Here is a translation of the above:In 1842 Texas was an independent nation and Austin was its capital. Sam Houston, the president of the Republic of Texas, regarded Austin as a vulnerable and unsuitable location for the seat of government and waged an unsuccessful campaign to have it moved to his namesake city. As a last resort, the President sent a military detachment to Austin to remove the government archives. When an innkeeper named Angelina Eberly discovered the men loading their wagons, she rushed to what is now 6th and Congress Avenue and fired the town cannon, blowing a hole in the Land Office building and rousing the town populace. The men chased down Houston's men, recovered the government archives, and gave them to Mrs. Eberly for safekeeping. This statue honors a bold woman whose vigilance and short temper preserved Austin as the capital of Texas. It was presented to the citizens of Austin on September 26, 2004, by Capital Area Statues, Inc.
Isn't that cool? Moral of the story: Don't mess with Texas women. :D
Until next time, God bless.
11 comments:
That is cool! You don't often see women in those monuments. I won't mess with you...
I always suspected as much about Texas women. My mother was a transplant but she could have done that. And Molly Ivins was a Texan, never forget that!
That is way too cool! And of course after the documents were put in Mrs. Eberly's care no one would dare to mess with them ... or her.
I have heard this statement may times -Don't mess with Texas. Now I will always think of this story whenever I hear it again. Nice post.
Oh yes, never ever mess with Texas women, or they'll blow your *** off!
AL
Great post!! And, Ain't it the Truth!!!hahaa...hughugs
Neat statue! I have an Aunt who's a Texas lady and I always knew she meant business. :-)
I simply have to put in a plug for the book, "True Women." The story is a true one written by a great, (great?) granddaughter. The setting is early Texas; during the Texas revolution; early Republic days; and during and after the United States Civil War. The location is Central Texas, the area I live in. A made-for-TV movie was done of the book.
Ladies, it shows the resolve and courage that we women have when push comes to shove. It will make you proud.
Janice Wendel Woods did two follow-up books, one is "Hill Country," the other book's title escapes me. Mrs. Woods did eight years research for "True Women," and the original manuscript was broken up for the three books. If you think we have it hard or tough today, reading at least one or two of these books will make you thank your lucky stars that live in today's world.
Angelina Eberly was indeed one tough cookie, but she may or may not have actually fired the cannon. She was definitely present, as were about a half dozen other men. When she saw the men standing around indecisive, she goaded them into rolling the cannon out into the street and aiming it at the land office 2 blocks away. Most likely she is also the one to have fetched something to touch it off. There is disagreement about whether she actually was the one to fire the piece though. It is a bit difficult to believe that a bunch of 1840s Texas he-men would have allowed a woman to do so but I choose to believe that they did. I've written a book about Austin's founding that is currently at the publisher and will appear next year. It is called "Seat of Empire" and contains a chapter about the Archives War, as this incident came to be known. You can find other early Texas tales at blog/jeffreyskerr.com
Your blog is a good one; keep it up!
Thanks for the info, Jeffery. Interesting about the disagreement although I'm with you -- surely out of gallantry the men stood back. I love history and will check out your blog.
Hi Lynn...can't resist one more comment...
I Never met a Texas woman that Ever waited for "permission" from a man for Anything...She may have "allowed" the men to express their opinion..Hahaa...but I'm sure they whipped off their hats...bowed at the waist and said "Have at it lady..."Hahaa...
The word "allowed" and "women" cause me to foam at the mouth...hahaa...The Real women "of the day" did it All...babies, plowing, laundry at the creek, shooting, hunting...Can you see Angelina waiting for a man to give her permission??hahaaa...I'll shut up now...hughugs
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