Adina Emilia De Zavala
A fierce Texan preservationist whose dramatic 1908 standoff saved the Alamo from being turned into a hotel.
1861–1955 (age 94)·American teacher and historical preservationist·Birthday: November 28·The Gilded Age
Biography
Adina De Zavala was a historian with a warrior's spirit, born with the legacy of Texas in her blood as the granddaughter of the republic's first vice president. A teacher by profession, her true calling was safeguarding the physical remnants of Texas history. Her defining moment came in 1908 when, learning that the historic Alamo mission's long barracks were slated for commercial demolition, she barricaded herself inside for three days. This bold act captured national attention and forced a compromise, preserving the site. For decades afterward, she led the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in a relentless, often contentious campaign to research, restore, and protect the Alamo, ensuring its transformation from a crumbling relic into a sacred shrine of Texas identity.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Adina was born in 1861, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Adina Was Born
The biggest hits of 1861
Adina's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1861Born
President: Abraham Lincoln
1866Started school
President: Andrew Johnson
1874Became a teenager
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1877Could drive
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1879Could vote
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1882Turned 21
First electrical power plant opens in New York
President: Chester A. Arthur
1891Turned 30
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 40
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 50
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 60
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 70
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1941Turned 80
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1955Died at 94
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
Key Achievements
- Led the successful effort to preserve the Alamo's Long Barracks in 1908 through a dramatic three-day occupation of the building.
- Founded the De Zavala Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, a key force in early Texas preservation.
- Conducted extensive historical research that corrected many myths and established accurate narratives of Texas sites.
Did You Know?
She was named after two empresses: Adele of France and Emilia, the wife of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
Her grandfather, Lorenzo de Zavala, was the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas.
She taught school in San Antonio for many years before dedicating herself fully to preservation work.
“I will barricade myself inside the Alamo to save it from the wreckers.”
