Adina de zavala biography sampler

De Zavala taught in Terrell and later San Antonio. Around , she and other San Antonio women began meeting to discuss Texas history.

Adina de zavala biography sampler

One of their primary goals was to save a portion of the Alamo from commercial exploitation and possible destruction. In , the Texas Legislature authorized the state to purchase the property from Driscoll, and the Alamo was turned over to the DRT to maintain as a historic shrine. Privacy Copyright. Skip to main content. Adina de Zavala Papers.

Adina de Zavala was the granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala, a prominent figure in early Texas history. She suggested that Texas public schools be named for state heroes San Antonio schools were designated by numbers until , and she facilitated the marking of almost 40 major sites as places of historical significance. Adina's formidable accomplishments took root in a childhood steeped in Texas history.

The granddaughter of Lorenzo de Zavala, the first vice president of the provisional government of Texas, Adina was born on November 28, , in Harris County within sight of the battlefield of San Jacinto, east of today's Houston. She was the eldest of six children born to rancher Augustine De Zavala originally de Zavala , who became a captain in the Confederate Navy, and Julia Tyrrell De Zavala, a patrician, Dublin-born woman educated in Galveston.

Adina grew up absorbing Texas history and developing her love for reading and learning. My sister and I produced 'plays'--always scenes from history," she said. Tutored at home until , Adina attended Ursuline Academy in Galveston from to Despite her Spanish surname, she never learned the language. After teaching high school in Terrell, Texas, from to , Adina joined other family members in San Antonio, where she taught in elementary schools until When Adina's father, Augustine, died in , her mother, Julia, remained with daughters Adina and Mary, while managing the family's property holdings.

Burnet School , she began her lifelong efforts to preserve Texas' historic places and patriotic traditions. Within two years, other preservation minded women joined her to help carry out her work. She explained her unswerving dedication by quoting David Crockett's motto: "Be sure you're right, then go ahead. They gathered "to keep green the memory of heroes, founders, and pioneers of Texas," said Adina.

In the Daughters of the Republic of Texas dedicated a special Commemorative Marker at her gravesite. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikidata item. American teacher and historical preservationist. Harris County, Texas , US. San Antonio , Texas, US.

Family background and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Historical preservation affiliations [ edit ]. Saving the Alamo [ edit ]. Death and recognitions [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved June 11, Retrieved September 25, National Park Service-Dept of the Interior. Archived from the original on October 4, Retrieved June 10, Kessinger Publishing, LLC.

ISBN James S ed. Free Press. Texas Highways : 14— Archived from the original on July 29, Oxford University Press. Magnolia Fall Southern Garden History Society. Archived from the original PDF on January 20,