San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On November 9, 1891, eight Houston women organized the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Founding members were Mrs. Andrew Briscoe; Miss Belle Fenn; Mrs. John R. Fenn, who served as chapter president until 1896; Miss Annie Hume; Mrs. Anson Jones, widow of the last Republic president; Mrs. A. B. Looscan; Mrs. J. J. McKeever; and Mrs. Minnie Phelps Vasmer. The state organization had been formed three days earlier in the Houston home of Mrs. Briscoe. Preserving the San Jacinto Battlefield (18 mi. E) became a priority project for this chapter. In 1894 its members helped veterans mark key sites at San Jacinto. Members urged the state to acquire land there, and by 1900 some 327 acres were added to 10 acres held since 1883. The chapter placed 20 granite markers there by 1912. State and Federal funds erected the San Jacinto Monument in 1936-39, so the chapter's own monument fund was used for other projects. This log headquarters was built in 1936 with Federal labor, and a bronze sun dial was placed at the battlefield in 1939. The chapter developed the Children of the Republic organization in 1936, and sponsors student essays on Texas history. Local libraries receive books and funds, and D. R. T. state projects are generously supported. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836 - 1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In November 1891, just days after the statewide Daughters of the Republic of Texas was founded in a Houston parlor, eight local women organized its San Jacinto Chapter — among them the widow of Anson Jones, the Republic's last president. The chapter made preserving the San Jacinto Battlefield its great cause, helping veterans mark key sites, pushing the state to acquire hundreds of acres, and placing granite markers across the grounds. Their log headquarters was built with federal labor in 1936, the same era that finally saw the towering San Jacinto Monument rise.
Why it matters
It marks the pioneering role of women's organizations in rescuing and preserving America's historic battlefields long before public agencies took up the work.
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Related people
- · Mrs. Andrew Briscoe
- · Mrs. Anson Jones
- · Mrs. John R. Fenn
Themes & tags
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