Fannin Monument, (sculpture).

Fannin Monument, (sculpture).

Josset, Raoul, 1899-1957, sculptor.

Nelson, Donald, 1907- , architect.

Lavaggi, Ugo, carver.

Fannin Monument, (sculpture).

Grave of Colonel James W. Fannin and Men, (sculpture).

April 1938. Dedicated June 4, 1939.

Sculpture: Marble Falls pink granite; Base: Marble Falls pink granite.

Sculpture: approx. H. 35 ft.; Base: approx. W. 42 ft. x D. 52 ft.

(On grave slabs on front of base: names of approximately 400 men killed in the Goliad Massacre) unsigned

A tall memorial pillar comprised of two concrete piers topped with a slab with relief frieze, and flanked at the bottom by two low text panels. At the top, the bas-relief depicts a partially draped male figure kneeling beside a woman who holds a five-point star atop her proper left shoulder. The base of the memorial contains grave markers, and the entire memorial is set atop a rectangular platform with steps in front.

History -- United States -- Texas

History -- United States -- Goliad Massacre

Outdoor Sculpture -- Texas -- Goliad

Coadministered by City of Goliad, Parks Committee, Goliad County Courthouse, Goliad, Texas 77963

Coadministered by Goliad County, Parks Committee, Goliad County Courthouse, Goliad, Texas 77963

Located Goliad State Park, Spur 71 off of Highway 77A & 183 South, Goliad, Texas

The sculpture cost $25,000. It marks the mass grave of men under the command of Colonel James W. Fannin, who were massacred at Goliad on March 27, 1836. The sculpture was installed by the State of Texas with funds allocated to commemorate 100 years of Texas independence. A dedication ceremony was held on June 4, 1939, the 103rd anniversary of the burial service for those killed. The entire monument was designed by Donald Nelson. Raoul Joseet was the sculptor; Ugo Lavaggi, the carver.

Nearby plaque reads: After Battle of Coleto (Mar. 19-20) 1836, where a Texas army under Col. Fannin met defeat by Mexicans in superior numbers the Texas soldiers were held in presidio La Bahia supposedly as prisoners of war. However by order of Mexican Gen. Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, approximately 400 of Fannin's men were marched out and massacred on Palm Sunday, Mar. 27, 1836. The wounded were shot one by one in the fort compound Col. Fannin was the last to die. Because of their profession, Drs. J. Barnard, J.E.Field and Jack Shackelford were spared, about 25 men were saved by a Mexican woman "The Angel of Goliad". Approximately 30 escaped by feigning death or swimming the San Antonio River. The Texans' corpses were stripped and partly burned, but left unburied. The atrocity three weeks after the fall of the Alamo gave Texans part of the battle cry "Remember The Alamo! Remember La Bahia"-under which decisive victory was won at San Jacinto On Apr. 21, 1836.

IAS files contain a complete transcription of names of the dead listed on the base. IAS files contain excerpts from Harold Schoen's "Monuments Erected by the State of Texas to Commemorate the Centenary of Texas Independence," Austin, TX: Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations, 1988; and "The History and Heritage of Goliad County, pg. 137 and 139-141. IAS files contain pamphlet, "Goliad, A Place To Remember."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Texas survey, 1993.

"The History and Heritage of Goliad County," pg. 141.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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