Historians present "Songs of Susanna"
Submitted by jcht2010 on
Susanna Dickinson survived the battle of the Alamo. While for some, that would define a life, for Susanna, it was just the beginning. Her husband perished in the siege, and Susanna and her young daughter were spared by Santa Anna.
Dickinson could not read, nor could she write. Her skills were limited to those needed to run a household, something normal for women in the 19th century. Those limitations did not stop her from becoming a legend of Texas history. Divorced twice and widowed twice, Dickinson finally found happiness with her fifth husband, a cabinet maker. However, unlike many women of her time, Susanna would not be remembered by virtue of who she was married to.
On Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m., Texas songwriter Fletcher Clark and author/historian Donaly E. Brice will bring Susanna to life in a presentation called Songs of Susanna at the historic Texana Church located inside Brackenridge Park.
“Susanna Dickinson is forever remembered in Texas History as the messenger of the Alamo,” said Clark. “Her husband Almaron Dickinson was in charge of artillery and fell, as did all the soldiers in the Alamo. She was spared as the sole Anglo survivor to carry a message to the Texian Forces.”
Susanna’s legacy doesn’t end there. She met Sam Houston at Gonzales, lived through the Runaway Scrape, and after the battle of San Jacinto, she was left with nothing.
“There was Susanna,” said Clark, “no assets, no skills, illiterate, her property at Gonzales has been burned.”
Songs of Susanna tells the story of Susanna during the Alamo, after settling down with her final husband and everything in between. Clark’s epic ballad, accompanied by a lecture by Brice, will be presented by the Jackson County Historical Commission. Tickets are $10 pre sale, $15 at the door, and can be purchased at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce or by contacting any member of the Historical Commission.
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