Historical anniversaries shouldn't be forgotten
This year we mark the 175th anniversary of the War for Texas Independence. It’s also the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the 135th anniversary of Little Bighorn, the 50th anniversary of the first man in space and the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle.
For most people, that’s ho-hum news. For us history buffs, it’s an exciting time to learn and expand our knowledge of the events that made our country and our world what it is today. I don’t know why we make such a big deal out of milestone years divisible by five, but we do. The first big one I recall outside of my birthday was July 4, 1976, when Uncle Sam blew out 200 candles.
That year, we learned all about the Revolutionary War in school. My mother and I baked a birthday cake for America and stuck 200 candles on it. My dad lit them with a blow torch and we sang Happy Birthday. We had to do it quickly because the top of the cake had become a sheet of wax and several of the candles were flickering out in the bubbling pool of red, white and blue goo.
Of course 11 years ago was the big millennial celebration when we all hunkered down in front of our television sets and waited for the Y2K bug to bite. I’ve been bitten worse by gnats.
Thinking of these historic anniversaries has me puzzled at the hows and whys of the things we celebrate. Events like the Alamo and Goliad were one-sided slaughters. We lost, yet we remember them in a much different light with the ultimate victory at San Jacinto – which will be celebrated this weekend in Houston.
The Civil War was won by the North, but the majority of reenactors are Southern Confederates. Even though the South lost, much of its identity is linked to the War Between the States.
America has also been slow to honor the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic first human flight into space, mostly because the milestone was made by our Cold War rivals.
On the other hand, Americans have met most space milestones with nonchalance. Think about it. Without looking it up, can you tell me the date man first landed on the moon? How about the date the first American went into space? Who was that first American?
Getting closer to home, Waller County is in a great position to celebrate many of these milestones. Hempstead and Liendo Plantation played a small role in the Civil War, housing a prisoner of war camp here. To the south, 175 years ago this week, Gen. Sam Houston took possession of the Twin Sisters cannons at Bernardo Plantation during the Runaway Scrape.
Our proximity to the city of Houston should connect most people to space history. There are no doubt people living in the county who made significant contributions to the space program. I know astronauts have visited the area. I got to meet one of them a year or so ago. Charles Bolden, who is now NASA’s administrator, came to Prairie View to honor some gifted math students. Bolden is also the one who on Tuesday snubbed Houston as the home for one of the retired space shuttles.
For whatever it’s worth, the anniversary of Little Bighorn is of no real significance to Waller County, except that George Armstrong Custer was stationed here at the end of the Civil War.
As rich as this area is in Texas history, it would seem to me that there would be some kind of recognition or celebration of the local events. Perhaps the Watermelon Festival parade could have a Texas history theme to it. Maybe a celebration could be tied to the dedication of the Waller County Clock and Bell Tower.
Just to toss out another suggestion, since Waller County played such a huge role in the Runaway Scrape, perhaps the county should do something to commemorate it permanently. A monument with replica cannons and/or an annual reenactment might be in order. With 25 years to go to the bicentennial celebration, perhaps the commissioners could plant a little seed money now to invest in a big shindig when the time comes.
When I was living and working in Elizabeth City, N.C., the city’s bicentennial passed with no formal recognition. The paper put out a nice special section, but the city fathers failed to even acknowledge it with so much as a proclamation. I was pained to see such a milestone pass without recognition. I’d hate to see the same thing happen here.
For most people, that’s ho-hum news. For us history buffs, it’s an exciting time to learn and expand our knowledge of the events that made our country and our world what it is today. I don’t know why we make such a big deal out of milestone years divisible by five, but we do. The first big one I recall outside of my birthday was July 4, 1976, when Uncle Sam blew out 200 candles.
That year, we learned all about the Revolutionary War in school. My mother and I baked a birthday cake for America and stuck 200 candles on it. My dad lit them with a blow torch and we sang Happy Birthday. We had to do it quickly because the top of the cake had become a sheet of wax and several of the candles were flickering out in the bubbling pool of red, white and blue goo.
Of course 11 years ago was the big millennial celebration when we all hunkered down in front of our television sets and waited for the Y2K bug to bite. I’ve been bitten worse by gnats.
Thinking of these historic anniversaries has me puzzled at the hows and whys of the things we celebrate. Events like the Alamo and Goliad were one-sided slaughters. We lost, yet we remember them in a much different light with the ultimate victory at San Jacinto – which will be celebrated this weekend in Houston.
The Civil War was won by the North, but the majority of reenactors are Southern Confederates. Even though the South lost, much of its identity is linked to the War Between the States.
America has also been slow to honor the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s historic first human flight into space, mostly because the milestone was made by our Cold War rivals.
On the other hand, Americans have met most space milestones with nonchalance. Think about it. Without looking it up, can you tell me the date man first landed on the moon? How about the date the first American went into space? Who was that first American?
Getting closer to home, Waller County is in a great position to celebrate many of these milestones. Hempstead and Liendo Plantation played a small role in the Civil War, housing a prisoner of war camp here. To the south, 175 years ago this week, Gen. Sam Houston took possession of the Twin Sisters cannons at Bernardo Plantation during the Runaway Scrape.
Our proximity to the city of Houston should connect most people to space history. There are no doubt people living in the county who made significant contributions to the space program. I know astronauts have visited the area. I got to meet one of them a year or so ago. Charles Bolden, who is now NASA’s administrator, came to Prairie View to honor some gifted math students. Bolden is also the one who on Tuesday snubbed Houston as the home for one of the retired space shuttles.
For whatever it’s worth, the anniversary of Little Bighorn is of no real significance to Waller County, except that George Armstrong Custer was stationed here at the end of the Civil War.
As rich as this area is in Texas history, it would seem to me that there would be some kind of recognition or celebration of the local events. Perhaps the Watermelon Festival parade could have a Texas history theme to it. Maybe a celebration could be tied to the dedication of the Waller County Clock and Bell Tower.
Just to toss out another suggestion, since Waller County played such a huge role in the Runaway Scrape, perhaps the county should do something to commemorate it permanently. A monument with replica cannons and/or an annual reenactment might be in order. With 25 years to go to the bicentennial celebration, perhaps the commissioners could plant a little seed money now to invest in a big shindig when the time comes.
When I was living and working in Elizabeth City, N.C., the city’s bicentennial passed with no formal recognition. The paper put out a nice special section, but the city fathers failed to even acknowledge it with so much as a proclamation. I was pained to see such a milestone pass without recognition. I’d hate to see the same thing happen here.
posted by Joe Southern | 3:24 PM
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