The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, Volume 21, Number 1, November 1985 Page: 39
106 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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LORENZO DE ZAVALA: MEXICAN TRAITOR OR TEXAS IDEALIST?
Epilogue
Zavala's home at Buffalo Bayou continued to be occupied by
members of his family for a number of years and until World War
II, stood at the original location. The surrounding property was ac-
quired by the United States for an ordinance base; contention be-
tween those who love Texas history and those dedicated to unlimited
industrial use arose as to the best employment of these properties.
As a result, almost nothing was done to preserve the Zavala home.
It was burned to the ground; the waters of the Buffalo Bayou were
permitted to wash away the coffins and most of the headstones of
those buried at the Zavala homestead.
Recent examination of the area disclosed that the headstones had been
removed; those remaining were taken across Buffalo Bayou to the bat-
tleground of San Jacinto, where a few are to be seen today. Unfortunately,
that of Zavala was not among those saved; it, with his coffin, disappeared
into the waters of the Houston Ship Channel.
As a tribute to him, in 1858 the Texas Legislature named a county for
Zavala; inadvertently the original spelling of the county contained two "L's"
(Zavalla). Subsequently, that error was corrected and the county now has
one "L". However, the small village off Highway 69, south of Lufkin, con-
tinues to have the two "L's", Zavalla.
A side-wheel steamer purchased by James Hamilton for the little Navy
of the Republic of Texas was named "Zavala." Acquired March 23, 1839,
it, too, had a sad end; it was run ashore in June of 1842 and sold for scrap,
June, 1843.34
Zavala's tremendous contributions to Texas and to Texians were vir-
tually without recognition until the Texas State Library was constructed and
appropriately named "Lorenzo De Zavala State Archives and Library
Building," an appropriate tribute to the talents and contributions of this
great Mexican-Texian scholar.
Who Was Lorenzo De Zavala?
Journalist, physician, mature political philosopher, translator of signifi-
cant English articles into Spanish, member of the Spanish Cortez, planner
of Pan American Union, author of the most authoritative history of the
early Mexican revolutions, author of a delightful volume of travels in
34Tom Henderson Wells, Commodore Moore and the Texas Navy (Austin 1960), pp. 186-187.Nov. 1985]
39
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Texas Gulf Historical Society. The Texas Gulf Historical and Biographical Record, Volume 21, Number 1, November 1985, periodical, November 1985; Beaumont, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1433656/m1/41/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Gulf Historical Society.