Welcome to the virtual tour of the Texas state capitol building complex.
For starters, when you first walk in the door, you'll
be surrounded by many pieces of art -- testimonies to
the heroes and martyrs of Texas.
On your left, for instance, you'll see this painting of
the surrender of Mexican dictator Santa Anna to Texas'
revolutionary General Sam Houston after the battle of
San Jacinto. Houston, pictured lying against the
tree, was wounded in battle. Santa Anna (figure in blue
shirt and white trousers) had tried to
escape by dressing as a common Mexican foot solider, but
was captured by the Texans and identified by his own men.
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In front of you as you walk in the doors, on either side
of the entranceway to the main floor, are two statues.
The one on the left is of Sam Houston, who was not only
a general, but one of Texas' elected Presidents (remember,
Texas was a free Republic then). Houston eventually
fell into disrepute in Texas for his advocacy of Texas
becoming a neutral Republic instead of joining the
Confederacy during the War Between the States. The man
on the right is Stephen F. Austin, famous Texas pioneer
and statesman. Both Houston and Austin have major
cities in the state named after them.
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The main floor is a circular room with its walls, on
every floor, lined with paintings of Texas governors
and Presidents. The most ominous view, however, is
straight up into the dome, pictured here. Although I
cannot recall how far up it is, I do recall the tour
guide mentioning that the star pictured in the center
is, in reality, around 7 feet tip to tip.
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Below your feet on the main floor are a series of seals
honoring the many powers that have ruled over Texas in
its history. They are: Spain, France, Mexico, the Texas
Republic, the Confederacy, and the United States. Some
of you may recognize these as being the "Six Flags"
which the amusement park chain of the same name honors.
The seal on our left reads "Remember the Alamo" at the
top, and "Texas, One and Indivisible" at the bottom.
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Now we can proceed to the second part of the tour, which
will show you a bit of the
grounds.
If you find anything in here you have questions or comments about, feel
free to leave me email right here.
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