Angelina Eberly - The Saviour of Austin
While I was walking up Congress Avenue in Austin Texas I came across a bronze life size statue of a woman firing a cannon. The plaque next to the statue told the story of Angelina Eberly, the saviour of Austin.
In December 1842, President Sam Houston ordered the secret removal of the archives of the Texas Republic to safekeeping in Washington-on-the-Brazos. Mrs. Eberly, realizing that the symbols of national government were being removed from the city, fired a six-pound cannon into the General Land Office Building, arousing the town to what they considered theft. The ensuing conflict became known as the Archive War, which was won by the Austinites, preserving Austin as capital of Texas and keeper of the archives.
The statue of Angelina Eberly firing off her cannon was erected at the very spot this historic event took place: Sixth and Congress in downtown Austin, TX.
The sculptor of the Angelina Eberly statue is Pat Oliphant, the most widely syndicated cartoonist in the world.
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