Post by Hiram on Jan 21, 2010 2:10:44 GMT -5
As one of the folks who work in the Education Dept. of The Alamo, I personally do not describe the largest cannon in the outer courtyard as "the 18-pounder", although some of my peers do. I think it more likely to be a 16-pounder or even a long 12, but that's simply my opinion. Among the Adina De Zavala Papers (CAH, UT-Austin), there is a photograph showing three artillery pieces which were found during the construction of the Gibbs Building (1908) at the corner of Houston Street and Alamo (near the original NW corner of the Alamo compound). In the foreground appears to be the 12-pound gunade, and in the background, a 6-pounder perhaps and a long artillery piece, which may be the one sometimes referred to as the 18-pounder. Prior to the construction of the Gibbs, that corner was the location of the Fischer Drug Store and it was the site of the Maverick house before that. Speaking of Maverick, the "A. Maverick", referred to in the Western Texan article transcribed by RangerRod, is Albert Maverick, the son of Samuel Augustus Maverick. The Albert Maverick Building is presently located adjacent to the Gibbs and is in fact the oldest building extant on Houston Street (ca. 1882). There is a 6-pounder in the outer courtyard which was donated to the Alamo by Mrs. Albert Maverick. In addition, for those who are familiar with the current Alamo compound, there are two artillery pieces on permanent display just outside the N entrance to the Gift Museum. They were given to the Alamo by the Boynton family who eventually purchased the property where the Maverick home once stood. Two other artillery pieces are on display in the courtyard, one retrieved from the Rio Grande in 1842, and one other piece not attributed to any particular location.