DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker at St. Mary's has to say — and friend, this one's got range. Now, most ghost towns just quietly fade.
St. Mary's, in Refugio County, went out having done something remarkable — it gave the world Clara Driscoll. But let's back up, because the town itself deserves a moment.
St. Mary's was founded in 1857 by Joseph F. Smith, nephew of Texas provisional Governor Henry Smith.
And this wasn't some quiet little settlement scratching at the dirt. From 1850 to 1886, St. Mary's was a genuine port city, busy enough to serve as the county seat of Refugio County.
It drew the kind of men who build things — entrepreneurs, bankers, ranchers. One of them was a man named Robert Driscoll. Wealthy, ambitious, connected.
Exactly the sort drawn to a place that hummed with commerce. And it was in that humming little port town, on April 2, 1881, that Robert and Julia Fox Driscoll welcomed a daughter. They named her Clara.
Now Clara didn't just arrive with a good name. She arrived with roots. Her people were Irish pioneers who had settled in the Power and Hewetson land grants, and both of her grandfathers had fought in the Texas Revolution.
That's a particular kind of inheritance — the kind that leaves a mark on a person. Because her father was a successful businessman in the Corpus Christi area, Clara was sent to private schools — in Texas, then New York City, then France. Nearly a decade of study abroad, soaking up art, history, culture.
And when she finally came home to Texas, she brought all of that with her. She joined the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and almost immediately set her sights on something that must have seemed, to some folks, a little audacious. The Alamo — the Alamo — had fallen into disrepair.
Clara looked at that and decided she wasn't going to stand for it. In 1903, she purchased the Alamo with her own money. Her own money.
That act earned her a title she'd carry the rest of her life: Savior of the Alamo. But here's what I love about Clara Driscoll — she wasn't a one-chapter woman. She also wrote.
Short stories, musicals. She presented Laguna Gloria to the Texas Fine Arts Association. She served as a Democratic National Committeewoman for Texas for sixteen years.
She held offices in organization after organization. And not all of her giving made the papers — the marker's careful to note that not all her philanthropy was even advertised. Before she died, she established the Driscoll Foundation to provide medical care for indigent children.
A final, quiet, lasting act. Clara Driscoll died on July 17, 1945, in Corpus Christi. She's buried in San Antonio's Alamo Masonic Cemetery, next to her family.
Next to her family — and in the long shadow of the building she refused to let disappear. St. Mary's is mostly gone now.
But what it gave Texas? That's still standing.
What the marker says
The settlement of St. Mary's was founded in 1857 by Joseph F. Smith, nephew of Texas provisional Gov. Henry Smith. The town flourished from 1850 to 1886 as a viable port city, and was once the county seat of Refugio County. The bustling town attracted entrepreneurs and businessmen, including wealthy rancher, banker and developer Robert Driscoll. On April 2, 1881, Clara Driscoll was born to Robert and Julia Fox Driscoll in St. Mary's. Clara descended from Irish pioneers who settled in the Power and Hewetson land grants, and both of her grandfathers fought in the Texas revolution. Because her father was a successful businessman in the Corpus Christi area, Clara was sent to private schools in Texas, New York City and France. After almost a decade of study abroad, Clara returned to Texas. Imbued with an appreciation for historic preservation, she joined the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and immediately began work to save the Alamo which had fallen into disrepair. In 1903, Clara purchased the Alamo with her own money, earning her the title of "Savior of the Alamo." In addition to her preservation efforts, Clara also was a successful writer of short stories and musicals. Though not all her philanthropy was advertised, her presentation of Laguna Gloria to the Texas fine arts association garnered attention. Clara served as a democratic national committee-woman for Texas for 16 years and was an office holder for many organizations. Before her death, she set up the Driscoll foundation to provide medical care for indigent children. Clara died on July 17, 1945, in Corpus Christi and is buried in San Antonio's Alamo Masonic Cemetery next to her family.