Sam Houston Savior of Texas Statue [Press Photo]
Name/Title
Sam Houston "Savior of Texas" Statue [Press Photo]Description
This life-like statue of Sam Houston, "Savior of Texas," in the Hall of Heroes inside the magnificent State of Texas Building at the Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas, will stand as a constant reminder to Texans of today and tomorrow of the dauntless courage of Texas heroes a century ago. Said to be the finest memorial in the South, the Texas Building, built at a cost of $1,200,000, is the mecca of myriad thousands today.Context
Emerging from the Great Hall, the visitor enters into the semi-circular Hall of Heroes. Its floor is made of pink Tennessee marble, bordered and inlaid with red Vermont marble with marble wainscoting of Italian origin. Along the top of the hall runs a frieze where the names of battles and other places significant in Texas history are commemorated. These are: Victoria; Salado River; Gonzales; San Felipe; Goliad; San Antonio; Coleto Creek; Mier; San Jacinto; Concepcion; Alamo; San Patricio; Refugio; Washington; Velasco; Brazoria; Harrisburg; and Anahuac. However, the hall's most outstanding features are not the materials of which it is made or its frieze but the six heroic-sized statues of men who were prominent in early Texas history. The statues, cast in bronze, are the work of Italian-born artist Pompeo Coppini. The subjects were chosen by asking Texas historians to name men whom they thought most worthy of commemoration. On the right-hand side of the steps stands Coppini's statue of Sam Houston - the most famous Texan of them all. A soldier during the 1813 Creek Indian War, Houston was also Governor of Tennessee, political protege' of President Andrew Jackson, General-in-chief of the Texas Army, twice-President of the Republic of Texas, a U.S. Senator, and Governor of the State of Texas. Ironically, he died in 1863 convinced his life was a failure. Houston's crowning achievement was his victory over Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, thus securing the independence of Texas from Mexico. Although he was reputed to be a heavy drinker and thrice-married (only twice legally), there are few Texans who would agree with Houston's assessment of himself.Category
Government & Politics
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