Hear The Alamo’s New ‘Rallying Cry’

Devotees of The Alamo wrote a song to promote its unique place in Texas history. Listen to the tune and hear about the inspiration behind it.

By Hady Mawajdeh & Laura Rice November 10, 2015 2:43 pm,

If you’re a Texan, you know the names Bowie, Crockett and Travis.

Growing up in Texas, you learned about the defenders of the Alamo in grade school and made a pilgrimage to the Alamo city. You saw the movies, maybe read the books and poems about those 13 fateful days in March 1836.

But let’s say that you’re from New Jersey. Does the Alamo have the same resonance?

William Chemerka is an Alamophile. In fact, nearly 30 years ago he started the Alamo Society, a group of about 500 people who gather to celebrate the anniversary of the battle. Recently he and a fellow Alamo Society member took it upon themselves to offer something they hope will be the key to lifting the landmark to even greater potential: a song.

They hope their song “Stand with the Alamo” will be the key to elevating the landmark to its full potential.

“We’ve always been concerned about Alamo Plaza… about how it’s really historically inappropriate to support and recognize and honor a great site,” Chemerka says. “[It’s] more like a rallying cry… just to alert folks about this wonderful place and about how it should be restored to something more appropriate, like other historical sites across the nation.”

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– Why Chemerka decided to write a song for The Alamo

– How he first found about The Alamo and why he feels a connection to that era’s historical figures

– What he wants to see improved at The Alamo to better represent it as a historical site

Listen to the full interview in the player above.