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LEWISTOWN – That three local men fought and died in the Battle of the Alamo in 1836 is no secret to anyone with even an inkling of the history of the Juniata Valley. Now the story of those freedom fighters is immortalized in song.
“Pennsylvania to the Alamo,” is song Number 11 on a CD called “A Mountain Man’s Dream,” just released by Danville musician and schoolteacher Van Wagner.
Wagner is also a friend of Paul Fagley, of Burnham, a well known local historian who the musician met at Greenwood Furnace State Park, where Fagley is a cultural educator.
“Paul and I share a love for Pennsylvania history, and this story caught my interest. What an amazing story it is,” Wagner said.
As the story goes, three Mifflin Countians died at the Alamo during the famous battle, considered a pivotal event in the Texas fight for independence from Mexico. It was a heroic struggle against impossible odds – a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
The local men who died at the Alamo were David Porter Cummings, Dr. John Purdy Reynolds and William McDowell. The Reynolds family erected a monument in his memory at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Cemetery in Lewistown, which people interested in local history still seek out today.
Reynolds, the son of Judge David and Mary (Purdy) Reynolds, was born in 1806 in Mifflin County. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and practiced medicine in Mifflin County for several years before moving west with McDowell.
McDowell, the son of Col. John McDowell of Kishacoquillas, Mifflin County, was born in 1794.
Historical accounts say Reynolds and McDowell moved west, where they helped found Mifflin, tennessee. They joined up with Davy Crockett’s Tennessee Company of 12 mounted volunteers and rode to Texas. During the siege of the Alamo, Reynolds served as the senior medical officer.
According to information from the Texas State Historical Association, Reynolds and McDowell were sworn in to the Volunteer Auxiliary Corps of Texas in 1836 at Nacogdoches and sent to San Antonio de Baxar as members of Capt. William B. Harrison’s company, which included Crockett.
Cummings, a surveyor, was born in 1809 in Lewistown, the son of David and Elizabeth (Cathers) Cummings. His father, who served in the Pennsylvania legislature, was an officer in the War of 1812, a canal operator in Harrisburg and a friend of Sam Houston. Cummings went to Texas with a box of rifles from the Pennsylvania State Arsenal, paid for by his father. He left San Antonio a few weeks before the battle to survey land on Cibolo Creek and returned on March 1 with relief forces.
All three died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836.
“I like that this story has more questions than answers,” Wagner said. “One of my favorite things about the song-writing process is how a story can pull you in. As I wrote the lyrics to this song, I found myself more and more fascinated at the facts.”
Wagner pondered the facts of the three local men at the Alamo for a few years before it became a part of his repertoire.
“The story has remained in my mind for several years since Paul told me about it,” Wagner said.
“Last summer I read the book ‘Empire of the Summer Moon,’ by S.C. Gwynne. It is about the Comanche Indians and the Texas Rangers. It’s a great book and really made me think about the people behind the history.
“That brought me back to these three men from Pennsylvania,” Wagner said. “I reached out to a group of supporters on Facebook. They call themselves the ‘North of 80 Van Wagner Fan Club,'” Wagner said, explaining how the song was written.
He invited his fans to help him write the song. “People added details about the men’s lives they found fascinating, like ‘selling a good rifle to pay for a horse.’
“I then took some of the ideas from this group and wrote the song, using as many of their ideas as possible.”
The song’s topic fits in with the musician’s collection of original folk songs. “I write about Pennsylvania history and nature,” Wagner said. “My songs tend to focus on the 1800s for some reason. This story from the 1830s fits right in there, even though it ends in Texas.”
Will other bits of local history find their way into future songs by Wagner?
“I am lucky to have Paul Fagley as a friend,” he said. “There is a kinship between my town of Danville and your region. Some of that kinship relates to iron. I love coming to Greenwood Furnace each August to sing at the state park. I frequently leave with inspiration about the iron ore miners, furnace workers and charcoal makers. I can easily see more songs about those Pennsylvanias coming out.”
Wagner teaches environmental science at Lewisburg High School, where he uses music as a tool to reach his students.
“One of my favorite traditions is to take my students on a field trip to the pioneer coal mine in Ashland. Once we are several hundred feet underground, I pull out an old guitar and sing them some coal mining songs. I really hope it becomes a memory they will carry their entire life,” he said.
Wagner was named Conservation Educator of the Year in 2005 from Schuylkill County, and in 2007 and 2009 in Union County. In 2012, he was awarded the Sandy Cochran Award for natural resource education from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association.
In 2015, the Red Cross presented Wagner with the Robert N. Pursel Distinguished Service Award.
Outside the classroom, Wagner educates his audiences with his music and programs on Pennsylvania history. His music has been featured on The History Channel, WVIA TV, as well as Country Music Television.
He has released 20 original albums and published a book, “Coal Dust Rust and Saw Dust.”
Wagner’s CD is available at www.itunes.apple.com.
For more information, visit Wagner’s website at www.VanWagnerMusic.com.