Downtown Austin in Travis County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Offices Of The War Department And The Adjutant General
The Republic of Texas
Photographed By Stan Bacon, October 6, 2016
1. Offices Of The War Department And The Adjutant General Marker
Original marker, prior to its restoration. See next picture for the updated marker.
Three double log houses built on this site in 1839 shortly after Austin was selected as the site for the capital of the Republic of Texas served as the offices for the War Department and the Adjutant General. Here Albert Sidney Johnston and Branch Tanner Archer served as Secretaries of War.
Erected 1936 by Austin Kiwanis Club of Austin Texas.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • War, Texas Independence. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.
Location. 30° 16.164′ N, 97° 44.527′ W. Marker is in Austin, Texas, in Travis County. It is in Downtown Austin. Marker is on Congress Avenue near East 7th Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is mounted on the wall of the Paramount Theatre. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 713 Congress Avenue, Austin TX 78701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Paramount Theatre (here, next to this marker); Stephen F. Austin Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Openheimer-Montgomery Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Angelina Eberly Statue (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Norwood Tower (about 400 feet away);
this page online
Regarding Offices Of The War Department And The Adjutant General. Albert Sidney Johnston, West Point Class of 1826, served the government of Texas in capacities from private soldier to Secretary of War and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. He has the distinction of serving as a General Officer in three different armies: the US Army, the Army of Texas, and the Confederate Army. Until his untimely death at Shiloh he was regarded by many as the finest general in the Confederate Army, with a record of many years of exemplary service with the US Army in the Black Hawk Wars, the Mexican War, and the Utah Expedition.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.
Additional commentary.
1. Congress Avenue Historical Marker Refurbished by West Pointers
Photographed By Frederick Bothwell, March 20, 2017
2. Marker Undergoing Restoration
The West Point Society of Central Texas has undertaken the restoration of the historical marker commemorating General Johnston’s 1839 residence in Austin as the Republic of Texas Secretary of War at the site of the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas. The refurbished marker was remounted on the Congress Avenue façade of the Theatre in a rededication ceremony honoring this famous graduate.
The marker, made by Lake Shore Markers of Erie, PA was originally commissioned by an earlier Kiwanis Club of Austin, in celebration of the 1936 Texas Centennial.
The marker, made by Lake Shore Markers of Erie, PA was originally commissioned by an earlier Kiwanis Club of Austin, in celebration of the 1936 Texas Centennial.
Acting in cooperation with the Austin area Kiwanis Clubs and the Paramount Theater, area West Point graduates arranged to have a damaged historical marker removed from the façade of the theater and taken off site for restorative work. “The marker commemorates the 1839 location on Congress Avenue of the War Department and the Adjutant General’s offices,” said WPSCT member Dan Hickox “and the first Secretary of War on the site was Albert Sidney Johnston, West Point class of 1826. That makes it an interesting project for our society.”
“Johnston is the only officer in history to achieve the rank of General in three different Armies – the US Army, the Texas Army, and the Army of the Confederacy,” Hickox explained, “His military and civilian career spanned over four decades of exemplary public service in peace and war to the United States and the Republic of Texas – but little more than a year in the service of the Confederacy.”
“He
Photographed By Frederick Bothwell, March 25, 2017
3. Marker Rededication Ceremony Paramount Theatre, Austin TX, March 25, 2017
Rededication ceremony participants, L to R
1) Jim Ritts, CEO and Executive Director, Austin Theatre Alliance.
2) Bruce Todd, former Mayor, Austin TX.
3) Jennie Choi, United States Military Academy Class of ’05, President West Point Society of Central Texas.
4) Dan Hickox, USMA ’72, Travis County Historical Commissioner.
5) Fred Bothwell, USMA ’62, WPSCT.
6) George Kennebeck USMA ‘55, WPSCT.
7) Stan Bacon, USMA ’58, WPSCT.
8) John Cano, President, Kiwanis Club of Northeast Austin.
9) Cortney Ferris, President, Kiwanis Club of Northwest Austin.
The date of the original dedication of the marker at the Paramount site is unknown, but according to Hickox it was likely done in observance of the Texas Sesquicentennial in 1986. “The inscription on the marker makes it clear that it was installed by the Kiwanis Club of Austin, which doesn’t actually exist anymore – but both Paramount Theater CEO and Managing Director Jim Ritts and John Cano of the Austin area Kiwanis Clubs supported the project.
Hickox, a 1972 graduate of West Point, has a degree in Military History and is a member of the Travis County Historical Commission.
Asked about future plans, Jennie Choi, WPSCT President stated “We’ve focused a lot of attention on improvements on Mount Bonnell and Covert Park in the past and will continue to do so - but we look forward to engaging in other future projects with a West Point connection to Austin as well.”
Comprised of graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, The West Point Society of Central Texas is a 501c3 organization which “adopted” Covert Park at Mount Bonnell as part of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department Adopt-a-Park program in 2010. Since then WPSCT has partnered with PARD, the Austin Parks Foundation,
Photographed By Frederick Bothwell, March 25, 2017
4. Offices Of The War Department And The Adjutant General Marker
Marker is to the far right in this image.
— Submitted March 29, 2017.
Photographed By Frederick Bothwell, March 16, 2016
5. Bust Of Albert Sidney Johnston
In Elisabet Ney Museum, Austin, TX
Photographed By J. Williams
6. Albert Sidney Johnston Gravesite
Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Texas
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. This page has been viewed 729 times since then and 49 times this year. Last updated on April 27, 2020, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. Photos: 1. submitted on January 3, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. 2. submitted on March 22, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. 3. submitted on March 26, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. 4. submitted on March 28, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. 5, 6. submitted on January 3, 2017, by Frederick Bothwell of Georgetown, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
