A Paper Submitted

By

Mary Buffington Parkman

On

Her Trip

From

Saluda, South Carolina

To

 Texas and Mexico

In

1990.

This Paper is Part of the Alamo Exhibit in Saluda, SC

Opening March 6, 2003

The Museum

Of

The Saluda County Historical Society

On The Trail of Bonham and Travis From Saluda to Texas

The Alamo – 1836 –Revisited

It came suddenly in the chilly pre-dawn hours of March 6. The four thousand Mexican soldiers under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna stormed the Alamo from several directions, but the main attack was against the north wall of the Alamo. Since February 23 the defenders had withstood the onslaught. Colonel William Barrett Travis, with a single shot to his forehead, was among the first to fall. Captain James Butler Bonham and the remaining defenders soon followed their commander in death.

There were only twelve known survivors. They were Susanna Dickinson and her fifteen-month-old daughter Angelina, and Joe – Travis’s slave. Also there were Gertrudis Navarro and her sister Juana and her son Alijo; Ana Esporza and her four children; Trinidad Saucedo and Petra Gonzales. Lousis “Moses” Rose had left the Alamo on March 5th.

Colonel Travis and his defenders did not die in vain. Forty-six days later on April 21, General Sam Houston and his eight hundred angered Texan and American volunteers attacked the Mexican Army of 1500 at San Jacinto, near Galveston. The Mexican Army was completely defeated in a matter of a few minutes. Six hundred thirty Mexican soldiers were killed while the volunteers lost only nine. Santa Anna was captured. Texas was free and a new republic was born.

As a child in the Saluda schools, I had read about the fall of the Alamo, but I did not know how we here in Saluda County were connected. It was not until 1987 when the Saluda County Historical Society was formed that I really learned about the Alamo. Both Colonel William Barrett Travis and James Butler Bonham were born here in Old Edgefield District, which is now Saluda County. At the age of nine Travis and his family had moved to Alabama. This was where he went to school, studied law and started his own family before moving on to volunteer his services to the Texas cause in 1835.

James Butler Bonham was born a few miles from Travis. He grew up here, studied at what is now The University of South Carolina, and practiced law in Pendleton before moving on to join his childhood friend in the fight to free Texas from Mexico.

Travis Monument

Soon after the Historical Society was formed, I was elected its second president in 1988. By the time of the Pull-it Festival in August 1989, we were ready to unveil the Travis monument on highway 121 near the place of Travis’s birth. We also had the deed to the Bonham House, where Bonham was born.

By this time I had gained many new friends. There were Emmitt and Faye Travis from McKenzie, Alabama. Emmitt’s great-great-grandfather was William Barrett’s brother. Then there were Charles and Peggy Billings; he was instrumental in raising the funds for the Travis Monument and represented “The Sons of the Republic of Texas”. Gene and Juanita Erwin were from Baytown, Texas. Gene wrote many articles for The Baytown Sun and other newspapers throughout Texas to raise money for our projects. They also had visited here on two different occasions.

I can’t forget Sam Attlesey, a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, who came here for three days to report on the events of the unveiling of the Travis Monument. He was here again in 1998 when President George W. Bush came through on his campaign for the presidency of the United States. Here too were Ron Stone and Gary James with the crew of “The Eyes of Texas” TV crew who came here to film our celebration and the unveiling of the Travis monument. These and many more I was to meet again on my journey to retrace Travis’s route to Texas and the Alamo.

Time moved on and we are up to January 1990. Charles Billings, as a member of “The Sons of the Republic of Texas” – William Barrett Travis Chapter, was to be knighted at the annual meeting on April 7, 1990, and had invited me to be his guest. The meeting was to be held at the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio, Texas. Through the generosity of many friends here in Saluda I was able to attend.

The early hour of 2:45 a.m. April 5, 1990, my sister Lacoie Jones and I left Saluda by car on our journey of one week to retrace Travis’s route to Texas and to attend the ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. We had been invited to lunch in McKenzie, Alabama at the home of Faye and Emmitt Travis. Our timing was perfect. Eleven-thirty a.m. we arrived at the beautiful country home of Faye and Emmitt. Here we met Emmitt’s father and the other Travises and Stallworths who had been here for our monument dedication in 1989.

Stallworth Monument

After lunch we all were off to explore the area of Alabama where Colonel Travis grew up. We drove across the Travis Bridge that crosses the Sepulga River near Evergreen. In Claiborne we visited the now restored office where Travis practiced law.

Law Office of William B. Travis

Old Town Baptist Church

There was Old Town Baptist Church, the name was adopted from Saluda Old Town here in the Old Edgefield District. On some of the Stallworth and Travis tombstones there is the wording “Born in Edgefield District, South Carolina”. Out in the woods near McKenzie lies the cemetery of the Baptist church that Mark Travis started. His stone here also bears the words “Born in Edgefield District, South Carolina”.

Late that afternoon we regretfully said goodbye and moved on to spend our 1st night in Covington, Louisiana. By late Friday afternoon we arrived in Baytown, Texas at the home of Gene and Juanita Erwin.
Here I presented Gene with the first of the three logs from the Bonham House that I had carried with me. It now rests in the museum at the base of the San Jacinto monument. We enjoyed our Texas style steaks at the Golden Corral as guests of Gene and Juanita. From there we were off to see the Baytown sights. The San Jacinto monument could not have been any more impressive by day.

Alexander Travis Tombstone

Juanita and Gene Erwin with Mary Parkman

We rode the ferry across Houston Bay and came back through the tunnel under the bay. As an affiliate of Exxon Oil Company, Gene was proud to show us the giant oil refineries around Baytown.

Saturday morning we set out to cross Houston and move on to San Antonio. Here let me pause to give you a little advice. Before you move be sure you have your route clearly drawn out on the best map you can find. Never cross Houston at rush hour, and have your driver and navigator agree on navigating signals before you start your car. If you are to get there, you have to have everything timed just right or you may wind back up in Alabama or some other place with no idea how you got there.

Finally at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, we arrived at the Crockett Hotel in San Antonio, where we were to spend the night. From our window we could look out at the Alamo just across the street. That was an awesome sight to see – that tiny Alamo among all those tall buildings and busy streets. After a short trip to check out the Alamo it was time to dress for the banquet and ceremony at the Hyatt Regency. I took a taxi the few blocks to the Hyatt where Charles and Peggy Billings met me. At the reception I met the producer of “The Eyes of Texas” show.

Charles Billings and Emmitt Travis

Also here was Sam Houston, IV. I had my picture made with him and held the sword that Sam Houston had used at San Jacinto. Along with all the other Sons of Texas and their guests was the governor of Texas, Anne Richardson. I was treated like royalty that night and was proud to claim that I also was a native of Old Edgefield District.

Sam Houston IV

Peggy and Charles had been staying at the Hyatt for a few days while attending the convention but were to go home to Canyon Lake after the banquet. Their car was brought around while we waited out front. As their bags were being stowed in the trunk, Charles pointed out his car tag to me. It said, “Mar 6”. Now you know how he feels about his heritage! Back at the Crockett Hotel Lounge, Peggy, Charles, and I visited until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Late Sunday morning finds us at the Alamo for the royalty tour. Here I presented the Daughters of the Republic of Texas with the third log from the Bonham House, the second having been presented the night before to the Sons. The DRT also were presented the framed photos of the Travis Monument. They are all now on display at the Library at the Alamo.

By Sunday night we were on our way to Laredo, Mexico. As we were this close we were determined to be able to say that we had been to Mexico even if it was only for a few hours. There are some long lonesome roads in this part of Texas with only the scrubby bushes and tall light poles for company. We parked our car on the Texas side of the bridge and walked across the bridge into Mexico. After shopping around for a few hours we were ready to come home to good old Saluda County.

Our trip home carried us through Baton Rouge and the bayou country of Louisiana. At Irish Bayou we talked with the locals while they cleaned their catch of fish. In order to visit as many states as possible on our trip, we moved on through Western Florida by way of Interstate 10.

We were unable to resist the urge to visit Savannah, Georgia, where Lacoie’s son Mickey was attending the Savannah School of Art and Design. Our stroll down River Street was well worth the effort of a few more miles. From here we made our way on through South Carolina and to Saluda.

Our round trip of 3,040 miles was made in just a few hours short of one week. We traveled by air conditioned automobile cruising about 65 to 70 miles per hour, rode on fine interstate highways and bridges, ate in fine restaurants in fine buildings, and slept in hotels with every luxury to be had. Can you even imagine the hardships that Travis as a boy of nine, one hundred forty six years before had to endure?

There were no roads or maps pointing the way to Evergreen, Monroe or McKenzie, Alabama. There were no hotels along the way with restaurants or rest areas. There were only woods and trails with a few homesteads scattered along the way. The horses and their riders had to get mighty weary from fighting rivers and trail dirt.

When Colonel Travis and Captain Bonham reunited at the Alamo there were no modern buildings surrounding the Alamo. They saw only a few outbuildings and crude houses all to be soon surrounded by their enemy – Santa Anna and his army.

Today we live here in Old Edgefield District in the lap of luxury because of brave men and women who over the past 146 years have given their lives so freely as did Colonel William Barrett Travis and Captain James Butler Bonham at the Alamo on March 6, 1836.