JOANNA TROUTMAN MONUMENT

Joanna Troutman Monument

Inscription on Monument
On this site in 1835, Joanna Troutman gave to a Company of Georgia Soldiers on their way to fight for the independence of Texas a lone star flag which she made and was later adopted as the Texas emblem.

This monument is located in front of the Old Crawford County Courthouse on US Highway 80 in Knoxville, Georgia.

Joanna Troutman Story
Joanna Troutman, called the "Lady of Goliad", 17 year old daughter of Colonel and Mrs. Hiram Baldwin Troutman, fashioned the Texas Lone Star Flag from her silk skirts. In 1835, 150 middle Georgia soldiers marched to Texas to assist in the fight against Mexico. When they passed through Knoxville, Joanna presented the flag to Colonel William Ward on the steps of the Troutman Inn, later known as the Harris Hotel. The flag flew during the battle of Goliad and later was recognized as Texas' official flag. One hundred and one years later,[1936] Texas Governor O. B. Colquitt was guest speaker in Knoxville for the unveiling of a memorial marker sponsored by Stiles A. Martin. Joanna is buried in Austin, Texas, next to a bronze figure of herself, sculpted by Pompeo Coppini.

In 1835, in response to an appeal for aid to the Texas cause, the Georgia Battalion, commanded by Col. William Ward, traveled to Texas. Joanna Troutman designed and made a flag of white silk, bearing a blue, five-pointed star and two inscriptions: "Texas and Liberty" on the obverse and, in Latin, "Where Liberty dwells there is my country" on the reverse. She presented the flag to the battalion,

Note: for information about Georgians who went to Texas: http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/goliadgeorgia.htm

She born on February 19, 1818 (daughter of Hiram Baldwin Troutman) and married S. L. Pope in 1839, and the couple moved to Elmwood, their prosperous plantation near Knoxville, Georgia, in 1840. They had four sons. Her husband died in 1872, and Joanna married W. G. Vinson,[William Green Vinson] a Georgia state legislator, in 1875. She died on July 23, 1879, at Elmwood Plantation and was buried next to her first husband. In 1913 Texas governor Oscar B. Colquitt secured permission to have her remains taken to Texas for interment.

USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, this photograph may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. This image may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations.
Persons or organizations desiring to use this image for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.

This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Ed Gordon

Return to the Crawford County, Georgia Digital Library