Sondra Hernandez Staff writer July 21, 2024

Montgomery County is next in line for a statewide effort to receive a bronze plaque featuring a famous Alamo letter, a gesture one Houston historian says seems mostly symbolic but could offer residents an opportunity to consider the full context of Texas history at the time. 

In late May, commissioners passed a resolution to accept the 203-pound bronze plaque as a gift to the county that recognizes the letter written by Lt. William B. Travis 188 years ago in the days leading up to the battle at the Alamo.

The plaque was funded by a donor with ties to Montgomery County. 

The plaque is a part of a plan set forth by the nonprofit Alamo Letter Society to have a replica of the letter on or near the courthouse lawn in all of Texas’ 254 counties.

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Travis and Texas history

A co-commander of the Alamo soldiers, Travis died early in the battle from a single bullet in the head on March 6, 1836. His body and those of the other defenders were burned. 

The letter, a call for aid, communicates in dramatic fashion what was happening at the Alamo. “If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country — Victory or Death,” Travis wrote. 

Long celebrated as a hero of Texas history, writings in recent years have brought up some of Travis’ moral failings including deserting his first wife and child in Alabama, his support of slavery and even how the Texas State Historical Association’s biography of Travis mentions his reputation as a troublemaker. 

Raúl A. Ramos, an associate professor of history at the University of Houston and a native of San Antonio, said the letter project could lead people to overlook the full context of what was happening in Texas at the time, and opens up an opportunity to ask questions and further explore the state’s history.

“Texas in 1836 was a very rich and complicated place. It involved a lot of different groups, religions, languages and cultures,” Ramos said.

He said it’s easy to draw comparisons between this project and the movement to place a copy of the Ten Commandments in schools. 

“You can ask the same question, ‘Will putting the Ten Commandments in every classroom accomplish what people hope it accomplishes?” he said. “I think it’s more of a symbolic gesture than any kind of historical inquiry and an attempt to understand the past on its own terms.” 

Ramos is interested in Travis’ motivation in coming to Texas and said there are clues about his motivation in the letter. According to the Texas State Historical Association, he arrived early in 1831, after the Law of April 6, 1830, that made his immigration illegal.

“He’s different from those 300 families that came with Austin. One of the aspects of this history that I’m spending time trying to decipher and understand is to what extent is Travis fighting for Texas independence and what extent is he fighting for the annexation of Texas to the United States?” he said. “There are clues in this letter to take seriously. He’s not saying Texas character he’s saying American character.” 

He said many Americans coming to Texas at the time saw an opportunity to expand the United States, particularly to expand with states open to slavery. 

“These were the debates of the time and the concerns of the people at the time. That’s the type of context it’s important to keep in mind.” 

What is the Alamo Letter Society?

Bill McNutt of Dallas, a co-founder of the project, got the idea from his daughter, who at 13 saw the original “Victory or Death” letter plaque at the Alamo and said it should be “all over Texas.” Other co-founders of the organization include Rosser Coke Newton, Sr. and John Vick.

The letter is meant as an urgent message to other Texans and Americans calling for aid and describing the Texas soldiers plight to “not surrender or retreat” facing the Mexican Army.

McNutt said the goal of the project is “to educate current and future Texans about their forefathers’ armed struggle for freedom and liberty” during the Alamo battle. Vick said this project is about maintaining the state’s history. 

“It’s about explaining to those folks why we are truly proud Texans,” he said. “Some folks outside Texas or even some Texans don’t realize why we’re so proud to be Texans. If you go back and read the letter, then it all makes sense.” 

Questioning the accuracy of history

In 2021, Texans Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford published the book “Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of an American Myth” that questions the accuracy of heroic stories depicting the Battle of the Alamo. 

Tomlinson is a columnist for the Houston Chronicle and in August 2023, published a column calling out Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham for installing a statue of Travis in San Antonio. He paints Travis as an enslaver, illegal immigrant and sexual predator in the column. 

Co-founders of the nonprofit said they want people to focus on the message of the letter, not necessarily the man. 

“We are not the Travis Letter Society, we are the Alamo Letter Society,” McNutt said. “We promote the message more than the messenger. Travis was a hero and will always hold a special place in our history, but it was his letter that sends the message that is powerful and captures the spirit of the Lone Star State.”

Vick said in the seven counties where they have dedicated replica letters, not one negative issue has come up. 

“We’ve worked very hard to keep politics out of this,” Vick said. “We will ensure in no way that politics will be brought into this mission … Why would you question the personal actions of our heroes that died for us? In 2024, that’s the world we live in. I’m not going to give them the time of day.” 

Courthouses offer visibility

McNutt said the group chose courthouse lawns because the courthouse is the center of government in each Texas county. 

“The courthouse is where we go to interact with our local government, were we register to vote and where some citizens stand before a jury of their peers,” McNutt said.

The first plaque was placed in Ellis County, south of Dallas in February. Other plaques have since been dedicated in Rockwall, Nueces, Van Zandt, Hood and Reeves counties. The most recent plaque was dedicated on July 4 in Gillespie County. 

Vick and McNutt acknowledge it could be a lengthy effort to complete the project in 254 counties. “If we dedicate one county a month, our effort will take us 11 years,” McNutt said.

Plaques that are completed and await dedication other than Montgomery County are Brazos, Nacogdoches, Hunt, Lee, Burnet, Ward and San Augustine counties. Currently no other Houston-area counties are on the schedule to receive a plaque soon. 

Plan for Montgomery County plaque

In Montgomery County, the project is headed up by Kat Rummell.

She lost her fiance in February and his services were held in First Baptist Church Corsicana, where Rummel met pastor Danny Reeves. Once Reeves discovered her many connections in Montgomery County, he asked her to chair the local project. 

“I felt like God put it on me,” she said. “I liked the mission of educating our youth about our Texas history. Some people don’t even teach Texas history anymore and there are also people coming in from out of state who have never been exposed to Texas history. I thought this was really neat.” 

A committee including Precinct 2 County Commissioner Charlie Riley is deciding the best place to place the plaque. 

“I am a firm believer in if you don’t study history or keep history alive we are doomed. You cannot erase history and do some of the things that people are doing now a days,” he said.

 Riley expects a dedication for the plaque before the end of the year. 

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