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At first glance, it looks like something a modern-day rocker would wear on stage to electrify a crowd.
And maybe the colorful vest says a lot about the colorful personality of the man who once wore it before the 1836 Battle of the Alamo — David Crockett.
After all, there is the old saying, "It's the clothes that make the man."
You can learn more about Crockett's vest and other Alamo related artifacts during a special after-hours vault tour through the Ralston Family Collections Center.
Ernesto Rodriguez, the Alamo's distinguished historian for a quarter of a century, will lead the tour and explain the artifacts along the way.
He gave Texas Public Radio a sneak preview of some of the things visitors can learn on the tour.
“The vest came to us through the Steves family, a prominent family in town. It was purchased by the Steves family from the Crockett family," he said. "People like to admire the beautiful glass beadwork adorning the buckskin. Billy Bob Thornton wears a reproduction of this very vest in the 2004 movie."
There are also some relics not related to the battlefield, but rather to Hollywood.
"One of the coonskin caps worn by John Wayne in the famous 1960 movie was donated to the Alamo by John Wayne himself, through a local radio station," Rodriguez said.
"People come to see it because it’s such an iconic object, and it’s not currently on public display. This vault tour is a rare opportunity to see it up close."
"The Alamo" movie and other mid-century television productions by Disney made coonskin caps popular among children of the era.
Rogriguez said the vault tour will allow Alamo buffs to go on a deeper dive into history than a regular visit to the state and national landmark might provide.
“It gives us the opportunity to showcase one of the most famous Alamo defenders with objects that are rarely seen by the public. Guests will learn more about Crockett through artifacts, documents, and pop culture."
Tickets for the tours on Aug. 13 and 14 are $125 dollars for general admission. Friends of the Alamo can get tickets for $100.
https://www.thealamo.org/visit/alamo-vault-tour-crockett-edition
The multi-year, half-a-billion-dollar makeover of Alamo Plaza ends in 2028 with the opening of a new visitor center and museum across from the front of the Alamo.
The state paid for the lion's share of the makeover, while the city and county made significant contributions too. The goal is to put the Alamo on the same scale of other National Parks and provide a more educational and bigger experience for the Alamo's nearly annual 2 million annual visitors.
The Alamo is the single most visited destination in Texas, according to state officials.
