All seven of the cannons used in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo that are on display at the Alamo, such as the one fired during Cannon Fest, are gradually being conserved by the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M.
The historic cannons are named according to the weight of the shot they fired. The seven used during the Battle of the Alamo include two iron 3-pounders, two bronze 4-pounders, a three-quarter iron swivel, an iron 12-pounder gunnade and a 16-pounder, which is an unusual caliber. The two cannons from the same period not used during the battle include an iron 4-pounder and an iron 6-pounder. After conservation, the cannons will be returned to the Alamo for display.
The Alamo launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $50,000 for the conservation project, and the Brown Foundation in Houston donated a lead gift of $7,000. Those interested in contributing to the cannon conservation and preservation of Texas history can do so at https://www.gofundme.com/alamobattlecannon.
The Conservation Research Lab at Texas A&M was established by Director Donny Hamilton in 1978. Since then, the Lab has completed approximately 160 projects amounting to the conservation of about two million artifacts.
“The Lab enables about a dozen students each semester to gain hands-on experience,” Jobling said. “When they start their jobs, they can draw on actual experience conducting the conservation work, not just knowledge gained during classroom lectures.”
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Media contact: Jim Jobling, Research Associate, Conservation Research Lab, 979-862-7791 or [email protected]; or Elena Watts, Division of Marketing & Communications, at 979-458-8412 or [email protected].