Remembering the Alamo

Jack Edmondson, 50, spent much of his youth searching for an authentic portrayal of Texas history. One look at him today, and it’s obvious that he’s accomplished that role.

Rangy and sporting mutton-chop sideburns, he often dons the ruffled white shirt and black great coat of Alamo hero Jim Bowie, completing his costume with a Bowie knife in a leather scabbard. His already deep, strong voice easily falls into the syrupy Southern drawl of a time when Texas struggled for independence from Mexico.

To the delight of school children and civic groups around the country, the Burleson, Texas (pop. 20,976) resident, earns his living writing about and portraying Texas heroes, such as Bowie and Sam Houston, dressing as they dressed, speaking as they likely spoke.

For younger audiences he focuses on the more heroic moments, leaving out human foibles. With adult audiences he extends the popular notions surrounding people such as Bowie, who, as Edmondson explains, sold land he didn’t own in a time before laws defined the deals as fraud.

“While it is true my brothers and I may have sold vast acres of land across Arkansas and Louisiana, if it was then immoral it was not then illegal,” Edmondson says, his voice drawling to replicate Bowie’s accent.

“These are not dusty old facts,” says Lucile Davis, a board member of the Tarrant County Historical Society in Fort Worth, Texas. “Jack’s performances bring history to you and make it personal.

“There are people who have the history in their head,” she adds. “He does it as if he’s there and living it again.”

Edmondson’s interest in Texas history began as a child, when he realized that popular culture doesn’t always accurately portray historic events. Specifically, he recalls seeing the portrayal of Davy Crockett in the 1950s television show, and then later watching John Wayne’s depiction of Crockett in the 1960 movie The Alamo.

“These two stories weren’t the same, the depiction wasn’t the same, and I wanted to know more,” he says.

He became so enamored that he wrote his senior paper at Fort Worth County Day School on key Alamo figures. He says classmates even prophesied that he would one day portray Bowie, who died in 1836 leading about 200 Alamo defenders against a Mexican army of more than 2,000.

In fact, Edmondson’s resemblance has earned him several television appearances. He has depicted Bowie in two documentaries for The History Channel, an Alamo documentary for the Discovery Channel, and an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

With a passion for the past, Edmondson spent nearly a decade teaching history at the middle and high school level, working in both Texas and Arkansas.

His first historical portrayal came in 1986. Mike Waters, a close friend, organized a program at the Alamo in San Antonio honoring the state’s 150th birthday. Waters portrayed Sam Houston, president of the Texas Republic, and he needed someone to depict Alamo commander William Barrett Travis.

Edmondson, whose interest in theater included a smattering of acting classes, mail-ordered period clothes and had a coat custom made for his first performance. The experience was life altering.

In 1989, he gave up teaching to focus on writing, and continued performing as Bowie or Houston as a hobby. By the early 1990s, more and more organizations started booking him. He never expected his hobby to earn him a living, but he now works through a local agency that books him for 200 to 300 performances annually.

He also writes under the name J.R. Edmondson, penning books such as James Bowie—Frontier Legend, Alamo Hero, published in 2001. “I’m not rich, but I get by and I have a good time,” he says.

His focus is the Texas revolution, which began in 1835 after Gen. Santa Anna rose to power and declared himself dictator of Mexico, creating a military rule that riled Texans to fight for freedom. The battle at the Alamo a year later remains one of the nation’s most remembered moments in history.

“The Texas revolution only lasted six months, but you can spend your life trying to delve into the facts and controversy,” Edmondson says.

He hopes his performances leave audiences curious. “It’s very effective in planting a seed, particularly in young people,” he says. “That makes them want to do more research on their own.” And for Edmondson, that’s what it’s all about.

Noble Sprayberry is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

Noble Sprayberry is a frequent contributor to American Profile.

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