| |
Texas
| Texas Centennial
Texas Centennial CelebrationThe
San Jacinto Centennial Association
and the Houston Observances
during
the Texas Centennial of 1936By
Mark W. Lambert* |
The Idea and Early
Planning of the Texas Centennial The
Texas Centennial of 1936 was undoubtedly one
of the most important events in Texas during the 20th century. Celebrated with
the duel themes of patriotism and commercialism, it was a welcome emotional relief
to Texans during the Great Depression of the 1930s1 and
was billed as the “biggest birthday party any State had ever staged.”2
In the process many Texans rediscovered their own unique history, and Texas for
the first time was heavily advertised to the rest of the United States.3
The
original idea for celebrating the centennial of Texas independence from Mexico
was originated by former Texas Governor James
Stephen Hogg in a speech he made in around 1900.4 The
actual planning for the centennial started in 1923, and in 1934, three Texas cities
competed to host the central exposition: Dallas,
Houston, and San
Antonio.5 Dallas
was chosen as the host city on September 9, 1934, in spite of the fact that it
possessed the least amount of significant historical events. However, the City
of Dallas had offered the largest cash
commitment for hosting the central exposition, and the city already contained
the existing State Fair of Texas facility, which could be expanded for the centennial
events.6 Also of great importance to Dallas’
success was the unified front presented by its business community in its host
city bid.7 Dallas
had no large industry of its own, but was a regional distribution center, and
the business community had over time developed a habit of working together, and
“boosterism became a way of economic life in Dallas.”8
San
Antonio, with the most to offer historically, had been the least aggressive
in the contest, put off partially by the fact that the Texas Legislature had resolved
that the central exposition site bid award would be based on money and not historical
importance,9 and perhaps because the city’s smaller business
community could not possibly tap into the sizable amounts of money that Dallas
or Houston could.10
Houston, then the largest city in Texas,11
and a railroad and oil and gas center,12 was handicapped
by poor leadership from its centennial committee, chaired by local attorney Clarence
R. Wharton.13 Perhaps Houston
was also partially handicapped by its own competitive “go-it-alone” business environment,
best personified by its oil wildcatters, who had been important to the local region’s
economy since the discovery of oil on the Texas
Gulf Coast starting with Spindletop
in 1901.14 Houston’s
bid for the central exposition had wound up being “half-hearted” and “unorganized,”
and as Clarence Wharton himself had stated, because of its poor bid, Houston’s
leadership in the state hung in the balance.15 |
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Houston’s
loss in acquiring the central exposition site would not mean it would be left
out of the centennial observances, however, as the state bill passed on May 7,
1935 allotted $1,075,000 to fund celebrations outside of Dallas County (Dallas),
including $250,000 in state money to erect a
memorial at the San Jacinto Battlefield in the Houston
area.16 This money would fund throughout the state such
things as exposition buildings, memorial museums,
community centers, restorations, park improvements, statues, monuments, historical
markers, grave markers, and highway markers, and none of the money could be
used for pageantry (historical plays or parades). Federal legislation soon followed
as well, on June 28, 1935, providing $3 million in federal money to assist Texas
in the celebration of its centennial, including an additional $400,000 for the
San
Jacinto Monument.17 All of this legislation was significant,
especially in the middle of an economic depression, since it meant that Texas
would sponsor the first World’s Fair staged in the American Southwest.18
Almost exactly one year after losing the centennial’s central exposition to Dallas,
Houston business leaders would at least
partially recover from their defeat, and in September of 1935 form the San Jacinto
Centennial Association.
The San Jacinto Centennial Association
and its Leaders
The San Jacinto Centennial Association was
chartered in Harris County, Texas, on September 11th, 1935, for: "The extension
of aid and assistance, financial and otherwise, in an appropriate observance and
celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the liberation of the area which
constituted for a time the Republic of Texas, and which now constitutes the State
of Texas, from the government of Mexico, and the encouragement and assistance
in the erection and construction of appropriate monuments, buildings or other
edifices in Harris County and the surrounding country which may be erected or
constructed in commemoration of Texas
heroes of Texas history, however
financed, and the encouragement and assistance in the collecting and preservation
of relics, documents and momentoes (sic) of historical interest or importance,
and the assistance of civic projects for the education of the citizenship in true
patriotic and civic duty and responsibility."19
The
Association was created to be the chief sponsor and coordinator of Houston's
participation in the celebrations of the Texas
Centennial of 1936.20 Members of the board of directors
included civic leaders, important members of the Houston
business and legal community, as well as descendents of early Texans. The Association's
office was opened in leased office space on the 8th floor of the Chamber of Commerce
building at 501 Washington Street in downtown Houston
on September 30, 1935.21 The by-laws of the organization
stated that "any white person of good character and repute is eligible to active
membership in this Association," upon payment of dues of one dollar per year.22
The Association had a budget of $97,500.23
President of the Association
was John C. Townes, Jr. Townes was a prominent attorney with the Houston
law firm of Vinson, Elkins, Sweeton & Weems as well as a member of the Advisory
Board to the Texas Centennial Commission.24 Members of the
Executive Committee were: George D. Wilson, as chairman; Mrs. I. B. (Mae Wynne)
McFarland, as secretary; Chester H. Bryan; Norman H. Beard; Robert B. Morris;
Jeff Barnette; and William S. Patton.25
Wilson was
an executive with Houston Oil Company; Mrs. McFarland was a local preservationist;26
Bryan was a former county judge;27 and Norman H. Beard was
the public relations director for the Houston Chamber of Commerce.28
Robert B. Morris was a former Collector of Customs for the district and an oilman
and president of an investment company;29 Jeff Barnette
was the manager of the Houston Chamber of Commerce magazine, entitled Houston;30
and William S. Patton was vice-president of the South Texas Commercial National
Bank.31 H. Dick Golding, president of Trade Associations
Inc.,32 was hired as the Executive Secretary of the Association
and William S. Patton served as Treasurer. Jesse H. Jones, an important Houston
businessman serving at the time as Chairman of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., was named Honorary President.33
The Association formed seven committees to accomplish its work: the Publicity
Committee, with Jeff Barnette as Chair; the Historical Committee was chaired by
Clarence R. Wharton; the Music Committee by Joseph S. Smith; the Beautification
Committee with Clarence L. Brock as its Chairman; the Schools Participation Committee,
chaired by J. S. Griffith; the Acquisition of Relics and Documents Committee,
with George D. Sears as Chair; and Hiram O. Clarke, Jr. chaired the San Jacinto
Memorial Project Committee.34
Clarence R. Wharton,
who had chaired the earlier losing Houston Centennial Committee, was a prominent
Houston attorney with Baker, Botts,
Andrews and Wharton, and an amateur historian;35 Joseph
S. Smith was district manager for Aetna Life Insurance Company and President of
the Houston Symphony;36 and Clarence L. Brock was superintendent
of the City of Houston park system.37
J. S. Griffith was the Postmaster for Houston;38 George
D. Sears was a prominent corporation lawyer and soldier in two world wars;39
and Hiram O. Clarke, Jr., was an executive vice-president and assistant general
manager with Houston Lighting & Power Co.40
The
Association’s Deeds
The Association was responsible for a number
of events and observances held in the Houston
area in 1936.41 Included among them were major events for
Texas Independence
Day, March 2nd;42 A week long celebration from April
13th to 21st to commemorate the centennial of the Battle
of San Jacinto;43 and four days of celebrations in August
commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the City of Houston.44
Since the Association anticipated thousands of people visiting the San
Jacinto Battlegrounds during the Centennial, and especially on San Jacinto
Day (April 21st), in January, 1936 the Association appeared at a called hearing
of the Texas Highway Commission and secured a state highway designation for Battleground
Road, the access road to the site of the Battle
of San Jacinto, 22 miles east of Houston.
At the meeting the Association also secured Highway Commission funding for widening,
resurfacing and improvements to several roads leading to the San Jacinto Battlefield,
including the widening of La Porte Road (now State Highway 225), and the extension
of Battleground Road from La Porte Road to Spencer Highway to provide an additional
route to the battleground.45
March
Events
On the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Texas
Declaration of Independence on Monday, March 2nd, 1936,46
a series of public events were held in Houston
from nine a.m. to nearly midnight in which the San Jacinto Centennial Association
helped coordinate. R. B. Morris of the association was the general chairman of
the day’s events, while John C. Townes was also very busy, giving seven speeches
that day.47
At nine a.m., the festivities started
at Miller Memorial Theatre in Hermann Park, with a flag raising of both Texas
and American flags, and a twenty-one cannon salute performed by soldiers from
the Coastal Artillery Unit at Fort Crockett on Galveston Island.48
Martial music was then played by the 69th Regiment Band from Fort Crockett, and
speeches were given by Townes and Col. J. A. Rossiter, acting chairman of the
committee on arrangements for the event. The event lasted thirty minutes.49
Next was a 9:30 a.m. patriotic program at the Sam Houston Monument at the north
end of Hermann Park. Following patriotic music played by the same regimental band,
there were remarks both by Mrs. E. T. Harris, chairman of the presentation committee,
and John C. Townes. Then a star-shaped wreath was laid at the base of the monument
by Miss Madge H. Thornall, a great-great granddaughter of General Houston. This
program also lasted thirty minutes.50 |
 |
Sam
Houston Monument at entrance to Hermann Park
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/
|
Rice
Hotel
Postcard courtesy www.rootsweb.com/%7Etxpstcrd/ |
At noon a patriotic
luncheon was given at the Rice Hotel in downtown Houston,
the site of a Republic of Texas capital, by the Sons and Daughters of the Republic
of Texas. Judge Charles E. Ashe, president of the Sons of the Republic of Texas,
presided. The patriotic speech was given by local attorney R. W. Franklin. Then
the Texas Declaration of Independence was read to the assembled guests.51
At three p.m., the City Federation of Women’s Clubs held patriotic exercises at
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, located
just north of Hermann Park. George D. Wilson of the association gave the address.
Mrs. K. C. Barkley, wife of the district attorney, was in charge of the musical
program. The ceremony adjourned at 3:45 p.m., and those in attendance then marched
as a body to another celebration nearby in Hermann Park.52
The crowd assembled in Hermann Park for the dedication of the Pioneer Log Cabin,
under the auspices of the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic
of Texas.53 The cabin was dedicated to the memory of the
pioneer men and women of Texas, and throughout the centennial year was used as
a hospitality house when visiting delegates and school children visited Houston
for centennial celebrations. Bishop A. Frank Smith of the Methodist Church gave
the invocation, and John C. Townes then introduced the presiding host, Mrs. Earl
R. Ramsey, president of the San Jacinto Chapter. A musical program was then given,
and then local attorney Daffan Gilmer gave the main address.54
Finally, the University of Texas Ex-Students Association gave a
patriotic banquet at seven p.m. at the Rice Hotel. C. A. Pickett, president of
the local Texas Exes, presided, and John C. Townes gave introductory remarks.
This celebration was broadcast by NBC radio and included speeches by Texas Governor
James V. Allred,55 Tennessee Governor Hill McAlister,56
and Wisconsin Governor Phillip LaFollette.57 All three governors
had already given speeches at other Texas celebrations that day. Governors Allred
and LaFollette both had spoken earlier at Washington-on-the-Brazos,
where the Texas 58 Declaration of Independence had been
drafted. They then later met up with Governor McAlister and two former Texas governors,
William P. Hobby and Pat M. Neff, at Sam
Houston’s restored Steamboat
House in Huntsville during
its dedication ceremony.59
On Friday, March 27th,
from 1:00 to 1:30 p.m., a groundbreaking ceremony for the San
Jacinto Memorial Monument was held at the San Jacinto Battlefield.60
The San Jacinto Centennial Association had assisted with the fundraising for the
monument,
and members were present for the ceremony that was broadcast nationwide over local
NBC radio affiliate KPRC, and included Jesse H. Jones and Sam
Houston’s son Andrew Jackson Houston breaking ground for the monument
with a one-hundred year old plow. A model of the proposed monument was also displayed
at the ceremony.61
April
Events
In April a weeklong series of events were held in Houston
to commemorate the Battle
of San Jacinto, which happened in the nearby eastern suburb of La
Porte. The Battle
was the crucial event in the founding of Texas one
hundred years earlier, and thus itself an important part of the state’s centennial
celebration.
On Wednesday, April 15th, at 10:30 a.m., a temporary Museum
of Houston and Texas History was opened in the west wing of the central library
building62 of the Houston Public Library.63
The Association was responsible for its creation, and the free museum was operated
from April to November 1936.64 Artifacts donated for the
museum were later deeded by the San Jacinto Centennial Association to the newly
created San Jacinto Museum of History Association,65 which
was formed in 1938 to create and operate a museum in the San
Jacinto Memorial Monument,66 completed in 1939.
At 6:30 p.m. on April 15th at the Rice Hotel, a patriotic banquet was held by
the Association that constituted the first general reunion ever of all the descendents
of Houston pioneers and Texas revolutionary heroes. The banquet included a musical
program and a patriotic address by Frank Andrews,67 a local
attorney and founder of the Houston law firm of Andrews & Kurth.68
At eight p.m. the same day, the Association provided for a free concert of patriotic
songs given by the Houston Symphony Orchestra, which were performed at Miller
Memorial Theatre in Hermann Park.69
On Thursday,
April 16th, at a 3:45 p.m. matinee and again at 8:00 p.m., a free historical pageant
was performed by Sam Houston State Teachers College at the Houston City Auditorium.70
On Friday, April 17th there were two events, at 12:15 p.m. a ”Union of
States” luncheon held at the Rice Hotel, which honored Houstonians who came from
other states, and at eight p.m. a free fireworks display was held at the San
Jacinto Battlegrounds at which the estimated attendance was 50,000 people.71
On Saturday, April 18th, at eleven a.m., a giant patriotic parade
was held in downtown Houston that was
organized by the American Legion. Participating were military and naval units
from the area, as well as patriotic and civic organizations from around Houston.
It was described at the time as the largest peacetime historical parade in Houston
history. Held at eight p.m. that same day was a free grand concert at Miller Memorial
Theatre in Hermann Park.72
For Sunday, April 19th,
the Association requested that all Houston
area churches give patriotic sermons based on Texas history. At 2:30 p.m. that
day and leaving from the Rice Hotel, the Association sponsored pilgrimages to
places of historical interest in the Houston
area. At 3:30 p.m. and again at eight p.m., Houston grammar and high school students
participated in a “Queen of the Missions” pageant at Miller Memorial Theatre in
Hermann Park. Attendance at the pageant was estimated at 3,000.73
On Monday, April 20th, at 12:15 p.m., the Association held a luncheon
at the Rice Hotel in honor of all the visiting dignitaries in town for the main
program planned for the San
Jacinto Battleground the next day. Also held on Monday evening from seven
to eleven p.m. was a free Houston Folk Festival, held on Main Street between Rusk
and Prairie Streets. This was in front of the Rice Hotel, a former site of one
of the capitals of the Republic of Texas. Attendance at the festival was estimated
at 25,000. At eight p.m. a public reception sponsored by the Catholic Church was
held at the City Auditorium in honor of the many visiting dignitaries present
for the next day’s ceremony at the San
Jacinto Battleground.74
On San Jacinto Day,
Tuesday, April 21st, there were a series of observances held at the San Jacinto
Battlefield. At 10:30 a.m., there was a solemn military field mass given by the
Catholic Church, with approximately fifty Archbishops and Bishops from various
parts of the United States in attendance, as well as various national leaders
and government officials. The sermon was given by the Most Reverend John J. Cantwell,
D.D., Bishop of Los Angeles and San Diego.75
At two
p.m., the Sons and Daughters of the Republic of Texas held patriotic services
at the Battleground, which included music by the First Band of the Houston Public
Schools, including the playing of the San Jacinto battle hymn, “Will You Come
To The Bower," a reading of General Houston’s official report of the battle, and
a patriotic address by Texas Governor James V. Allred.76
At four p.m., there was a dedication of a Masonic memorial on the Battleground
by the Masons of Texas, and at five p.m. there were vesper services given by Dr.
Harry G. Knowles, Pastor of First Christian Church, and then a band concert given
by the Reagan High School Drum and Bugle Corps, the R.O.T.C. Unit of the Houston
Public Schools, and the First Band of Houston Public Schools.77
San Jacinto Day was concluded with a fireworks display that evening at the Battlegrounds.
Total estimated attendance at the day’s festivities was 75,000, which included
international newspaper and newsreel coverage and visitors from all over the nation.78
|
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| Members
of the San Jacinto Centennial Association standing next to the newly erected monument
honoring John Kirby Allen, co-founder of Houston with his brother, during the
dedication ceremony at the old city cemetery in Houston, renamed at this time
Founders Memorial Park, August 31, 1936. Photograph courtesy of the Briscoe Center
for American History, UT-Austin, Bailey (Bob) Studios Photographic Archive, e_bb_4372.
|
| Members
of the San Jacinto Centennial Association and others standing next to the newly
erected monument honoring John Kirby Allen, co-founder of Houston with his brother,
during the dedication ceremony at the old city cemetery in Houston, renamed at
this time Founders Memorial Park, August 31, 1936. Photograph courtesy of the
Briscoe Center for American History, UT-Austin, Bailey (Bob) Studios Photographic
Archive, e_bb_4363. |
On April 22nd,
the Association dedicated Founders Memorial Park, the new name given to the old
city cemetery located at 1217 W. Dallas Avenue in Houston.
The cemetery was renamed in honor of one of the co-founders of Houston,
John Kirby Allen,79 and the several Texas Revolution veterans
and early settlers of the Houston area
buried there.
As part of the statewide celebration of the Texas
Centennial, the Advisory Board of Texas Historians and the Commission of Control
for Texas Centennial Celebrations had appropriated several thousand dollars for
monuments to be erected on the graves of several of the individuals buried there.80
At that same time the cemetery had been found sadly neglected and over-run by
cattle, and therefore the Association agreed to refurbish it, have it renamed
and to also hold a ceremony to place a new memorial at its entrance. The Association
expended over $15,000 on the cemetery.81
August
Events
In August, four days of events were held to commemorate
the Centennial of the founding of the City of Houston.82
The celebration of Houston’s “Founder’s
Day,” as the birthday event on August 30th was called, was initially begun in
1931 by Norman H. Beard, public relations director of the Houston Chamber of Commerce
and later a member of the San Jacinto Centennial Association.83
On
Thursday evening, August 27th, the Association sponsored a fireworks display at
Hermann Park. The pyrotechnics, which lasted for almost an hour and was viewed
by an estimated 100,000 persons, was expected to be the most spectacular ever
given in Houston.84
On Friday, August 28th, the official dedication of the Museum of Houston
and Texas History was held in the Houston Public Library. Also held that day beginning
at 1:30 p.m. was a water carnival, billed as the “largest and most beautiful boat
parade of its kind ever attempted.”85 It was further described:
“One of the most spectacular of the Water Carnival attractions will be the acquatic
(sic) parade of lighted boats and illuminated floats moving down the Houston ship
channel along the bayshore. Beautifully costumed girls, riding the floats, will
dance to music from a ‘floating orchestra.’”86
Planned
to help promote the Port of Houston to the outside world, it consisted of more
than 50 yachts, cruisers and motorboats and included over one thousand civic leaders
and prominent businessmen from the Houston
area. George W. Strake, Houston oilman and philanthropist, served as the grand
marshal.87 The assembled ships left the turning basin of
the Houston Ship Channel88 on a twenty-six mile water parade
down Buffalo Bayou, ending at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park in La
Porte. At Sylvan Beach an evening entertainment program including a vaudeville
show, an orchestral dance and fireworks were presented.89 The fireworks display
was “designed to eclipse anything of its kind ever staged in the Southwest both
as to size and beauty.”90
On Saturday, August 29th,
at eight p.m. a big jubilee festival was held in downtown Houston
on Main Street between Texas and Prairie Avenues. The festival was designed to
“convert Main Street into a veritable Coney Island with entertainment galore and
street dancing to the accompaniment of several bands.”91
The area was roped off and the big party consisted of a beauty parade, a wrestling
match, a vaudeville show and a historical costume contest. Afterwards two orchestras
accompanied dancing in the streets. The beauty show, or “parade of pulchritude,”
consisted of “24 shapely bits of femininity,” competing for various prizes, including
two round-trip airline trips on Braniff Airlines92 to Dallas
and Fort Worth for the main Centennial
events.93 The winning beauty queen, given the title of Miss
Houston, and her attendant would later be the guests of honor of the Central Centennial
Exposition in Dallas on Houston Day,
September 5th, 1936.94
Sunday, August 30th, marked
Houston’s Founder’s Day. Events that
day included a luncheon at 1:30 p.m. on the roof of the Rice Hotel, at which the
principle speaker was U.S. Senator from Texas. The
luncheon was broadcast over the radio locally and to the Dallas Central Centennial
Exposition grounds. Houston’s birthday
cake with one hundred candles was cut for those in attendance. The luncheon had
been given annually for several years and was sponsored by the Houston Junior
Chamber of Commerce.95
Later that afternoon, a reception
was held at the Pioneer Log Cabin in Hermann Park to honor old-time residents
of the City of Houston, “the men and women who launched the city on its path to
commercial, industrial and civic fame.” |
 |
| The
Pioneer Memorial Monument in Houston's Hermann Park, erected by the San Jacinto
Centennial Association as part of the observances of the Texas
Centennial, September 24, 1936. Photograph courtesy of the Briscoe Center
for American History, UT-Austin, Bailey (Bob) Studios Photographic Archive, e_bb_4367. |
| Sam
Houston's only surviving son, Andrew
Jackson Houston, and Houston businessman and current chairman of the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation, Jesse H. Jones, and a crowd of attendees, admire the model
of the San Jacinto Monument unveiled at the monument's groundbreaking ceremony,
March 27, 1936. Photograph courtesy of the Briscoe Center for American History,
UT-Austin, Bailey (Bob) Studios Photographic Archive, e_bb_0774. |
At 5:30 p.m. that
same day, the Association held the dedication ceremony of the Pioneer Memorial
in Hermann Park. The memorial was the idea of Association member Norman H. Beard,
and was erected to honor the pioneer men and women of Houston.
The shaft, at 51 feet overall in height, was claimed by its builders as being
the tallest structure of its type in the south, and cost approximately $10,000
to erect. The ceremony included musical selections by an orchestra, and remarks
by Association members Clarence R. Wharton and John C. Townes. There was also
an invocation by J. H. H. Ellis, Chaplain of the Sons of the Republic of Texas,
and further remarks by local attorney R. W. Franklin and Houston Mayor Oscar Holcombe.
The monument was then unveiled by ten-year-old Mary Austin Beard. Beard was the
daughter of Founder’s Day originator Norman H. Beard and a descendant of Moses
Austin, father of Stephen F. Austin, the great colonizer of Texas.96
The climax of Founder’s Day was a patriotic band concert at Miller Memorial Theatre
in Hermann Park. It was termed ”one of the greatest musical programs ever held
in Houston.”97
The naval cruiser U.S.S. Houston was in its namesake port for the Founder’s Day
celebration, and its officers and crew also participated in the day’s events.98
|
 |
|
Members of the San Jacinto
Centennial Association and others at the dedication of the historical marker for
the site of New Kentucky, in the Houston
area near Tomball, undated
[circa 1936]. Photograph courtesy of the Briscoe Center for American History,
UT-Austin, Bailey (Bob) Studios Photographic Archive, e_bb_4377. |
Other
Accomplishments
The Beautification Committee of the Association
coordinated the planting of flowers throughout the city and county by working
with garden clubs, the city parks department, and the county. The Association
also had outdoor billboards erected throughout the southwestern United States
during the year to advertise Houston
and its Centennial events to the surrounding regions. During 1936 and 1937, the
Association also assisted in the research and held the dedication ceremonies for
a total of thirty-one historical markers placed in the Houston
area by the Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations.99
|
The
Association also coordinated the entertainment for the crews of several U.S. Naval
vessels that made ports-of-call in Houston
during 1936 as part of the statewide Centennial celebrations. These included the
destroyers U.S.S. Phelps and U.S.S. Schenk during April 18th-May 3rd, the submarine
U.S.S. Tarpon during May 7th-11th, and the destroyers U.S.S. Blakeley and U.S.S.
Breckenridge during June 10-July 4th.100
The Association
also funded the publication of the book My Master: The Inside Story of Sam
Houston and His Times by historian Lenoir Hunt, containing the recollections
of Sam Houston's former slave
Jeff Hamilton.101 | |
The
End of the Association
Several active members of the San Jacinto
Centennial Association were also later involved in the formation of the San Jacinto
Museum of History Association in 1938.102 The San Jacinto Centennial Association
ceased operations at the end of 1938, after the organization donated its last
$4000 to start the fundraising campaign for the San Jacinto Museum of History
Association.103 On December 2, 1942, H. Dick Golding, former
Executive Secretary of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, donated the records
of the defunct organization to the San Jacinto Museum of History Association.104
|
|
An advertisement for the Houston
area events to be held during April 1936 to commemorate the Battle of San Jacinto,
sponsored by the San Jacinto Centennial Association, undated [circa 1936]. San
Jacinto Centennial Association Records, MC 0001, San Jacinto Museum of History
Association, Houston, Texas. |
Conclusion
Houston’s lack of aggressive leadership
had doomed her to failure in luring the Texas Centennial central exposition.105
However, Houston recovered from its
failure in time to participate heavily in the Texas
Centennial of 1936, thanks especially to the work of the San Jacinto Centennial
Association. The celebration of the Texas Centennial
was a welcome emotional relief from the economic depression of the 1930s, and
for the first time Texas was heavily advertised to the rest of the United States.
Lasting accomplishments from the celebration are the hundreds of historical markers
placed during the celebration, as well as the civic complexes, memorials, building
restorations and museums that were erected during the celebrations. |
* Deputy Commissioner,
Archives and Records, Texas General Land Office, 2008- Present. B.A. (1991), M.A.
(1992), American History, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; M.L.I.S.
(1998), Archival and Records Enterprise, School of Information (formerly the Graduate
School of Library and Information Science), University of Texas at Austin.
1 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "GREAT DEPRESSION,"
2 “Editorial:
Picturesque Texas,” Texas Centennial Review, vol. 1, no. 12, February 1935
(Dallas: Texas Centennial): 2.
3 Kenneth B. Ragsdale, The Year America
Discovered Texas: Centennial ’36. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press,
1987): xix.
4 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "TEXAS CENTENNIAL,”
5
Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ragsdale, 83.
9 Ragsdale, 35.
10 Ragsdale,
47-49.
11 David G. McComb, Houston: A History. (Austin: University
of Texas Press, 1981): 84.
12 McComb, 78-80.
13 Ragsdale, 49; Handbook
of Texas Online, s.v. "WHARTON, CLARENCE RAY,”
14 Marguerite Johnston,
Houston: The Unknown City, 1836-1946. College Station: Texas A&M University
Press, 1991): 126-127; 129-132; 291-292.
15 Ragsdale, 51, 60.
16 Ragsdale,
73.
17 Ragsdale, 79.
18 Ragsdale, 75.
19 Charter-San Jacinto Centennial
Association, Box 2/20, Records of the Executive Committee, San Jacinto Centennial
Association Records, MC 0001, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas [hereinafter
abbreviated: SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.]
20 Order of Business-San Jacinto
Centennial Association, Box 10/21, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA
Records, MC 0001, SJMH; Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "TEXAS CENTENNIAL.”
21 Order of Business-San Jacinto Centennial Association.
22 Bylaws-San
Jacinto Centennial Association, Box 2/14, Records of the Executive Committee,
SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.
23 Budget-Approved by Advisory Committee Meeting,
Box 5/17, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.
24 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "TOWNES, JOHN CHARLES, JR.,”
;
Edgar E. Townes, Jr., “A Texas Portrait: John C. Townes, Jr., “Texas Bar Journal,
February 1965, pp. 109-110, 153-155.
25 Letterhead-San Jacinto Centennial
Association, Box 4/13, Records of the Executive Committee, SJCA Records, MC
0001, SJMH.
26 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “MCFARLAND, MAE WYNNE,”
27
“Chester H. Bryan,” Memorials, Texas Bar Journal, May 1946, vol. 9, No.
5, p. 207.
28 Ellis A. Davis and Edwin H. Grobe, “Norman H. Beard,” The
New Encyclopedia of Texas. Vol. 2. Dallas: Texas Development Bureau, 1926):
565; Karen Kane, “Allen’s Wake: History Lovers Have Fun and Make Serious Points
as Well, While Observing Houston Founders’ Day,” Houston Chronicle, Sunday,
November 17, 1985, Texas Magazine: 14.
29 Ellis A. Davis and Edwin H. Grobe,
“Robert B. Morris,” The New Encyclopedia of Texas. Vol. 4. Dallas: Texas
Development Bureau, 1926): 2184; “Final Rites are Held for R. B. Morris,” Houston
Chronicle, December 8, 1937, Ladies Biographical Scrapbook Collection, Texas
Biography Men, Vol. 49, p. 152-153, Texas Room, Houston Public Library
30
“Distinguished Civil Service Award Made,” Houston Chronicle, January 10,
1936, Ladies Biographical Scrapbook Collection, Texas Biography Men, Vol. 25,
p. 108, Texas Room, Houston Public Library.
31 Johnston, 245.
32 San
Jacinto Centennial Association-General, Box 4/13, Records of the Executive
Committee, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH; Max H. Jacobs and H. Dick Golding, Houston
and Cotton. (Houston, Tex.: Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade, 1949):
53.
33 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "JONES, JESSE HOLMAN,”
34
Letterhead-San Jacinto Centennial Association.
35 Handbook of Texas
Online, s.v. "WHARTON, CLARENCE RAY.”
36 “Joseph Stevens Smith,” The
Texas Gulf Coast: Its History and Development. Volume 3. New York: The Lewis
Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1955): 279-280.
37 “C. L. Brock, Builder
of Parks, Dies,” Houston Chronicle, October 4, 1946, Ladies Biographical
Scrapbook Collection, Texas Biography Men, Vol. 7, p. 133, Texas Room, Houston
Public Library.
38 “J. S. Griffith To Be Named Postmaster,” Houston Post,
November 28, 1934, Ladies Biographical Scrapbook Collection, Texas Biography Men,
Vol. 40, p. 13-14, Texas Room, Houston Public Library.
39 "Soldier, Lawyer
George Sears Is Dead at 71," Houston Chronicle, Sunday, April 26, 1959:
1:19.
40 Carol Rust, “Houston Has Street Sense (And Nonsense as Well),” Houston
Chronicle, Wednesday, April 16, 1997: Houston Section: 1; Bill Beck, “H. O.
Clarke-Civic Builder, Humanitarian,” At Your Service: An Illustrated History
of Houston Lighting & Power Company, (Houston, Tex.: Houston Lighting & Power
Company, 1990): 234-235.
41 “The Texas Centennial,” The Texas Almanac and
State Industrial Guide: The Encyclopedia of Texas. (Dallas, Tex.: Belo Corporation,
1936): 375.
42 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "INDEPENDENCE DAY,”
43
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "SAN JACINTO, BATTLE OF,”
44 Handbook
of Texas Online, s.v. “HOUSTON, TEXAS.”
45 Press Release: “San Jacinto
Centennial Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding observances throughout
the Centennial Year,” Box 9/14, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA Records,
MC 0001, SJMH; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial
Association, as of August 15, ’36,” Box 7/1, Records of the Executive Secretary,
SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.
46 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "INDEPENDENCE
DAY."
47 “Celebrations Will Last All Day Monday,” Houston Chronicle,
February 25, 1936.
48 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "FORT CROCKETT,"
49 “Celebrations Will Last All Day Monday.”
50 Ibid.
51 Ibid.
52 Ibid.
53 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "DAUGHTERS OF THE REPUBLIC
OF TEXAS,”
54 “Celebrations Will Last All Day Monday.”
55 Handbook
of Texas Online, s.v. "ALLRED, JAMES BURR V,”
56 “Hill McAlister, 1933-1937,”
Tennessee Blue Book, 2001-2004. Nashville, Tenn.: Secretary of State, 2004):499.
57 “Celebrations Will Last All Day Monday”; Press Release: “San Jacinto
Centennial Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding observances throughout
the Centennial Year”; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial
Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
58 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v.
"SAN JACINTO, BATTLE OF."
59 Ragsdale, 156-157.
60 Handbook of Texas
Online, s.v. "SAN JACINTO MONUMENT AND MUSEUM,”
61 Announcement,
March 20, 1936, John C. Townes, President, San Jacinto Centennial Association,
Box 6/ 6, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH: Memorandum:
“Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
62 The building was later named the Julia B. Ideson Building in honor of the
library’s first director. Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "IDESON, JULIA
BEDFORD,”
63 Program of Events-April Centennial Events, San Jacinto
Centennial Association, Box 13/5, Publications, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH; Memorandum:
“Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
64 Important Notice, November 18, 1936, H. Dick Golding, Executive
Secretary, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.
65 Handbook of Texas Online,
s.v. "SAN JACINTO MONUMENT AND MUSEUM.
66 Ibid.
67 Handbook of Texas
Online, s.v. "ANDREWS, FRANK,"
68 Program-Patriotic Banquet, San
Jacinto Centennial Association, Box 13/6, Publications, SJCA Records, MC 0001,
SJMH; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association,
as of August 15, ’36,” Box 7/1, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA Records,
MC 0001, SJMH.
69 Program of Events-April Centennial Events; Memorandum:
“Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36”;
Press Release: “San Jacinto Centennial Association of Houston: Program
for the outstanding observances throughout the Centennial Year.”
70 Program
of Events-April Centennial Events; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San
Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
71 Ibid.
72 Program
of Events-April Centennial Events; Press Release: “San Jacinto Centennial
Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding observances throughout the
Centennial Year”; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial
Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
73 Ibid.
74 Ibid.
75 Program
of Events-April Centennial Events; Press Release: “San Jacinto Centennial
Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding observances throughout the
Centennial Year”; Souvenir Program-San Jacinto Battleground, April 21, 1936, Box
4/14, Records of the Executive Committee, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH;
Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association,
as of August 15, ’36.”
76 Program of Events-April Centennial Events; Press
Release: “San Jacinto Centennial Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding
observances throughout the Centennial Year”; Souvenir Program-San Jacinto Battleground,
April 21, 1936; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial
Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
77 Ibid.
78 Ibid.
79 Handbook
of Texas Online, s.v. "ALLEN, JOHN KIRBY,”
80 Handbook of Texas Online,
s.v. "TEXAS CENTENNIAL”; Schoen, 1; Walter F. Woodul, Commission of Control for
Texas Centennial Celebration, Austin, Texas, to George D. Wilson, October 30,
1935, Box 3/6, Records of the Executive Committee, SJCA Records, MC 0001, SJMH.
81 Program of Events-April Centennial Events; Press Release: “San Jacinto
Centennial Association of Houston: Program for the outstanding observances throughout
the Centennial Year,”; Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto
Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36.
82 “Plans Near Completion for
Observance of City’s Centennial,” Houston Post, Sunday, August 16, 1936;
“100,000 Houstonians See City’s Birthday Display of Fireworks, Houston Chronicle,
Friday, August 28th, 1936.
83 Karen Kane, “Allen’s Wake: History Lovers Have
Fun and Make Serious Points as Well, While Observing Houston Founder’s Day,” Houston
Chronicle, Sunday, November 17, 1985, Texas Magazine: 14.
84 Memorandum:
“Accomplishments of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36;
“100,000 Houstonians See City’s Birthday Display of Fireworks”; “Fireworks Blaze
Brilliant Tribute to City,” Houston Post, Friday, August 28th, 1936.
85
Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "LA PORTE, TX,"
86 “Houston To Celebrate,”
Willis Letter, Thursday, August 20th?, 1936.
87 Handbook of Texas
Online, s.v. "STRAKE, GEORGE WILLIAM,"
88 Handbook of Texas Online,
s.v. "HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL,"
89 Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the
San Jacinto Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36,”; “100,000 Houstonians
See City’s Birthday Display of Fireworks."
90 “Houston To Celebrate.”
91
Ibid.
92 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "BRANIFF AIRWAYS,"
93 “Plans
Near Completion for Observance of City’s Centennial”; “100,000 Houstonians See
City’s Birthday Display of Fireworks.”
94 “Beauty Queen and Attendant,” Dallas
Morning News, September 5, 1936.
95 “Connally To Be Houston Fete Speaker,”
Houston Press?, August 24th, 1936?; “100,000 Houstonians See City’s Birthday Display
of Fireworks.”
96 Memorandum, “Dedication Ceremonies, Pioneer Memorial,
erected by the San Jacinto Centennial Association, Sunday, August 30, 5:30 p.m.,
Hermann Park.” Box 8/9, Records of the Executive Secretary, SJCA Records, MC 0001,
SJMH.
97 “Birthday Celebration,” Houston Press, August ?, 1936.
98
“Houston Celebrations-Texas Centennial,” Texas Almanac and State Industrial
Guide (Dallas, Tex.: A. H. Belo Corporation, 1936): 375.
99 Schoen, 1;
“Erection of Markers Is Speeded Up,” Houston Chronicle, Wednesday, May
26, 1937; “Dedication Sunday for Burnet Marker,” Houston Post, Thursday,
June 17, 1937; “Two Historical Markers Dedicated,” Houston Chronicle, Monday,
June 21, 1937; “Body Servant of Houston Revives Peace Plea of Master as Tribute
Paid to Texas Liberator,” Houston Post, Monday, August 9, 1937; “Houston
Lauded at Dedication of Home Monument,” The [Goose Creek] Daily Sun, Wednesday,
August 11, 1937.
100 Memorandum: “Accomplishments of the San Jacinto
Centennial Association, as of August 15, ’36.”
101Lenoir Hunt, "My Master:"
The Inside Story of Sam Houston and His Time, by Jeff Hamilton as told to
Lenoir Hunt (Dallas: Manfred Van Nort, 1940); Handbook of Texas Online,
s.v. "HAMILTON, JEFF,”
102 Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "SAN JACINTO
MONUMENT AND MUSEUM.
103 "Houstonians Order San Jacinto Museum Drive," Houston
Press, December 29, 1938; Ed Kilman, "Fund Drive for Battlefield Museum is
Launched Here," Houston Post, December 29, 1938.
104 Accession Records,
San Jacinto Museum of History Association, Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library,
One Monument Circle, La Porte, TX 77571; San Jacinto Centennial Association Records,
Manuscript Collection (MC) 0001, Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library, San Jacinto
Museum of History.
An irony to the supposedly neat and tidy ending of this
story is that some twenty-seven years later, the Director of the San Jacinto Museum
of History Association read in a local Houston newspaper that the defunct San
Jacinto Centennial Association had a dormant bank account with money apparently
still in it in a local Houston bank, the Texas National Bank of Commerce. The
San Jacinto Museum of History Association apparently then attempted to locate
the former directors of the San Jacinto Centennial Association, to get authorization
to transfer the remaining money over to the museum. Whether the museum was successful
in this endeavor is not revealed from the records. See Memorandum from Dorothy
W. Knepper to George A. Hill, III, June 3, 1965, Accession Records, San Jacinto
Museum of History Association, Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library, One Monument
Circle, La Porte, TX 77571.
105 Houston’s more aggressive leadership after
World War II is reviewed in: Joseph Pratt, “8F and Many More: Business and Civic
Leadership in Modern Houston,” The Houston Review of History and Culture.
The University of Houston Center for Public History. Volume 1, Number 2, Summer
2004: 7, 31-44. | |
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