Follow the trail of Texas independence history

If you are at all interested in the history of the Republic of Texas, now is the time to start making plans for a living history tour.

I absolutely love being in Texas this time of year because of all the reenactment events surrounding the Texas Revolution. With the exception of Civil War reenactors, I do not know of many other groups more passionately dedicated to preserving and retelling history like the groups involved in these living recreations of key events in Texas’ history.

From the “come and take it” battle of Gonzales on Oct. 2, 1835, to the Battle of the Alamo and the eventual victory at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, this area between San Antonio and Houston was alive with some of the most interesting and exciting moments in the history of Texas and the United States.

Every year dedicated volunteers dress in period costume and break out their big guns and relive those pivotal moments that shaped a state and nation. Reenactors come from several groups including the Texas Army, the San Antonio Living History Association, the Texian Legacy Association and, among several others, the 11th Texas Dismounted Cavalry – whose membership includes Sealy Mayor Mark Stolarski.

People in Sealy may recall that the 11th Texas held reenactments at the Spring Picnic last year, portraying both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War. They are the group that spearheads the Civil War reenactment each November at Liendo Plantation near Hempstead.

My wife and I attend as many of these reenactments as we can, often bringing (sometimes dragging) our boys along. We always have a good time and have gotten to know many of the regulars at these events. While there are reenactments of various size and numerous locations, the biggies that everyone should consider attending are coming up soon.

First up is the Texas Independence Day Celebration at Washington-on-the Brazos. The event will be held Feb. 28 and March 1 at Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site, the original townsite of Washington, where Texans made the formal declaration of independence from Mexico.

The next one is the big one – The Alamo! Scheduled this year for March 7-8 at the shrine in San Antonio, the Remembering the Alamo Weekend features all kinds of reenactments and activities. Oddly enough, this is one event I haven’t been to – yet.

One of the best annual reenactment events takes place March 28-29 in Goliad. I really enjoy this one because it is so professionally done yet everything is so close and accessible because it generally has smaller crowds. It’s also personal because Zachariah Short, the brother of my wife’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, was killed in the massacre there.

One of the biggest and best-attended events is the San Jacinto Day Battle Reenactment. This year it will be held on April 18 at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. This is a huge festival and one of the largest annual reenactment events in Texas.

Other small-scale events include the Runaway Scrape reenactment at George Ranch Historical Park in Richmond, which will be held April 4. Closer to home, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site holds the Father of Texas celebration in honor of early Texas pioneers and held around Stephen F. Austin’s Nov. 3 birthday.

A really good calendar of these events can be found at www.waterlootex.com. Just click on the calendar link.

Of course, it wouldn’t be right to mention all of these events without giving a plug to the Texas Independence Trail (texasindependencetrail.com), which is a great resource of events and historic locations that you can explore anytime. All of these events are easy single day or weekend outings in our area and fun for the whole family.