Heritage, Volume 3, Number 4, Spring 1986 Page: 5
34 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Handmade Replicas
FLAG OF THE TEXAS NAVY
THE GONZALES FLAG
The flags were clearly important to the Texans,
since they designed and made them in
spite of the lack of supplies and time, and in
the face of many crucial situations. It is interesting
too that most of the flags were painted
rather than sewn, created when quick political
or military action was needed. Like many
flags of the period, most Texas ones were inscribed
only on one side. The supply shortages
created some interesting improvizations. One
flag was made from the wedding dress of Green
DeWitt's daughter. Another is rumored to
have included part of a Harrisburg lady's red
petticoat. Some were painted on the plain
white store-bought cotton fabric that was occasionally
available on the frontier.
In most instances, there are no remains of the
original flags after the Texan's stunning victory
at San Jacinto. Evidently the Gonzales flag
was destroyed on the way to capture the Alamo
in the autumn of 1835. Like the cannon
which it depicted, it became cumbersome on
the march and was left behind. No record can
be found of an Alamo flag having survived
those years, even though the design was popular
throughout Texas and it seems that several
were made by various individuals. Like the
ships themselves, none of the Texas Navy flags
were saved.
The original San Jacinto flag was saved from
careless destruction by the wife of Sidney
Sherman, one of the heroes of the battle, and
she took it from frontier Texas to the comparative
civilization of Frankfort, Kentucky.
After the turn of the century the heirs of
Colonel and Mrs. Sherman donated the flag
to the State of Texas, and it now hangs behind
the Speaker's Chair in the State Capitol in
Austin.
Historic structures also suffered during that period.
Since virtually all of the American settlers
in Texas had arrived during the 10 years
before the war, there had been very little time
for permanent construction. That may have
HERITAGE * SPRING 86proved fortunate; as the Texans retreated from
the Mexican army after the fall of the Alamo,
they burned anything that might have been of
use to the Mexicans, including the entire
towns of Gonzales and San Felipe. The Mexicans
destroyed with equal abandon, burning
the town of New Washington to the ground.
As a result the Alamo and the Presido La
Bahia are the only landmarks that played a
role in that history which still exist today. Because
of this fact, the flags serve as even a
more special reminder of our state's unique
history.
As the flags were the focal-points for emotion
150 years ago, the series of limited edition replicas
has become the focal-point for historic
interest and education today. The recreation
of these historic flags was approved as an official
educational project of the Texas Sesquicentennial
Commission, and sets are on permanent
public display at the State Capitol,
the San Jacinto Monument, the State Archives
and in the Alamo. Flags have been presented
by individuals and groups to Senator
John Tower, Congressman Jim Wright, Mayor
Henry Cisneros and Texas House Speaker Gib
Lewis. The flags have been acquired by a wide
range of historical groups and museums, such
as the Sons of the Republic of Texas in Beaumont
and the Presidio La Bahia Foundation.
Private collectors too run the entire range of
the state, from Ross Perot, Chief Justice John
Hill and Governor William P. Clements to individuals
and businesses in Lufkin, Mercedes,
Round Rock and Clarendon. Texas institutions
like Neiman-Marcus, the Y.O. Ranch
and the King Ranch also proudly display sets.
But the owners of these authentic replicas are
not just displaying their Lone Star pride. They
are using the flags to share the heritage of
Texas and to create a renewed interest in
Texas history.In addition to the display of the flags in important
museums and private collections throughout
the state, a matching challenge project
has been started to make the flags available to
the more than 5,800 schools in Texas. With
the invaluable help of the Texas Education
Agency and its 20 Regional Service Centers,
special exhibits of the flags are being made to
be rotated through each of the schools in
Texas. A school can use the display for approximately
two weeks every year, and each of
the T.E.A.'s Regional Service Centers has
taken the responsibility to move the flags from
school to school and to arrange the schedules.
Ross Perot of Dallas contributed $100,000 to
start the project and provide the displays for
12 of the 20 Regional Service Centers, while
challenging other individuals and businesses
in Texas, or with interest in Texas, to follow
suit. As Texas Commissioner of Education Bill
Kirby points out: "The exciting part of this is
that these sets of historic flags will be used for
decades, long after the sesquicentennial is
over. Texas history is a required subject in the
7th grade, and emphasized in several others."
In December the State Board of Education
passed an official resolution commending Mr.
Perot for his contribution and "encouraging
other private citizens, foundations and corporations
to follow Mr. Perot's example in taking
a direct financial interest in school districts in
their area by such actions as participation in
'adopt a school' programs, the purchase of historic
flags and other actions that contribute to
the improvement of educational quality." The
first sets donated to the schools were delivered
this January.
Clearly these are lasting tributes to the men
and women who built Texas. We hope they
will be enjoyed by generations of Texans."
Terry Nicholson was formerly an archivist with
the State Library and Archives and is currently
with The Gallery of the Republic in Austin.
5
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, Volume 3, Number 4, Spring 1986, periodical, March 1, 1986; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45441/m1/5/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.