Monday, July 27, 2015

Resaca de la Palma stone marker and cannon on Paredes Rd


My brothers and sister are photoshopped on the marker from a 1966 photo.  See that interpretation panel on the left?  It is completely faded and rendered useless to describe the history of what took place on that spot other than the National Society Daughters of the Revolution based in San Benito wanted to be recognized with a shout-out to Lt. Barlow who died in 1825.  Barlow was an ancestor to the organizing regent of the D.A.R.  Brownsville was founded twenty-five years later so we can assume Barlow had nothing to do with RGV history. 

By the way the marker should read "Chapter," not "Charter" as was inscribed.  They also placed markers at Battlesite of Palo Alto and one on Military Hwy to mark where first the bloodshed between Mexican and American troops was used as excuse to instigate a war with Mexico known as the 'Thornton Skirmish."  You remember -- that old message to Congress in which Polk exclaimed "American blood was shed on American soil and war existed by an act of Mexico" quote we've all heard in Texas history?

Captain Seth B. Thornton Skirmish marker photo by Ken Rudine (2008).  On April 25, 1846 Seth Thornton and his soldiers were killed or captured here.
A good way to recycle this stone might be to send it to a local cemetery marker manufacture to inscribe the real historical significance of this site and get rid of the faded panel but that would be too damn expensive for anyone to want to pay for.

The cannon marker was placed here in the 1930s by members of the N.S.D.A.R. to mark the site where the Battle of Resaca de la Palma took place on May 9, 1846.  It was General James Parker who in 1914 headed the Brownsville Military District who brought four cannons from Fort Sam Houston to place on the three spots associated with D.A.R. and a fourth on the site of the original Ft. Brown which locals refer to as the upright cannon on the golf course driving range.
 A couple of more replica markers north from the authentic one can be easily found near Spanish fort style buildings erected around the turn of this century.  A fractured piece reveals the cannon is made of a Styrofoam material.

 Here's the original family photo from 1966 which includes my Mom's shadow.  

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