|
|
The Alamo Society, at present headed by Bill Chemerka, is
a group of history buffs, muzzleloaders, re-enactors and
other such individuals who have joined ranks to share
everything they can find on the history of the conflict in
and around San Antonio during the 1830's. The fruit of their
labor is a magazine-type newsletter, The Alamo Journal.
I had the opportunity to read two years' worth of The
Alamo Journal, and I found great articles on flags, guns,
food and the individuals in the Alamo siege. There were even
book reviews, film-trivia, biographies of actors, anything
that might be associated with Hollywood's version of the
Alamo and its thirteen days of glory. Each issue includes a
one-page "member profile," a clever way to promote intimacy
throughout the multination mailing spread. At the end of
each issue the classifieds are listed, revealing a hotbed of
Alamo-related memorabilia that I didn't realize existed. It
made for pleasant, yet informative reading.
The Alamo Journal is a historical review of the events,
people and equipment that are related to the siege. But, it
is more than that. It is an ongoing expose of all that is
the Alamo legend. Fact and myth, testimonies and movies,
books and artwork; it is all included, and if you ever had
an interest in the glory days of Texas; fight for
independence, this society is for you.
|
|
|
|
The Alamo Journal reminds me how great it is to have a
publication that binds together the varied people who are
interested in a certain subject. The Alamo is a special case
in point. It has a mystique or nebulous quality that makes
the amateur scholar almost on par with the professional
historian. We're all in this together, and we keep in touch
with each other through The Alamo Journal.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my contact with members of The
Alamo Society.
|
|
|
|
The Alamo Journal has been an invaluable clearing house
for information for Alamo buffs, as well as a frequent
source of important primary documentation for scholars and
historians. I found it to be of serious importance in my own
work and found that editor Bill Chemerka was an equally
valuable resource himself, generous, interested, and
dedicated to the facts wherever they led.
|
|