James Butler Bonham was born in what is now Saluda County, South Carolina, as was William Barret Travis. They knew each other as boys, then reconnected in Texas. Travis used Bonham as a messenger to seek reinforcements. Bonham did not have to return to San Antonio de Bexar but came back to the Alamo to give the final bad news. Why? Friendship to Travis, and dedication to his duty, no matter what.
On March 6, 1836, Travis was among the first to fall in Santa Ana's final assault. Bonham was one of the last. Travis's
birthplace has been lost, but we know where it might have been. Bonham's has ben restored.
The
Languor of a Summer Afternoon- Bonham Homestead
The languor of a summer afternoon,
a glimpse into hazy eternity:
sun striking even into shaded roads
extending slowly away from the lake,
ending either at shore or in the woods;
a sense of completion or finality,
depending on your perspective or mood
framed by white clouds and deeply-blue sky.
Time enough to seek a dogtrot homestead
restored to rustic grace along old road,
or meander a spider’s web of lanes
half-hidden behind scenery flashing
by as we accelerate though our lives,
yearning to slow the pace as we hurry.
Arthur Turfa, Places and Times, © eLectio Publishing