Who was the savior of the Alamo?

A Texas-born businesswoman, philanthropist, and historic preservationist who provided the money to preserve the Alamo Mission in San Antonio.



In historical terms, the title "Savior of the Alamo" is most famously attributed to Clara Driscoll. In 1903, the granddaughter of a Texas patriot discovered that the historic mission site was at risk of being partially demolished to make way for a hotel. Driscoll personally provided thousands of dollars—approximately $65,000, which would be worth over $2 million today—to purchase the land and save the Long Barrack from destruction. She worked alongside the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT) to preserve the site for future generations. While many iconic figures like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie are remembered for their roles in the 1836 battle, Clara Driscoll is celebrated in 2026 as the woman who physically saved the structure from modern development. Her legacy continues through the Driscoll Children's Hospital, which she also helped establish through her extensive philanthropic endowments.

People Also Ask

Adina De Zavala was a preservationist whose best known contribution was saving the Alamo as a historic site.

MORE DETAILS

But Clara Driscoll is best remembered for rescuing the Alamo, the shrine of Texas Independence, as she described it. When Driscoll died in 1945, her body lay in state at the mission's chapel, in recognition of her work to preserve it.

MORE DETAILS

After regaining honor at the more famous fall of the Alamo in 1836, Santa Anna felt his job in Texas was done. But under counsel, he decided to take one final swipe at the Texas rebels by dividing his army and sweeping the land. The resulting campaign led to the Battle of San Jacinto.

MORE DETAILS

Miraculously, at least fourteen people lived through the battle, and a few would later provide chilling eyewitness accounts of what happened. Enrique Esparza was the son of Alamo defender Gregorio Esparza and Ana Salazar Esparza. He, his mother, and two siblings survived the attack.

MORE DETAILS

Mary's Texas, on April 2, 1881; died in Corpus Christi, Texas, on July 17, 1945; younger of two children and only daughter of Robert (a millionaire rancher and businessman) and Julia (Fox) Driscoll; attended private schools in Texas and New York City and the Chateau Dieudonne, a French convent near Paris; married Henry ...

MORE DETAILS

For many students who learned about the Battle of the Alamo, the lesson stopped once General Antonio López de Santa Anna attacked the old fortified mission on the morning of March 6, 1836 and put its garrison to the sword.

MORE DETAILS

Today it is a museum in the Alamo Plaza Historic District and a part of the San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site.

MORE DETAILS

Mexicans had overthrown the Spanish and wanted to prove they were capable of running all the territory they had won from Spain. Mexico also feared a domino effect—that giving up Texas would lead to the loss of their other northern territories.

MORE DETAILS

Driscoll, Clara (1881–1945). Clara Driscoll, businesswoman, philanthropist, and historic preservationist, was born on April 2, 1881, to Robert and Julia (Fox) Driscoll in St. Mary's, Texas, near the site of present Bayside.

MORE DETAILS

Bobby was hired as a child actor, and when he was no longer a child, it was difficult for him to find work. He appeared on several TV shows and radio programs throughout the 1950s. He married Marilyn Jean Rush in early 1957 and had three children (two daughters and one son).

MORE DETAILS

As history, The Alamo looks accurate, and, indeed, we find that San Antonio de Béxar was carefully re-created with little sparing of expense (the film cost $95 million to make) and with the able assistance of the Alamo historian and curator, Richard Bruce Winders, and Stephen L.

MORE DETAILS