|
 Texas Spring Palace Posted by:  QuesterMark
N 32° 44.785 W 097° 19.582
14S E 656798 N 3624413
This subject marker stands near the Al Hayne monument, facing a sidewalk in a small parklike area next to the parking lot of the T&P Depot on W. Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth.
Waymark Code: WMDJZW
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/22/2012
Views: 13
Marker erected by the Texas Historical Commission.
Texas Historical Commission Atlas data:
Index Entry: Texas Spring Palace
Address: 100 Block of W. Lancaster
City: Fort Worth
County: Tarrant
Subject Codes: fairs and festivals; opera houses and theatre
Year Marker Erected: 1980
Marker Location: 100 Block of W. Lancaster, Fort Worth, Al Hayne Park
Marker Size: 27" x 42"
Marker Number: 5272
Marker Text:
Following a suggestion by General R.A. Cameron, an officer of the Fort Worth & Denver Railway, city promoters developed the idea of an annual exhibition for the display of Texas agricultural products. In 1889 they constructed the Texas Spring Palace near this site to house the exhibits. Designed by the Fort Worth firm of Armstrong and Messer, it was a two-story wooden structure featuring influences of Oriental and Moorish styles. Women's groups added ornamentation using flowers, seeds, and grasses.
On the evening of May 30, 1890, during the second season of the exhibition, a fire swept through the Spring Palace, completely destroying the structure. A number of people who crowded the building at the time had to leap from the second floor to escape the flames. Alfred S. Hayne (b. 1849), a native of England, returned to the burning Palace to help others who were still trapped inside. The only fatality of the fire, he died the next day of burns suffered in the rescue effort. In 1893 the Women's Humane Association dedicated a monument near this site in memory of his heroism and courage.
Efforts to rebuild the Texas Spring Palace failed because of economic problems in the Panic of 1893. (1980)
|
Visit Instructions:
Please include a picture in your log. You and your GPS receiver do not need to be in the picture. We encourage additional information about your visit (comments about the surrounding area, how you ended up near the marker, etc.) in the log.
|