TEXAS SUPREME COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY

of the Republic of Texas, regarded Austin as a vulnerable and unsuitable location for the seat ofgovernment and waged an unsuccessful campaign to have it moved to his namesake city. As alast resort, the President sent a military detachment to Austin to remove the government archives.When an innkeeper named Angelina Eberly discovered the men loading their wagons, she rushedto the corner of what is now Sixth Street and Congress and fired the town cannon, blowing a holein the Land Office building and rousing the populace. The citizens chased down Houston’s men,recovered the archives, and gave them to Mrs. Eberly for safekeeping. This statue honors a boldwoman whose vigilance and short temper preserved Austin as the capital of Texas. It was presentedto the citizens of Austin on September 26, 2004, by Capital Area Statues, Inc… 2Left: The “Bullock Hotel” wall sign at Sixth Street and Congress placed by the Kiwanis Club.Right: Texas Historical Commission marker at the Lorenzo de Zavala State Library and Archives Building.Photos by David A. Furlow.Richard Bullock’s hotel was the largest in Austin, and could accommodate sixty to seventy guests.Strongly built, it was also referred to as “Bullock’s Fort” during the Republic. The marker repeats a claim insome accounts that Angelina Eberly managed it for a time, but this information does not appear in other primary2A list of distinguished donors appears on the plaque to thank, inter alia, “CAST Board of Directors: Lawrence Wright, Marcia Ball,Stephen Harrigan, Elizabeth Avellán, Bill Wittliff, Amon Burton…”37