Remembering the Alamo: A Lasting Letter in Walker County
“I am besieged…” Nearly 190 years after William Barret Travis penned those words from the Alamo, his urgent appeal has a permanent place at the Walker County Courthouse. On October 17, community members gathered in Huntsville to dedicate a marker displaying one of the most famous letters in Texas history.
Written on February 24, 1836, Travis’s letter called for reinforcements as Mexican forces surrounded the Alamo. His declaration, “I shall never surrender or retreat,” and closing pledge, “Victory or Death,” still echo in political campaigns and history books. Today, the Alamo Letter Society seeks to place the 203-pound bronze plaque at all 254 Texas county courthouses, bringing this chapter of Texas history into communities across the state. Working with a local committee chaired by Ken Tarpey, the organization was able to place this marker in Walker County, the 59th such “letter” installed.
The Walker County ceremony began at 10:00 a.m., with Mac Woodward serving as a lead logistician. Texas State Representative Trey Wharton and Walker County Judge Colt Christian spoke, as did a descendant of Davy Crockett, providing a family connection to the history being commemorated. The Sons and Daughters of the Texas Revolution also helped organize the event.
LEAP students played a small role in the event. Students Jacob Wessels, Brianne Barclay, and Ryan Snow, along with former LEAP Ambassador Victoria Cardenas, assisted. Arriving at 9am, they handed out programs to the attendees, help put out flags, and otherwise made themselves useful. More important, they had the chance to participate in the occasion, learn more about their elected officials, and see a small slice of history.
Following the ceremony’s conclusion at 11:00 a.m., attendees continued the gathering with a reception and lunch at the Gibbs-Powell House—an appropriate setting for a morning devoted to preserving the past.
Many thanks to Mac Woodward for including LEAP students in this event.
