DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, some folks leave their mark on Texas in ways that take a generation or two to fully appreciate. Clara Driscoll left hers on the most sacred ground in the state — and she did it before most people even realized what was about to be lost.
Born on April 2, 1881, in Refugio County, Clara came from serious Texas stock. We're talkin' a descendant of early Texas colonists, including a veteran of San Jacinto. She grew up as a wealthy rancher's daughter, then went off to school in Europe — and when she came back, in 1903, she got news that must have landed like a stone in still water.
The Long Barrack, part of the historic Alamo, was about to be sold. As a hotel site. Let that settle for just a moment.
The Alamo. A hotel. The state had a chance to act, and didn't.
So Clara Driscoll did. She reached into her own pocket — her own funds, on top of money the Daughters of the Republic of Texas had raised — and she bought that property herself. Just like that.
That gesture sparked public interest across Texas, and it won her a title she'd carry for the rest of her life: Savior of the Alamo. The state came around eventually. In 1905, they reimbursed her and placed the Alamo in the care of the DRT.
Then in 1932, she helped the state buy land south of the Alamo Chapel. Twice in her life, she stepped in for that place. But Clara Driscoll was never just one thing.
She was active in business, politics, and the arts. She headed several state organizations, including the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She served as Democratic National Committeewoman from 1928 to 1944.
She gave generously to the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, the Texas Fine Arts Association, and to medical services for underprivileged children. She was married to newspaperman Henry H. Seveir — that marriage running from 1906 to 1937 — and she lived in Austin before moving to Corpus Christi to manage family properties.
Clara Driscoll died on July 17, 1945. And here's the part that stops you cold: before she was buried, her body lay in state in the Alamo Chapel. The place she saved, holding her one last time.
Texas has a way of remembering its own — and every now and then, it gets it exactly right.
What the marker says
A descendant of early Texas colonist, including a veteran of San Jacinto, Clara Driscoll was born in Refugio County and grew up as a wealthy rancher's daughter. In 1903, soon after returning from school in Europe, she learned that the Long Barrack, part of the historic Alamo, was about to be sold as a hotel site. When the state failed to act, she bought the property, using her own funds to supplement money raised by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Her gesture sparked public interest and won her the title "Savior of the Alamo." The state reimbursed her in 1905 and placed the Alamo in the care of the DRT. In 1932 she helped the state buy land south of the Alamo Chapel. Clara Driscoll was active in business, politics, and the arts. She headed several state organizations, including the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and served as Democratic National Committeewoman, 1928-44. She gave generously to support the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, the Texas Fine Arts Association, and medical services for underprivileged children. Married to newspaperman Henry H. Seveir, 1906-37, she lived in Austin before moving to Corpus Christi to manage family properties. After she died, her body lay in state in the Alamo Chapel before burial here.