Perdue Hill historical marker describes former home of Alamo commander

This week’s featured historical marker is the “William B. Travis House” marker at Perdue Hill, Ala.

This marker is located on the south side of U.S. Highway 84, just west of the intersection of that highway and Monroe County Road 1. The marker sits in front of the old William B. Travis House, which is just a few feet west of the historic Masonic lodge building at Perdue Hill.

There’s printing on only one side of this marker, the side that faces the highway. What follows is the complete text from the marker.

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“William B. Travis House, C. 1820: The Alabama home of the commander of the Alamo. While living in this house, Travis read law under the Hon. James Dellet of Claiborne, Al. In 1831, at the age of 22, he left Claiborne for Texas where he practiced law and became involved in the Texas Revolution. Travis, along with Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie and about 180 other men, were killed in March 1836 while defending the mission from Mexican forces. The house was moved from its original site in the old City of Claiborne 1-1/2 miles away. RESTORED BY ANN & PALMER BEDSOLE, 1985.”

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This historical marker is rich with nuggets of information. Let’s start with Travis, who attained folk hero status in Texas. Travis was born in 1809 in South Carolina, but later moved to the town of Sparta in Conecuh County. He eventually ended up in Claiborne, not far from the present site of the William B. Travis House. In 1831, he traveled to Texas, which was then a part of Mexico, and is most famous for being the ill-fated commander of the Alamo.

James Dellet was another prominent Monroe Countian mentioned on the marker. Dellet was born in New Jersey in 1788 and moved to Alabama in 1818. He was a member of the very first Alabama House of Representatives, and he died in 1848 at Claiborne. The James Dellet Home still stands today at Claiborne, just off U.S. Highway 84, and Dellet is buried not far from the home.

Davey Crocket and Jim Bowie scarcely need any introduction, both being near mythical characters in early American history. Crocket, who was born in Tennessee in 1786, was known as “The King of the Wild Frontier.” Bowie, who was born in Kentucky in the 1790s, was a pioneer soldier who was known far and wide for his knife fighting abilities, hence the popular “Bowie knife.”

The Texas Revolution began in October 1835 and ended a month after the Battle of the Alamo when General Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto. That victory resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Texas, and Texas was later annexed into the United States in 1845.

In the end, visit this site next Wednesday to learn about another local historical marker. I’m also taking suggestions from the reading audience, so if you know of an interesting historical marker that you’d like me to feature, let me know in the comments section below.