and set in motion the Texas Revolution. The stone marker is on a raised platform at the center of a driveway to Gonzales County's only public boat ramp that provides access to the Guadalupe River. Guadalupe Blanco River Authority maintains the ramp on Spur 95, about 11/2 miles north of Highway 97.
Commission members Paul and Vicki Frenzel related the history of the events that led up to the first shot being fired. Vicki, in her persona as Margaret Darst, a character in "Gonzales: The Beginning," expressed her disappointment with the condition of a monument to her spouse, Jacob Darst, and "The Old Eighteen" who later fought and died at the Alamo in defense of Texas' independence.
Both monuments are overgrown and signage to them belies their importance in Texas history. Local leaders hope Wednesday's meeting will remedy some of those ills.
"I am euphoric because the response of every single participant has been enthusiastic," Burchard said after a luncheon at the Stardust Room, a Southern bistro and music hall in downtown Gonzales. "They see the project through the eyes of their particular agency. It's exciting to listen to these people bombard me with their very creative ideas for the first shot site."
Kuempel asked each participant to put together an action report and forward it to his office in 45-60 days. He and his staff will compile them into a larger report to be sent to everyone.
"We have been working on this as long as a year ago," Kuempel said. "Bob Burchard said we need state agencies to help us see what we can do to bring this to fruition. Everybody thinks about the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto but not the first shot where it all began."
Representatives from Texas Department of Transportation, Parks and Wildlife and the state Historical Commission and others, all said their agencies have programs that can assist Gonzales with its goal.
Brent Leisure, regional director for Parks and Wildlife, noted that 35 of the state's 120 parks are historic sites and said those are developed through partnerships with multiple state agencies.
"If they could save that cannon from being taken, they can get something done here," said Fran Irwin with Lower Colorado River Authority's economic and community development office. She and Rick Bluntzer, deputy general manager for the LCRA, view Gonzales's vision as "an incredible opportunity for the whole area" because it ties in with the Alamo, Goliad, Victoria and surrounding areas.
Terry Colley, deputy executive director of Texas Historical Commission, said archeological and document surveys will be needed to help interpret the historical sites in Gonzales. What makes Gonzales exciting is both its historic and recreational sites that will allow it to attract interest from multiple tourism markets, he said.
"It's a story that needs to be told. It's a story that's not being told enough right now - the start of the Texas Revolution."
Robin M. Foster is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-275-6319 or cueroadv@vicad.com.
From left, Rick Bluntzer of LCRA, state Rep. Edmund Kuempel and Gonzales County Judge David Bird discuss one of two monument sites commemorating the first shot fired in the Texas Revolution at Gonzales on Oct. 2, 1935. The monument, which was funded during Texas' centennial in 1936, is located on state Highway 97 about 1 1/2 miles south from the actual site of the Battle of Gonzales.
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They've got a lot of work to do before Gonzales will be a tourist destination.
While I like it a lot Goliad is in the same boat. Last time I was there the monument was in sad shape, hope I was just there at the wrong time.
I was recently in both Gonzales and Goliad, and enjoyed both of them. Everything looked clean and well-kept to me.
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