Susanna Dickinson earned a place in the annals of Texas history when she and her infant daughter survived the horrific defeat at the Alamo.

Susanna then personally delivered the news to General Sam Houston outside Gonzales. She was one of only a few surviving witnesses of the battle, and it’s said Houston wept on hearing her story. Earlier, two Tejanos had delivered news of the horrific defeat to Houston but, unsure they were telling the truth, Houston arrested and imprisoned them until he could verify their report – which Susanna soon did.

The Susannah Dickinson Museum, one of Dickinson’s homes, memorializes the remarkable life of this “Messenger of the Alamo.”

MESSENGER OF THE ALAMO

The life story of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson reads like great historical nonfiction. Dickinson’s trials and tribulations reveal a fascinating portrait of Texas ingenuity and pluck from a witness to some of the most dramatic moments in Texas history. Dickinson’s escape during the fall of the Alamo and her subsequent rise to wealth and notoriety in Austin are, in many ways, a reflection of the long struggle to peace and statehood inherent in the Texas legacy.

Today, visitors may learn all about Dickinson, her family, and Texas history at the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig House Museum. The museum, located in the heart of downtown Austin, is the only surviving residence of Dickinson, built in 1869 for Dickinson by her fifth husband Joseph Hannig.

Built in the style of architecture known as “rubble-rock”, a technique favored by many German immigrants who helped settle the Hill Country region, the home served as residence for Dickinson and her husband until 1875. The restored home is also part of Museum Row, a collection of three Austin museums that also include the O. Henry and Austin Fire Museums.