Released by The Texas General Land Office:
AUSTIN - William Barret Travis' famous "Victory or Death" letter will
make its return to the Alamo at 4 p.m. Friday, February 22 for a grand
celebration at Alamo Plaza. This will be
the first time it has been at the Alamo since it left with a courier on horseback
under the cover of darkness during the famous 13-day siege in 1836.
"To the People of Texas and All
Americans in the world – come and see the letter," Texas Land Commissioner
Jerry Patterson said, paraphrasing the opening lines of the Travis letter.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be inspired by this patriotic letter at
the Shrine of Texas Liberty itself."
The letter will be escorted to
the Alamo by officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety and San Antonio
Police Department. An honor guard will carry the letter inside as Travis' fifth
great-nephew, Denton County Sheriff William B. Travis, reads the stirring
letter. Inside the Shrine, the letter will be carefully placed inside a custom-built,
shatter-proof glass display case made by the world-renowned German company
Casewerks at a cost of $20,000. This special case will allow visitors to see
both sides of the fragile letter at a safe distance. Armed peace officers will
flank the case for the duration of the exhibit.
As a prelude to the viewing of
the letter, visitors will tour an exhibit detailing Travis' life and the Texas
Revolution, through fragile historic documents and artifacts from the vaults of
the Texas General Land Office and the Alamo. The arrival ceremony will include
music and historical re-enactors and all are invited to join in the moment.
Public display of the letter will
be from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, through Thursday, March 7. As
always, the Shrine of Texas Liberty is open to visitors free of charge. Free full-size
reproductions of the Travis letter will also be available to visitors inside
the Shrine. Visitors are asked to be silent and respectful when viewing the
document and no flash photography will be allowed to protect the
light-sensitive paper. Commemorative items will also be available in the newly
renovated gift shop, including an official exhibition guide, T-shirts, mugs and
more. Sales from the Alamo Gift Shop fund the operation of the 300-year-old
mission.
— more —
The event is being coordinated by
the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, the Texas General Land Office
and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. More than $100,000 in private donations
from the San Antonio-based McCombs Family Foundation, Fort Worth's
Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and Galveston's Moody Foundation will help
cover the costs of this extraordinary exhibit. H-E-B and the Kempner Family
also contributed to the effort. Texans wishing to be a part of this
moment may make an online donation through the San Antonio Area Foundation
here: https://www.saafdn.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=202.
"Dedication. Courage. Defiance.
The very essence of Texas is captured in this letter," Patterson said. "See
this letter and be inspired about what it means to be a Texan and the cost of
liberty."
For more information on the
Alamo, please visit the Texas General Land Office website at www.glo.texas.gov or the Official Alamo
website at www.thealamo.org. Stay posted
with regular updates by clicking like on the Travis Letter Returns page on
Facebook.
WHO: People of Texas
and all Americans in the world
WHAT: Historic return of
Travis' "Victory or Death" letter to the Alamo
WHEN: 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Public display is from 9 a.m. to 5:30
p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23 to Thursday, March 7. Admission is free.
WHERE: 300 Alamo Plaza, San
Antonio, Texas 78205
WHY: To reignite the American spirit of courage and defiance
to tyranny.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and KLTV, a Raycom Media Station.
