Johnny Museum — Presidio La Bahía Cluster
Public Pack v0.3 (publish-ready candidate) — museum-copy draft restored and audit-linked (pack build v0.4l).
Provenance (addresses “where did this text come from?”): This page restores the earlier longform Public Pack museum-copy draft (items 1–6) and re-attaches each paragraph to evidence via claim cards. Where the restored wording conflicted with explicit scope lock, the smallest possible edit was made and flagged inline.
All claim cards (index for auditors)
- CC-PP-001 — Scope lock: Presidio-first (satellites feed the Presidio spine) Supported
- CC-PP-002 — Interpretive spine: four chapter lenses (working set) Proposal
- CC-PP-003 — Presidio establishment wording stays conservative (milestone disagreement: 1721 vs 1749) Conservative
- CC-PP-004 — Angel of Goliad documentation anchor: MOU parties + $500k line item Supported
- CC-PP-005 — Open gates: stewardship wording + founding-year milestone + Angel documentation trail Gated
- CC-PP-006 — Texas Revolution captivity + execution date (Goliad Massacre context: March 27, 1836) Supported
- CC-PP-007 — Interpretive framing: site as layered place of memory (public-facing copy) Proposal
- CC-PP-008 — Our Lady of Loreto Chapel: completion (1779) + notable artistic features (1946 fresco) Supported
- CC-PP-009 — Interpretive framing: sacred space and military space overlap Proposal
- CC-PP-010 — Captivity + battle context: “more than 300” prisoners and the Battle of Coleto Supported
- CC-PP-011 — “Remember Goliad!” as a battle cry (as described by a THC historic site page) Supported
- CC-PP-012 — Angel of Goliad micro-label stays framed as tradition (secondary sources exist; primary trail still open) Tradition
- CC-PP-013 — Ignacio Zaragoza + Puebla (May 5, 1862) and Cinco de Mayo linkage Supported
- CC-PP-014 — Docent talk uses reconciled wording (mirrors the claim ledger) Conservative
- CC-PP-015 — Transparency micro-panel: disagreement handling + evidence binder availability Supported
- CC-PP-016 — Success criteria: coherent Presidio-first story + auditable sentences Proposal
1) Interpretive spine (Presidio-first)
Four chapter lenses (working set):
- Borderlands & Empire: why forts exist; shifting sovereign claims; community life.
- Mission/Presidio System: paired institutions; coercion, survival, negotiation.
- Revolution & Memory (1835–1836): captivity, violence, remembrance.
- Afterlives & Stewardship: monuments, public memory, living sacred use, public interpretation.
Satellites are modules that feed these chapters; they do not create parallel spines.
Presidio La Bahía is the primary interpretive anchor for this project. Satellite sites (Fannin battleground, Angel of Goliad, Zaragoza Birthplace) are treated as modules that map into the Presidio chapter spine—not parallel narratives.
- Scope lock (in-pack) — Governance / project constraint (client-reviewed).Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
Working interpretive lenses: (1) Borderlands & Empire, (2) Mission/Presidio System, (3) Revolution & Memory (1835–1836), (4) Afterlives & Stewardship. These are planning lenses to organize exhibit copy and are expected to refine during stakeholder review.
- Intent + Masterplan Chronology (in-pack) — Project intent + staged plan context.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
2A) Museum copy v0.3 — Visitor Center Orientation Panel
Presidio La Bahía: A Crossroads of Borderlands History
Presidio La Bahía formed part of a Spanish colonial community that later anchored travel, trade, and military life in this region. Established in the early 1720s, the Presidio relocated several times before settling near its present location by the mid‑18th century.
Different sources use different milestones when describing “established/founded.” One uses a 1721 establishment milestone; another uses a 1749 milestone tied to the current location. Until we choose a milestone definition, public wording stays at “early 1720s,” while keeping the discrepancy visible in Gates (R2).
- 1721 milestone excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Shows 1721 establishment wording.
- 1749 milestone excerpt (THC site page) — Shows 1749 establishment wording tied to location.
- Relocation-to-current-position excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Describes relocation to current position in 1749.
In the 1800s, La Bahía became a focal point in wars for independence. During the Texas Revolution, Texian prisoners were held here and executed on March 27, 1836—events remembered as the Goliad Massacre. The Presidio’s story is therefore not a single narrative, but an overlapping history of communities shaped by shifting empires and contested borders.
During the 1836 crisis, Texian prisoners were held at Presidio La Bahía and executed on March 27, 1836 (including Col. James Fannin). The event is remembered as the Goliad Massacre.
- Fannin execution site excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Provides March 27, 1836 date and execution context.
Today, the fort remains a working historic site and a living place of memory. Its chapel, courtyards, and walls invite visitors to consider how power is built, defended, and remembered—and how commemoration shapes what later generations understand.
The orientation-panel language frames the Presidio as a layered place of memory where power, devotion, and commemoration overlap. This is interpretive museum copy, not a new research conclusion.
- Interpretive spine (in-pack) — Copy is governed by the chapter lenses and scope lock.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
Scope-lock edit note: the earlier draft named the nearby Espíritu Santo mission; the mission site is explicitly out-of-scope as a standalone module in this project, so the reference was generalized.
2B) Museum copy v0.3 — Chapel Panel
Our Lady of Loreto Chapel (completed 1779)
The Presidio’s chapel is the site’s most enduring interior space—architecturally distinct, long used, and deeply layered in meaning. Its groin‑vaulted ceiling and later artistic additions (including a 1946 fresco) mark both continuity and change: an 18th‑century frontier chapel that became, over time, a communal landmark for worship, ceremony, and remembrance.
The visitor guide states the chapel was completed in 1779 and notes features including a groin-vaulted ceiling and a 1946 fresco by Antonio Garcia.
- Chapel completion excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Shows completion year (1779).
- Chapel features excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Names groin-vaulted ceiling and 1946 fresco.
Standing here, visitors encounter a difficult overlap: sacred space and military space, devotion and violence, personal grief and public memory.
The chapel-panel language explicitly acknowledges overlap between sacred use and military/war history. This is interpretive framing intended to be handled carefully in public interpretation.
- Project intent (in-pack) — We label uncertainty and avoid overclaiming.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
2C) Museum copy v0.3 — Field Module: Goliad Massacre / Fannin
“Remember Goliad”
In March 1836, more than 300 Texian prisoners were held at Presidio La Bahía after the Battle of Coleto. They were marched out in groups and executed—an event remembered as the Goliad Massacre. Colonel James Fannin was among those killed.
The visitor guide states the chapel held “more than 300” captive prisoners before their massacre after the Battle of Coleto, and also provides March 27, 1836 execution context.
- “More than 300” + Coleto excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Shows “more than 300” and “Battle of Coleto.”
- Fannin execution excerpt (Visitor Guide) — Adds date and execution context.
For many Texans, the executions became a rallying cry—“Remember Goliad!” For visitors today, it is also a lens on wartime captivity, command decisions, and the human costs of revolution.
A THC historic site page for the Fannin Battleground states that the unanticipated execution inflamed the Texas cause and spurred the battle cry “Remember Goliad!”
- Battle-cry excerpt (Fannin Battleground page) — Names the battle cry explicitly.
2D) Museum copy v0.3 — Micro-label: Angel of Goliad
A bronze statue honors Francisca (Francita) Alvarez, remembered in local tradition for acts of compassion toward Texian prisoners during the 1836 crisis at La Bahía. This story is often told through commemoration and community memory; where possible, this project traces how and when the story enters the written record.
The micro-label frames the “Angel of Goliad” story as commemoration/tradition. Secondary sources describe acts of compassion attributed to Francita Alavez/Álvarez, but until a primary documentation trail is assembled, public wording stays careful and explicitly notes the tradition boundary.
- TSHA excerpt (secondary account) — Describes acts of compassion toward prisoners (secondary reference).
Documentation anchor (modern): Separate from the 1836 tradition story, modern documentation exists for the Angel of Goliad Plaza work (MOU trail + $500k line item). This supports stewardship context but does not itself authenticate the 1836 compassion narrative.
A documented MOU trail exists for the Angel of Goliad Plaza work: (a) the MOU identifies parties (Texas Historical Commission and Goliad County), and (b) a committee packet excerpt states THC will pay $500,000 for adjacent County-owned land including the Angel of Goliad Plaza (context: proposed agreement).
- MOU parties excerpt — TownCloud PDF packet link (treat as potentially unstable).
- $500k excerpt (committee packet) — Committee packet excerpt; ties $500k to Angel of Goliad Plaza.
2E) Museum copy v0.3 — Micro-label: Zaragoza Birthplace
Ignacio Zaragoza: A Mexican National Hero
Ignacio Zaragoza is celebrated for leading Mexican forces to victory over a larger French army at Puebla in 1862—an event commemorated as Cinco de Mayo. The birthplace site near Presidio La Bahía connects local history to broader 19th‑century North American struggles over sovereignty, empire, and national identity.
A THC page for the Zaragoza Birthplace describes Zaragoza’s leadership at Puebla on May 5, 1862 and notes that the victory is commonly known as Cinco de Mayo.
- Puebla + Cinco de Mayo excerpt (THC Zaragoza Birthplace page) — Names Puebla, date, and Cinco de Mayo.
3) Docent talk v0.3 (12–15 minutes; reconciled wording)
- Presidio established in the early 1720s; relocations; settlement near present location by mid‑18th century.
- Chapel completed 1779.
- 1836 captivity: use phrasing more than 300 unless curators confirm a sharper number.
- Angel of Goliad: explicitly framed as commemoration/tradition unless primary documentation is found.
- Zaragoza module: Puebla 1862 / Cinco de Mayo as transnational memory.
The docent talk is a reconciled summary for live interpretation. It reuses conservative phrasing (e.g., “early 1720s,” “more than 300”) and explicitly keeps tradition-framed items labeled as such.
- Founding-year conservative framing — See CC-PP-003.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
- Captivity/execution facts — See CC-PP-010.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
- Angel of Goliad tradition boundary — See CC-PP-012.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
- Zaragoza Puebla framing — See CC-PP-013.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
4) Transparency micro-panel (“How we know”)
This exhibit is built from official records, historic site publications, and peer‑reviewed research. When sources disagree, we label uncertainty and keep a record of why a date or claim was chosen. Ask staff for the “Evidence Binder” to see the sources behind specific statements.
The pack is designed so public-facing statements map to evidence (Library) and uncertainty is labeled (Gates). This is the governance posture of the project and is presented to stakeholders as the “How we know” method.
- Status ledger (in-pack) — Shows posture counts and click-through to claim cards.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
5) Open gates (still pending)
- Stewardship/legal wording (owner vs operator vs mandate): deferred until executed legal docs are captured.
- Founding year precision: conservative wording retained until all official sources converge (or a milestone definition is chosen).
- Angel of Goliad documentation trail: present as tradition until a primary evidence trail is located.
See Gates for closure recipes and the R2 two-sided evidence card.
Some language remains intentionally constrained until gates close: (R5) stewardship/mandate wording pending executed documents; (R2) founding-year milestone selection; (R3) Angel of Goliad documentation trail (keep as tradition until a primary trail is captured).
- Gates register (in-pack) — Closure recipes and evidence pointers live on the Gates page.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable
6) “What success looks like” (for Jonny)
- Visitors leave with a coherent Presidio-first storyline, plus clear optional modules.
- Every public-facing sentence has an evidence posture: supported / conservative / tradition / proposal.
- The project is auditable: evidence binder index + discrepancy closure notes preserved.
Project success is defined operationally: a coherent Presidio-first storyline, optional satellite modules, and auditability (every public-facing sentence maps to a posture and evidence).
- Scope lock + ledger method (in-pack) — Governance artifacts define what “success” means.Links: 🧷 Jump (in-pack) stable