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contains the rarest of the rare rifles ever presented and the first time
it has been offered in picture form to the general public. The rifle
is a .36 caliber half-round, half-octagon flintlock which was supposedly
removed from the dead hands of Jim Bowie at the Alamo in San Antonio de
Tejas (Texas) after the world renowned 13 day standoff and battle in 1836.
Actually, Jim Bowie was so sick with Typhoid Pneumonia he was probably
too weak to even lift a rifle and could have died before the battle began.
We will never know, but this rifle, if it truly belonged to the infamous
Jim Bowie, was probably beside his death bed or simply leaning against
the wall. Answers to these and many more questions will never be known.
A serious question involving
the Bowie rifle is with the initials "JHB" on a gold plate inletted into
the barrel. It is common belief Jim Bowie did not have or did not
use a middle name. Some believe this rifle belonged to his brother
or another family member, but regardless if it belonged to Jim Bowie or
a family member, it was at the Alamo at the time of the battle.
This rifle was displayed
by the Daughters Of The Republic Of Texas (DRT) in the Alamo from 1914
to 1922 when it was reclaimed by the Pellegrin family. It was then placed
on display again in the Alamo in 1936, the year of the Texas Centennial,
and remained there until 1967. At that point, a lawsuit over
rightful ownership developed and Helen Pellegrin´s
ownership was challenged. (You can read the details of this lawsuit by
clicking on the links below.) Mrs. Pellegrin won the suit and retains
ownership today.
After the lawsuit the
Bowie rifle was moved to the Texas Ranger museum in Waco, Texas where it
once again had problems revolving around insurance. "Insurance issues
concerning the difference between an artifact 'on loan' as opposed to a
'donated artifact' eventually caused the rifle to be returned to the Pellegrin
family." Today, the rifle is kept here in Texas in a secure, safe
place.
The purpose of this Web
side is to compile and concentrate old data and, hopefully, collect new
data on this magnificent piece of Texas and national history. Never
before has all historical information been consolidated in one location
for historians, world wide, to study. The point man and lead research
leader on this project is my friend
JohnHinnant who
has already accomplished significant research and made many new discoveries
which will be shared with all Alamo historians and any one else interested
in this history making rifle. Any other Alamo or Texas historians
who would like to contribute can contact John Hinnant at "johnsharonhinnant@sbcglobal.net"
or (1-210-289-5178). You can contact me at "alex@tenring.com"
or any other contact points listed elsewhere on this Web page.
Another man who has generously
donated his time and professional expertise to this important project is
Rusty
Postell of "SAportraits.com
Rusty shot over 100 high resolution photos of the James Bowie rifle of
which a few have been placed on this Web site. These photos will
eventually be used to reproduce the Bowie rifle in exquisite detail by
one of America´s most acclaimed custom muzzle-loading gunsmiths.
It is possible this rifle
will be up for sale in the near future, but for now I am collecting documentation
and bringing Bowie and Alamo historians together so the most accurate,
up to date written information can be compiled and consolidated in one
place - this Web page.
STAY TUNED!
Click here for photos
(Photos by SAPortraits.com)
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