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Today is the last day that the Daughters of the Republic of Texas will manage The Alamo.
The Daughters of the Republic of Texas will end their custodianship of The Alamo today, marking the first time in over a century that the organization has not managed the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
The Daughters have managed The Alamo for 110 years. But in March, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and DRT President Ellen McCaffrey jointly announced that the DRT would no longer take part in The Alamo’s day-to-day operations.
Bush cited a number of violations to the state’s contract with the DRT in his decision to terminate the agreement. But he also lauded the organization, praising their role in rescuing The Alamo and maintaining it for future generations.
“Without the early intervention of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, we would not be able to celebrate the Shrine of Texas Liberty today,” Bush said in a news release.
The Land Office and the City of San Antonio will now jointly manage The Alamo. But the DRT and the Land Office still have some pending business.
A few weeks after Bush and McCaffrey made their announcement, the DRT sued the Land Office for control of the contents of the Alamo Research Center, formerly called the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library.
The library, which sits on the grounds of The Alamo, contains almost 40,000 letters, maps and artifacts pertaining to Texas and San Antonio history. Since the DRT amassed the collection, the organization’s officers believe it belongs to them. But the GLO contends that any donations to the library were made to the state, with the DRT serving as a trustee.
The fate of the library remains in flux. The DRT and the Land Office started mediation to settle the suit yesterday, but the two sides have not yet come to an agreement, according to Lamont Jefferson, who represents the DRT.
“The parties are still talking,” Jefferson told the San Antonio Current in an email. “I can’t really share details, but we should know more within the next week.”
